Foundations Urged to Help Charities Pay Operating Costs
Many foundations “may be crippling” nonprofit groups, especially small, local ones, by not providing enough money to pay for rent, salaries, and other overhead costs, warns a new report. The report, by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, a watchdog and research group in Washington,…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Giving by Big Foundations Rose 6% in 2005, Study Finds
By Ian WilhelmThe nation’s weathiest foundations increased the amount of money they awarded by 6.1 percent to $16.4-billion ALSO SEE: CHARTS: Foundation giving trends, 2005 CHARTS: Causes foundations support: How it changed, 2004-5 in 2005, from $15.5-billion in 2004, according to a new study. But…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Fannie Mae to Close Its Foundation, but Continue Supporting Charities
The Fannie Mae corporation has decided to shut down its foundation this spring as part of a reorganization of its business operations. Fannie Mae, a government-sponsored company created to establish a market for secondary mortgages, said it will close the fund April 30. A new Office of Community…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Volunteering by Americans Hits Four-Year Low
Sixty-one million Americans donated time to charity last year, the lowest number of volunteers in four years, according to new data from the federal government. The figure represents a drop from the 65.4 million people who said they volunteered in 2005, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Philanthropy Experts Debate Merits of Socially Responsible Investments
Foundations may hamper their charitable efforts if they invest only in companies that say they are socially responsible, said a scholar last week during a debate on whether grant makers should align their investments with their missions. Jon Entine, an adjunct fellow at the American Enterprise…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Grant Maker Gains Insight While on Active Duty
OUTSIDE THE NONPROFIT WORLD Last year, Bonnie Jenkins received a phone call with a message that few foundation officials have ever received. She was going to war. Ms. Jenkins, who works at the Ford Foundation, in New York, learned that March morning that her U.S. Naval Reserve unit had been called…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Grant Seekers Complain About Donor’s Actions
A grant-making organization established by Pierre Omidyar came under fire this month when several nonprofit leaders complained that the group had treated them unprofessionally. The public spat over the Omidyar Network is unusual in the often congenial world of philanthropy, where most charities…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
New York Audition Draws Hundreds in Search of ‘Fortune’
On a recent Friday morning, Rex Shaw came to the Park Central hotel here to ask for $2-million to replace the ALSO SEE:ARTICLE: The Rise of Charity TV overcrowded classrooms of the New Jersey school he runs. Feeling he had exhausted his traditional supporters — the state government, local…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
New crop of reality programs focuses on helping the needy, but critics say the shows exploit poor peopleCharity is coming to the small screen in a big way. The daytime talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey is producing two television shows ALSO SEE:ARTICLE: New York Audition Draws Hundreds in Search of…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor