Trump’s ‘Apprentice’ Charity Pledges Were Paid by Others
The Republican presidential nominee made more than 20 on-air promises to donate to contestant-backed charities during his seven seasons hosting The Celebrity Apprentice, but there is no evidence he personally fulfilled any of them, according to The Washington Post.
California Wellness Foundation CEO Judy Belk says columnist Pablo Eisenberg misunderstood the #ReasonsForHope campaign and omitted important work philanthropies are doing to promote gun control.
By Judy Belk
Contributor
Court Papers Link DiCaprio Fund to Malaysia Finance Scandal
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio’s environmentally focused foundation has been caught up in the federal investigation of a massive embezzlement case involving Malaysian sovereign-wealth fund 1MDB, writes The Hollywood Reporter.
Documents Show Soros Plan to Back Groups Critical of Israel
Leaked papers from billionaire financier and liberal donor George Soros’s Open Society Foundations outline a plan to finance Israeli and Palestinian human-rights groups as part of an effort to “hold Israel accountable” for alleged violations of international law but keep the philanthropy’s advocacy quiet, a Bloomberg columnist writes.
Grants Roundup: N.C. State Gets $45 Million for Plant Research
Other notable awards include $4.2 million from the Rose Community Foundation to support an array of Denver-area nonprofits.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Opinion: Time for ‘Big Green’ to Truly Serve Grass Roots
A program officer at an environmentally focused family foundation writes in the Stanford Social Innovation Review about philanthropy’s role in addressing funding and other disparities between major green organizations and community-based groups tackling environmental injustice.
Human-Rights Champion Gave Little to Help Dissidents From a Yahoo Fund
Harry Wu, who spent nine years in Chinese Labor camps, left a tarnished legacy after granting only $1.2 million to Chinese dissident families from a $17 million fund set up by the tech giant for that purpose, writes The New York Times.
Warren Buffett’s Sister Seeks Volunteers to Help Decide Where to Give Money
Doris Buffett is looking for volunteers in the Greater Boston area to help her wade through a backlog of letters to her brother from people asking for financial help, reports the Boston Globe.
Grant Makers Could Help Push Gun Control to Forefront of Public Policy
Instead of buying ads pushing for “bridges of dialogue,” grant makers could make a real difference by financing a broad coalition of nonprofits to take on the National Rifle Association.
By PABLO EISENBERG
Contributor
Black Lives Matter Aims to Raise $100 Million to Back Agenda
On the heels of issuing a six-point policy platform to address systemic racial inequity and injustice, the movement is ramping up organizational and fundraising work in support of the plan, Fortune writes.
Opinion: Why Philanthropy Needs to Embrace ‘Black Rage’
A Baltimore nonprofit leader argues in an essay on Medium that grant makers and nonprofits urgently need to reflect, and act upon, the anger in communities of color over inequality and racial violence.
Ga.-Based Global Health Charity Wins $2 Million Hilton Prize
The Task Force for Global Health, which has led collaborative efforts to tackle large-scale health issues affecting people in poverty, has been awarded the 2016 Hilton Humanitarian Prize, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation announced Tuesday.
Grants Roundup: WWII Museum Gets $3 Million From Bob Hope’s Foundation
Other awards include $5 million from the Pritzker Family Foundation to support early education for low-income children.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Watchdog Group Says Trump Charity Mixed Giving and Politics
The left-leaning Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington called Monday for the Internal Revenue Service to review the Donald J. Trump Foundation’s tax-exempt status, claiming involvement by the charity in its founder’s presidential campaign, The Daily Beast and The Washington Post report.
Small Group of Big Donors Powers African-American Museum
Nineteen individuals, foundations, and corporations have collectively contributed more than two-thirds of the $273 million in private giving to build the National Museum of African American History and Culture, The Washington Post writes in a rundown of the $5 million-plus donors.
Shutdown of Minn. Foundation Draws State Scrutiny
Twin Cities philanthropist Caroline Amplatz has dissolved her foundation and given the $1.77 million remaining in its coffers to a medical-technology start-up led by her father, a transfer being reviewed by Minnesota’s attorney general, the Pioneer Press reports.