Trustees of Hawaii’s Wealthiest Charity Make Changes to Quell Criticism
STEPHEN G. GREENE The beleaguered trustees of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate in Hawaii, who for months have tried to repel charges of mismanagement and financial impropriety, are now seeking to appease their critics by changing some of their practices. But deep divisions on the board of Hawaii’s…
Subsidies for Internet Access: How They Work
Under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, schools, libraries, and rural hospitals are now eligible to get subsidies for Internet access. The subsi-dies, provided through a program called “universal service,” are designed to make sure that all Americans, especially children, can have access to the…
As Schools Gain Internet Access, Charities Post Lesson Plans on Web Sites
SUSAN GRAY As more and more schools and libraries gain access to the Internet, a growing number of non-profit groups are using the medium to get their messages across to schoolchildren around the world. Environmental groups and museums have been among the leaders in the effort to develop…
Fund Raisers’ Group to Lose Its Chief
Patricia F. Lewis, president of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives, has announced her resignation after heading the society for seven years. Ms. Lewis is credited with keeping the association on a steady course through a period of rapid growth. During her tenure, the group’s membership…
Episcopal Church in Battle Over Name
Officials of the Episcopal Church and a group of conservative leaders within the church are locked in a dispute over the group’s use of the denomination’s historical name, the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The conservatives -- disgruntled over what they see as a…
Key Events in Gift-Annuity Lawsuit: a Chronology
June 1994: Dorothy Ozee notifies the Lutheran Foundation of Texas and other Lutheran charities that she suspects they unduly pressured her 95-year-old great-aunt, Louise T. Peter, into donating the bulk of her $2-million estate to the charities. September: The Lutheran organizations ask a state…
Supreme Court Cites New Law in Pushing to Dismiss Controversial Texas Annuities Case
THOMAS J. BILLITERI The U.S. Supreme Court has given a strong signal that it wants a bitterly contested lawsuit against charities that offer gift annuities to come to an end. In a two-sentence order in December, the justices nullified a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit,…
Putting Faith in a Trust Company
Presbyterian fund-raising charity creates for-profit subsidiary to manage assets and perform a range of financial services Few charities have been as successful at raising and managing money for religious causes as the 199-year-old Presbyterian Church (USA) Foundation. With $1.5-billion in assets…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
Close of ’97 Brings Large Gifts to Universities, Israeli Museum
A son’s wish to honor his parents has resulted in a $42-million gift to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Martin D. Gruss, senior partner in the New York investment firm Gruss and Company, made the gift through the Beracha Foundation in Jerusalem, a fund established by his late parents, Joseph and…
3 Out of 4 in Los Angeles Said to Donate to Charity
DEBRA E. BLUM People in Los Angeles are not as stingy when it comes to charity as they are sometimes reputed to be, says the California Community Foundation. The foundation last month released the results of a survey it had commissioned on the charitable-giving habits and preferences of Los Angeles…