Michael Dennis Layton joined the Johnson Center in September 2020 as the W.K. Kellogg Community Philanthropy Chair, the first endowed chair in the U.S. dedicated to advancing community philanthropy.

Michael brings extensive experience to this role as a researcher, educator, director, advocate, and consultant. Having worked closely with a diverse range of community philanthropy organizations across the Americas, he offers a nuanced understanding of the challenges and opportunities inherent in leveraging community philanthropy to catalyze community-led development and strengthen local philanthropic ecosystems.

Michael’s recent research advances the understanding of how community philanthropy manifests in practice. In collaboration with Philanthropy Together and Colmena Consulting, he co-authored  In Abundance: An Analysis of the Thriving Landscape of Collective Giving in the U.S., which explores the growth of collective giving and its role in advancing equity in philanthropy, and Patterns in the Tapestry: A Typology of Collective Giving Groups, which introduces a framework for categorizing these groups. Additionally, he partnered with Dr. Michael Moody on Connecting Community and Family Philanthropy in Latin America: Mexico (also available in Spanish), a study that examines the intersections of community foundations and family philanthropy through case studies and interviews.

Michael began his career as the founder and director of the New Kensington Community Development Corporation in his Philadelphia neighborhood of origin. Motivated by a desire to deepen his understanding of democracy’s history and values, he pursued advanced degrees in political science. After teaching at Wesleyan and Yale Universities, Michael founded and directed the Philanthropy and Civil Society Project at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) in Mexico City. There, he launched a groundbreaking research and advocacy initiative to study and strengthen philanthropy and civil society.

Michael holds a doctorate and a master’s degree in political science from Duke University and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Haverford College. A proud native of Philadelphia, he is also an alumnus of Central High School (Class #237).