Obituary: James E. Stowers Jr., Investor and Philanthropist
James E. Stowers Jr., a strong supporter of scientific research who developed one of the nation’s largest mutual-fund companies before becoming a philanthropist, died Monday at age 90, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Calif. Senate Blocks Nonprofit Politicking Disclosure Bill
Republican senators prevented passage Monday of a bill that would require greater disclosure of donors giving through nonprofit groups to influence state elections, reports The Los Angeles Times.
N.Y. Archbishop Backs State Tax Credit for School Gifts
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan will lobby state lawmakers in support of a plan to substantially increase tax breaks for donations to public schools and nonprofit scholarship funds, writes The New York Times.
Changing Needs Fuel Big Faith Groups’ Property Sales
Several major U.S. religious denominations are simultaneously downsizing and fundraising by selling off properties, often in pricey urban neighborhoods, as changing circumstances alter their space requirements, The New York Times reports.
Guggenheim Heirs Sue Foundation over Use of Venice Museum
French descendents of Peggy Guggenheim claim the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation has violated donor intent in its management of a museum at the late art patron’s former Venice palace, reports The Art Newspaper.
Obituary: Rachel Mellon, Heiress and Arts Patron
The heiress to the Listerine mouthwash fortune, who with her late husband Paul Mellon donated more than 1,000 works to the National Gallery of Art, died Friday at the age of 103 at her estate in Virginia, The Washington Post writes.
Staffing, Not Stigma, Is Biggest Fundraising Challenge for Mental-Health Charities
A new study of more than 100 fundraisers highlights concerns that board members and chief executives don’t understand fully what it takes to attract donations.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Big Donors Increasingly Driving Direction of Science Research
Billionaire philanthropists with big ideas on topics like health care, astronomy, and ocean health are increasingly funding major scientific work, and accordingly setting research priorities, as budget cuts squeeze the country’s science institutions, The New York Times writes.
IRS Grants Charity Status to Right-Wing Hollywood Group
An organization of conservatives in the entertainment industry that had been waiting about three years for an Internal Revenue Service ruling on its application for nonprofit status has been formally recognized as a 501(c)(3) charity, writes The New York Times.
Minn. Sues Education Charity over Alleged Fund Diversion
The state’s attorney general accuses the head of A Brighter Day Foundation, which supports high-achieving students from low-income families, of steering hundreds of thousands of dollars from the charity’s coffers to personal use, writes The Star Tribune.