Slow Growth at the Biggest Foundations
Assets of wealthy foundations rose by 2.8%, Chronicle’s study findsThe assets of the nation’s wealthiest private grant makers increased modestly last year, leading many foundations to increase their giving in 2006 or keep it about the same as last year, according ALSO SEE: DATABASE: Giving Trends…
By Caroline Preston and Ian Wilhelm
Doctor and Former Technology CEO to Lead Google Philanthropy
Larry Brilliant’s life seems the product of a split personality. He has lived in a Himalayan monastery and traveled with the Grateful Dead, but also is a doctor, a former chief executive of a Seattle technology company, and a telecommunications patent holder. After 61 years, though, he says his two…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Stern Warnings for the Red Cross
A key senator chides the relief charity over its governance and its emphasis on attracting good publicity Washington For the American Red Cross, “business-as-usual cannot continue.” So says a key U.S. lawmaker as part of his wide-ranging investigation into the multibillion-dollar charity, an…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Six Months After Katrina, United Way Leader Still Searches for Normalcy in Daily Routine
Ask G. Gary Ostroske, president of the United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area, about his post-Katrina life and he answers with a big sigh. “It’s been a ....” He pauses and releases a breath. “It’s been interesting, I’ll say, in the least.” Mr. Ostroske returned to the Crescent City five months…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Charity leaders strive to adapt to post-Katrina New OrleansNew Orleans Since Sharon Alexis returned here in November, her life has been an almost daily struggle. She spends her time scrubbing the floors of her flood-damaged house, searching for contractors who won’t overcharge her, and calling her…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
New Study on Foundation Expenses Hopes to Inform Congressional Debate
Community foundations spend a larger percentage of their total program budgets on overhead than private and ALSO SEE:Foundation Spending: Where the Money Goes corporate funds do, says a new report that provides an in-depth look at foundation spending. The report says community foundations spend 8…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Former Chrysler executive vows to eliminate diabetes Los Angeles After almost five decades working in the automobile industry, Lee A. Iacocca earned a reputation for taking business risks that paid big dividends. In philanthropy, he hopes to do the same. Since 1984, Mr. Iacocca, the former chief…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Gates Foundation Executive to Become President of CARE
After five years fighting HIV and AIDS in Africa and India as a top executive of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Helene D. Gayle will soon be working to defeat global social ills in a very different role. Last month Dr. Gayle was appointed president of CARE, an international aid charity in…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Federal Government Issues New Antiterrorism Guidelines for Charities
The U.S. Department of the Treasury last month released new guidelines to help nonprofit groups prevent their charitable funds from unwittingly being used to support terrorists. The guidelines, which are voluntary, replace ones the federal government issued three years ago, to much criticism. Inter…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Plagued by problems, the American Red Cross promises changes, but critics say an overhaul is needed As 2006 begins, the American Red Cross is making a host of New Year’s resolutions. Amid Congressional ALSO SEE:How the Red Cross Should Move Forward: Advice From ExpertsHurricane Fund Led by Former…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor