Daily News Roundup: Religious Charities’ Role an Issue in Debate on Trump Budget

Faith Nonprofits Enlisted in Ideological Fight Over Budget: The Atlantic talks to scholars of religious giving about whether congregations and faith-affiliated charities can do a better job than the government in providing for the needy, as is argued by some proponents of President Trump’s plan for steep cuts in federal spending on social programs.

Facebook Alumnus Gives $75 Million to U. of California at San Diego: Taner Halicioglu’s donation will establish a data-science institute at his alma mater and kicks off the public phase of the campus’s $2 billion fundraising campaign, The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Mr. Halicioglu worked at Facebook for the company’s first five years and helped develop its hardware infrastructure.

Affluent Marrieds Put Causes at Fore in Wedding Registries: As the growth of online registries makes it easier for couples to incorporate charity into gift requests, many are turning their weddings into fundraising opportunities, particularly well-to-do partners with little need to accumulate more material things, writes New York Times wealth columnist Paul Sullivan.

Tax Breaks a Factor in Surge of Donor-Advised Funds: The explosive growth of these giving vehicles may have as much to do with the tax benefits they confer on users as with charitable impulses, The Economist writes in a look at the debate over the funds and their impact on philanthropy. Read a Chronicle article on how donor-advised funds are reshaping giving.

Lyft Introduces Giving Option on Ride-Share Fares: The car-hailing company, seeking new ways to differentiate itself from bigger rival Uber, is rolling out a program to let customers round up their fares to the nearest dollar and donate the difference to one of a selected group of charities, writes TechCrunch.

Trump Budget Plan Jolts NEA-Backed Arts Groups in New York: Culture nonprofits in the city, which collectively receive about 10 percent of annual spending by the National Endowment for the Arts, are bracing for steep cutbacks as the White House aims to eliminate the grant-making agency, reports The Wall Street Journal (subscription). With debate swirling around the NEA’s fate, the Associated Press looks at how its globally unique model for government arts support evolved.