New Survey Details the Giving Patterns of Homosexuals
Homosexuals donate equally to gay and non-gay causes, aside from their giving to AIDS organizations, a new survey has found. The survey looked at giving and volunteering patterns among more than 2,200 gay, lesbian, bisexual, and “transgendered” people whose names appeared on mailing lists of…
By Marilyn Dickey
Senior Editor, Copy
Pax World Service Joins Mercy Corps
Two international humanitarian organizations with a long history of working together have decided to merge. Pax World Service, in Washington, created in 1972 by the founders of a socially responsible investment fund called Pax World Fund, has agreed to become an affiliate of Mercy Corps…
Black Church Official Is Charged with Theft
The Rev. Henry J. Lyons, president of what may be the nation’s largest black church, the National Baptist Convention USA, was arrested last month in Florida and charged with theft and racketeering under state laws. Mr. Lyons, who prosecutors say turned the church into a criminal racket shortly…
IRS Issues Guidance on Hospital Joint Ventures
The Internal Revenue Service has released a revenue ruling that describes what non-profit hospitals can do to keep their tax-exempt status when they enter into joint ventures with for-profit corporations. Revenue rulings from the I.R.S. are designed to help charities by stating the service’s…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Senator Proposes Limits on Charity Politicking
Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, a Connecticut Democrat, has proposed a sweeping campaign-finance overhaul bill that includes strict new limits on partisan political activity by tax-exempt organizations. Under the measure, S 1666, organizations registered under Sections 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) of the…
Scouts Told Not to Bar Homosexuals
A New Jersey appeals court ruled last week that the Boy Scouts cannot exclude gay members or leaders from its ranks. The Scouts say they will appeal. Earlier, a lower court ruled that the charity was within its rights when it ousted Eagle Scout James Dale because he was gay. The New Jersey court…
By Susan Gray
Contributor
Bits: Grants for Scientists; Healthy Communities
* The Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the American Association for the Advancement of Science have started a new Web site to provide free information on grants to scientists (http://www.grantsnet.org). “GrantsNet” now has about 50 listings and expects to have a searchable data base of more than…
By MARINA DUNDJERSKI
Contributor
Anti-Hunger Group Updates Web Site
Second harvest, the country’s largest chain of food banks, has revamped its Web site. The site now features legislative updates, a section on the grocery industry that highlights a “donor of the month,” and an on-line version of the Second Harvest Update magazine. The charity has also started a Web…
By MARINA DUNDJERSKI
Contributor
Foundation Uses Internet to Fight Flood Damage
The Fargo-Moorhead Area Foundation, in North Dakota, is using a World-Wide Web site to help stem the tide of problems that continue to surface from last year’s flooding in the upper Midwest. The clearinghouse was started in November with the help of a $75,000 grant from the Bush Foundation in St.…
By MARINA DUNDJERSKI
Contributor
Foundations Slow to Embrace Technology, Report Says
Foundations and corporate grant makers are not making much use of computer and Internet technologies as part of their day-to-day work, says a new report released by the Council on Foundations this month. A survey of 771 grant makers found that many did not use such Internet-related communications…
By MARINA DUNDJERSKI
Contributor