Museum Moves: Detroit Director to Exit; Barnes Gets New Leader
Graham Beal, who steered the Detroit Institute of Arts through a series of financial crises and laid the groundwork for its transition from city to private ownership, announced that he will retire when his current contract expires on June 30, the Detroit Free Press writes, and Philadelphia’s Barnes Foundation has hired Thomas Collins from the Pérez Art Museum in Miami as its new president and CEO, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Obituary: Ruth Popkin Headed Major Jewish Charities
Ms. Popkin spearheaded efforts to help resettle Jewish refugees to Israel as president of Hadassah and the Jewish National Fund in the 1980s and ‘90s, The New York Times writes.
Local Governments and Nonprofits Test Crowdfunding for Civic Projects
Advocates say the funds raised by the technology help unlock additional sources of giving, but some taxpayers see city hall trying to double-dip into their wallets.
By Drew Lindsay
Senior Editor, Special Projects
Colorado Symphony Enjoys 1-Year Fundraising High
Four marijuana-friendly events generated $250,000 for the Denver-based performing-arts organization, but few nonprofits are following suit.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor
Policy and Politics Meet at Jeb Bush Education Nonprofit
The Foundation for Excellence in Education, the organization founded and until recently led by the likely GOP presidential candidate, forged an unusual role mixing politics and policy and connecting top state officials with companies producing digital education materials, according to The Washington Post.
Aid Groups Say Ebola Undermining Years of West Africa Work
The Ebola outbreak threatens to undo a decade of health, education, and economic-development gains in Sierra Leone and Liberia as long-active charities pull out of the countries or redirect resources to battling the disease, Reuters writes.
Conn. City Weighs Ethics of Gift for Mayoral Staff Hire
Stamford, Conn., officials are debating whether it is appropriate for the town to accept a $25,000 donation from a local businessman and philanthropist to fund a City Hall staff position, the Stamford Advocate reports.
Conn. Nonprofit Leader Admits $205,000 Theft
The former president of a Hartford, Conn., community-development group pleaded guilty to embezzling from the now-defunct group, using an organization debit card to make ATM withdrawals at casinos, the Associated Press reports, citing the Journal Inquirer of north-central Connecticut.
Gates Foundation Enlists Artists to Promote Vaccination
In the run-up to a January 27 fundraising meeting of the global vaccine alliance Gavi, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is embarking on an online campaign using art to encourage immunization, reports The New York Times.
2 N.Y. Museums Battle for Modern Art and Younger Trustees
New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art, both with major expansions in the works, are in a high-stakes competition to acquire contemporary masterpieces and infuse their boards with new blood, according to Vanity Fair.