Bloomberg Spins Off Group That Spurs Volunteerism in Cities
Bloomberg Philanthropies is providing $4.6-million to create a Cities of Service nonprofit to help mayors enlist residents to focus on obesity, neighborhood clean-up, and other challenges.
By Doug Donovan
Contributor
President’s Speech Urges Foundations to Support Young Children and Black Men
After hearing the president’s State of the Union speech, foundation leaders say that Congress must follow through with increased spending.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
Calif. Research Institute Gets Anonymous $275-Million Research Gift
An unidentified donor has given $275-million to the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., to speed development of treatments for cancer, diabetes, and other afflictions, U-T San Diego reports.
$50-Million Donation Boosts Cancer Work at NYU Langone
Laurie Perlmutter, who made the gift to the New York hospital’s cancer institute with her husband, billionaire investor Isaac Perlmutter, said another, “equal or larger” gift could be in the offing, The Wall Street Journal writes.
Smithsonian Scraps Plan to Reopen Its Original Home
The Smithsonian Institution’s 133-year-old Arts and Industries Building, shuttered in 2004 due to structural problems, will not reopen as planned this year, despite $55-million worth of maintenance and renovation, according to The Washington Post.
Price Hike and Hurricane Curbed Metropolitan Opera Sales Last Year
The Metropolitan Opera sold 79 percent of its seats during the 2012-13 season, suffering a decline in attendance in a year in which it raised admission charges, writes The New York Times.
Donors Benefiting From Philanthropy Seen as Bad Form, Study Finds
Yale University research suggests that people look less favorably on giving in which there is also a tangible benefit to the donor than on no giving at all, Time magazine and The Huffington Post write.
Pay-for-Success Projects Spread to More States
The James Irvine Foundation has committed $2.5-million for programs in California, and similar efforts are advancing in Massachusetts, New York, and Utah.
By Doug Donovan
Contributor
‘Worst Charities’ News Outlets Launch Online Watchdog Tool
The Tampa Bay Times and the Center for Investigative Reporting, which shook up the nonprofit world last year with their “America’s Worst Charities” series, have built the first online aggregator of charity watchdog groups’ reviews and ratings, the Florida newspaper reports.
Stock Gains Power 11.7% Growth in University Endowments
The organizations behind the benchmark annual review of more than 800 North American institutions’ endowments attributed the strong 2013 gains to a robust stock market, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.