With Millions at Stake, Some Foundations Slash Consulting Budgets
Looking to steer more money into grants and build up in-house expertise, some major donors are hiring less outside help for strategic planning and program development.
By Alex Daniels
Senior Editor, Foundations
General Electric Executive to Take Over as Foundation Head
General Electric executive Ann Klee will take over as president of the company’s charitable foundation, replacing Deborah Elam, GE’s chief diversity officer, according to the Boston Globe.
Alison Bernstein, Longtime Ford Foundation Official, Dies at 69
Alison Bernstein, a longtime official at the Ford Foundation who was credited for expanding education programs and tackling social issues, died late last month of endometrial cancer at her home in East Hampton, N.Y., writes The New York Times.
Gifts Roundup: Harvard Law Alumnus Donates $15 Million for Cyberspace Studies
Other notable donations include a $7.8 million bequest to Randolph College and $5.5 million for dinosaur programming at the Field Museum.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Black Nonprofit Leaders Share Grief in Wake of Police Shootings
Just hours before five police officers were gunned down in the streets of Dallas, black foundation and charity leaders across the country picked up their phones to share their grief following the second killing of a black man by police this week.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
German University Rewrites Gift Deal Amid Donor-Control Flap
Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz is overhauling contracts governing about $166 million in foundation funding amid controversy over provisions critics said gave the donor too much influence over faculty hiring and publications, Science magazine reports.
Eric Trump Says His Father Gives ‘Millions and Millions’ to Charity
Responding to media scrutiny of Donald Trump’s philanthropic claims, the younger Mr. Trump said the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s giving includes “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to the Eric Trump Foundation but he declined to provide details or documentation, The Washington Post writes.
How One Report Transformed 50 Years of Schools Philanthropy
Quietly issued by the government in 1966, the “Coleman report” made clear what led to student success, rejecting conventional wisdom that just pouring money into classrooms in poor neighborhoods did much good.
By LESLIE LENKOWSKY
Contributor
Grants Roundup: $10 Million From the NFL Creates New Group Combating Sexual Violence
Other notable awards include $40 million from Target for wellness programs and $25 million from the St. David’s Foundation to support health care in Texas.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Think Giving to Groups That Support Nonprofits Is a Waste? You’re Wrong.
It’s wrong to think investing in organizations that serve nonprofits takes away from groups that provide direct services; it helps them do a better job of doing good.
By Phil Buchanan and Jacob Harold
Opinion: Include Fundraising Support in ‘Capacity Building’
The growing tide among foundations to help their nonprofit grantees cover overhead expenses should be extended to include financial support for solicitation efforts, Charity Defense Council head Dan Pallotta writes in the Harvard Business Review.
New Arrival Fuels Debate: Has Boston Reached Peak Nonprofit?
The Boston Globe looks at whether the region has become saturated with groups offering similar services and spreading donation dollars too thin, in an article focusing on the arrival of a college-readiness charity that has secured significant backing from the financial sector.
Project Aims to Track Role of Children in Philanthropy
YouthGiving.org has so far documented $14.7 million in grant funding directed by kids, some of them preteens, who have participated in advisory committees and worked for family foundations.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Trump Used Foundation Money for Charity-Auction Purchase
Tax experts tell The Washington Post the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s use of Donald J. Trump Foundation funds to cover the $12,000 bid for sports memorabilia at a Susan G. Komen benefit four years ago may have violated Internal Revenue Service rules on “self-dealing” by charities.
From the Archives: A Look Back at the Philanthropy of Trump and Clinton
With the presidential contenders’ charitable work (or lack thereof) drawing intense scrutiny on the campaign trail, we look back to past Chronicle coverage of Donald Trump’s and Hillary Clinton’s philanthropy.
Milk Magnate Sets Pace in China With Embrace of Big Giving
The Financial Times profiles Chinese dairy magnate Niu Gensheng, one of the first of his country’s business titans to commit to large-scale philanthropy.