Prominent Donor Cuts Ties to Museum Over Exhibit
Controversy over an exhibit has prompted Marylou Whitney, a descendant of the founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art, to resign from the institution’s national fund-raising committee. She said that she would no longer give any financial support to the institution and that the museum has been…
By Meg Sommerfeld
Contributor
Charities Should Plan Carefully for the Time That a Leader Is Away
Making the most of a sabbatical requires ALSO SEE:A Break Between Good DeedsNon-Profit Leaves: a Sampling of Programs more than just figuring out what to do during the time off. To ensure that the experience is a positive one for both the individual and the organization from which he or she is…
By Meg Sommerfeld
Contributor
Sabbaticals give charity executives the chance to hone skills -- or just unwind As founder of the Boston charity Jobs for the Future, ALSO SEE:Charities Should Plan Carefully for the Time That a Leader Is AwayNon-Profit Leaves: a Sampling of Programs Hilary Pennington is always thinking about work.…
By Meg Sommerfeld
Contributor
Gates Foundation Pledges $350-Million to Improve Public-School Education
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $350-million over the next three years to help improve elementary and secondary schools across the nation, with an initial emphasis on schools in the foundation’s home state of Washington. Not surprisingly, the foundation’s first major commitment to…
By Meg Sommerfeld
Contributor
Founder of Dell Computer Creates Foundation
Michael Dell, founder of the Dell Computer Corporation, and his wife, Susan, have contributed $114-million worth of stock to establish a charitable foundation. The existence of the new philanthropy, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, came to light when the foundation sold 2.7 million shares of…
By Meg Sommerfeld
Contributor
‘Forbes’: Palm Beach’s Charity-Ball Circuit
The more than 200 charity balls held in Palm Beach, Fla., generate some $35-million a year in ticket sales, according to Forbes magazine (February 7). But as the number of fund-raising events keeps increasing, non-profit groups must constantly search for ways to make their events popular, the…
By Meg Sommerfeld
Contributor
‘Business Week’: Walton’s Schools Crusade
Although Wal-Mart fortune heir John Walton went to public schools in Bentonville, Ark., and his own son attends public school in Wyoming, he has decided to focus his philanthropy on voucher programs that help children attend private schools. One reason, reports Business Week (February 7), is that…
By Meg Sommerfeld
Contributor
New Fund to Support Emerging Artists Awards 75 Grants Totaling Over $560,000
Creative Capital, a new fund to support emerging artists, announced its first round of grant winners this month. ALSO SEE:75 Artists Who Received Grants From New Warhol Fund It awarded some $563,700 to 75 artists. The fund was created by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, in New York,…
By Meg Sommerfeld
Contributor
Founder of Dell Computer Gives $114-Million to Start Foundation
Michael Dell, founder of the Dell Computer Corporation, and his wife, Susan, have contributed $114-million worth of stock to establish a charitable foundation. The existence of the new philanthropy, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, came to light when the foundation sold 2.7 million shares of…
By Meg Sommerfeld
Contributor
Arts Groups Face Financial Instability Despite Expected Influx of Funds
Citing their big gains in the stock market, two out of three grant makers who give a significant portion of their funds to arts groups say they expect to increase the amount of money they provide to such organizations over the next three years, according to a new Foundation Center report. The grant…
By Meg Sommerfeld
Contributor