Daily News Roundup: ‘MacArthur Genius’ Grants Announced
Winners of the $625,000 awards include the founder of United We Dream and the leader of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network. In other news, a key GOP representative wants to expand the number of people who can claim a tax break for charitable giving; Yale’s endowment posts disappointing returns; Harvey Weinstein steps down from the Robin Hood Foundation board; and Michael Jordan gives $7 million to health clinics in Charlotte, N.C.
Grants Roundup: $10 Million From Lilly Endowment to International African American Museum
Plus, Las Vegas Sands Corporation and its founder, Sheldon Adelson, create a $4 million fund for mass-shooting survivors and disaster-response groups.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Daily News Roundup: Charity Plans to Give Cash to Houstonians to Rebuild
GiveDirectly is going to hand out debit cards with no strings attached to hurricane victims. In other news, a rally in China’s Tencent Holdings adds billions to the philanthropic commitment of internet mogul Pony Ma; Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel peace prize winner, talks about using capitalism for good; Detroit hopes philanthropy could help in its bid to attract Amazon’s new headquarters; and a new app, patterned after Snapchat and Vine, will use video to encourage giving by young people.
Daily News Roundup: Grass-Roots Anti-Nuclear-Weapons Group Wins Nobel
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, known as ICAN, was honored for its efforts on global nuclear disarmament. In other news, Moody’s is considering a downgrade for University of Louisville because of its basketball scandal; an art museum is being sued for allegedly diverting donor funds; Lin-Manuel Miranda uses music and stars to raise money for Puerto Rico; and other gifts are made for hurricane and shooting victims.
Clark Foundation Awards $219.5 Million to U. of Maryland
The money, from the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation, will back scholarships, endow new professorships, and pay for other programs and building projects.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Video: From $141 Million Lottery Winners to Grant Makers
Fifteen years ago, Carmen and Alcario Castellano won the lottery and started a family foundation. Hear how they are using their grant making to encourage nonprofits to build more diverse leaders and boards.
By Nidhi Singh
Contributor
Grants Roundup: $30 Million From Hillman Foundation for Cancer Research
The W.M. Keck Foundation gave $21 million to Chapman University, and the Cleveland Foundation gave $9.9 million to seven nonprofits for education and other programs.
Daily News Roundup: GoFundMe Raises $3 Million for Las Vegas Victins
More than 43,000 donations have been made through GoFundMe since the Sunday night shooting. In other news, a ministry has dropped its bias claim against GuideStar, which had labeled it a hate group; Oxfam helps out in Puerto Rico, expressing “outrage” at the U.S. government’s “slow, inadequate” response; and poverty-stricken Kenyans start a savings club with money from GiveDirectly.
After a Decade, Lessons About How Community Funds Can Evolve Successfully
The Silicon Valley Community Foundation isn’t bound by geography like other similar funds — and that has helped it succeed in serving donors who hail from many places and think differently.
By Emmett D. Carson
Contributor
Daily News Roundup: Zuckerberg and Facebook Executives Clash Over Philanthropy Work
Mark Zuckerberg initially wanted Facebook employees to help with Chan Zuckerberg Initiative projects. In other news, a New York charity that a Chinese conglomerate said would become its largest shareholder, rethinks its request for nonprofit status; a hotline for human trafficking gets busier; a tech investor commits $10 million for hurricane aid; a D.C. chef feeds displaced people in disaster zones; and the Metropolitan Opera offers its staff buyouts.
Daily News Roundup: Donors Giving Big to Small Colleges
A $50 million gift to tiny Oglethorpe University, whose endowment is just $33.5 million, is one example of how major gifts can change everything for a small institution. In other news, the Trump administration is coming under fire for its hurricane response in Puerto Rico, and efforts in Los Angeles illustrate how developing housing for people in need can be tough even when the money is there.
Daily News Roundup: Trump Inaugural Committee Gives $3 Million for Storm Relief
In other news, the Hillman Foundation for Cancer Research gives the University of Pittsburgh $30 million, and the annual nonprofit ArtPrize contest, started by Betsy DeVos’s son, takes a political twist this year,
Grants Roundup: $3.4 Million From Charles Koch Foundation to Texas A&M U.
The money will go toward the Private Enterprise Research Center. Plus, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, the Omidyar Network, and the MacArthur Foundation together awarded $8.6 million to DoSomething.org for advocacy work.
Trump Era Prompts Foundation CEOs to Get Their Bullhorns Out
Grant makers are writing opinion articles and taking other steps to inform policy makers and advance the goals of the nonprofits they support.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
A Cash Guarantee for All Has Philanthropy Buzzing
Excitement for universal basic-income plans is growing among tech philanthropists and politicians, but supporting it has risks for grant makers.
By Benjamin Soskis
Contributor
Daily News Roundup: Nova Southwestern U. Gets $200 Million Gift
The money will build a new campus and provide scholarships. In other news, a brouhaha erupts over an AIDS fundraising event that benefited a Harvey Weinstein production; and 60 percent of the population of a Puerto Rican town are homeless. Plus, two Bush education foundations and Jennifer Lopez contribute to aid for storm relief.