Daily News Roundup: Supreme Court Rules Church Can Get Government Grant

Supreme Court Says Mo. Church Qualifies for State Grant: The justices ruled 7-2 that a Lutheran church could not be denied funding from a Missouri program that makes grants to nonprofits for secular purposes, in this case playground renovations, reports The Washington Post. While the court tailored the ruling narrowly, school-choice advocates said it bolsters their call for taxpayer-funded vouchers for students to attend religious schools, the Associated Press writes.

Blackbaud Makes Big Move Into Crowdfunding With JustGiving Buy: The Charleston, S.C.-based maker of software for nonprofits paid about $121 million to acquire British online-fundraising firm JustGiving, which has raised $4.5 billion for charities globally since 2001, The Post and Courier of Charleston reports. The deal greatly expands Blackbaud’s direct contact with donors and its foothold in Europe.

Silicon Valley Charity Spearheads Push to Get Coding Into Classrooms: With social-media savvy and tens of millions of dollarsfrom Google, Facebook, and other tech giants seeking to create a future pipeline of software engineers, Code.org has led efforts to make computer science a mandatory part of public education, writes The New York Times. The nonprofit, which had already developed lessons for elementary- and high-school students, is now launching a course for middle schoolers, The Seattle Times reports.

Ill. Charity Slashes Staff While Waiting for State to Pay Bills: Family Focus, which serves thousands of Chicago-area families with small children, is laying off 100 people, or 71 percent of its staff, amid a “severe cash-flow crisis,” writes Crain’s Chicago Business. CEO Merri Ex said the charity is owed $2.7 million by the state, which has delayed contract payments to nonprofits amid a protracted budget crisis.

Denver Broadens Tax Break for Charities: The City Council approved legislation Monday to exempt nonprofits from sales, hotel, and other levies, bringing the city into line with state and federal tax policies and saving area charities millions of dollars a year, The Denver Post reports.