Mega-Gifts on the Rise at Colleges, Study Says
While donations of more than $50-million were up in 2014, the total number of contributions greater than $1-million declined by 8 percent.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
Gates Foundation Divests From McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Exxon
A Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation spokesman would not comment on why the world’s largest philanthropy sold its stake in three companies in the last quarter of 2014, Bloomberg reports.
Foreign Governments Step up Giving to Clinton Foundation
Donations from governments abroad to the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation have accelerated since the former first family’s charity dropped a self-imposed ban on accepting such gifts in 2013 with the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Germany among recent contributors, writes The Wall Street Journal.
Will Dispute Holds Up Bequest of Nazi-Era Dealer’s Art Trove
The Kunstmuseum Bern in Switzerland has been unable to take possession of a collection of works bequeathed to it by the son of a Nazi-era art dealer—and begin the process of restituting works determined to have been looted from Jewish owners under the Third Reich—due to a legal fight over the late donor’s will, according to The New York Times.
Princeton U. Receives $300-Million Rare-Book Bequest
The late oil heir William H. Scheide, who built a library at Princeton University to house one of the world’s finest collections of rare books and manuscripts, willed ownership of the trove to the New Jersey institution, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
$20-Million Annenberg Gift Buoys Ocean Sustainability Effort
The Annenberg Foundation has pledged to match the next $20-million in donations to AltaSea, a public-private project to develop a business and research hub at the Port of Los Angeles focused on generating solutions for marine sustainability, City News Service writes.
Study: Giving Is a Reputation Boon for Scandal-Plagued Firms
Recent Stanford University research indicates that corporate philanthropy is more effective in building “reputation capital"—and boosting bottom lines—when undertaken by companies enmeshed in controversy, writes Pacific Standard, a bimontly print magazine of social science.
Bill de Blasio Urges Philanthropy to Tackle Inequality Through Internet Access
The New York mayor was among the speakers at an event marking a new multifoundation effort aimed at improving Internet security and availability.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor
MacArthur Fund Pledges $75-Million to Reduce Local Jail Populations
The grant maker wants to reduce the length of stays for nonviolent offenders and expedite court action.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
Philanthropy Must Jump-Start a Digital Revolution for the Common Good
Grant makers can’t sit by while policies are advanced that are the equivalent of separate but equal.
By Mark Surman
Contributor
Top Clinton Foundation Fundraiser Exiting for Campaign Role
The Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation’s chief development officer is leaving his post and is expected to join Hillary Clinton’s prospective 2016 presidential campaign, The New York Times and CNN report. Dennis Cheng joined the former first family’s philanthropy in 2011 and oversaw a rapid rise in fundraising to build a nearly $250-million endowment.
Adelson Boosts Birthright Israel Giving by $40-Million
Billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson has donated another $40-million to Birthright Israel, adding to the $140-million his family has already given the charity that provides free trips to Israel for young Jewish adults, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports. The latest Adelson Family Foundation gift includes a $20-million challenge grant. Since 2000 Birthright has provided travel to Israel for some 350,000 young Jews.
Last Year’s Giving: Good, but Studies Differ on How Good
College giving rose 11 percent, while estimates suggest overall giving rose 2 percent to 9 percent.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
‘The New Yorker’ Spotlights a Bloomberg-Financed Effort to Close the ‘Word Gap’
Providence Talks, which coaches low-income parents to promote language development in their young children by talking to them more, is showing early signs of success.
By HEATHER JOSLYN
Contributor
Mr. Wilson gave about $1-billion to his Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, which supports nonprofits in parts of New York State and Michigan.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
The couple gave stock valued at about $48-million to the Juneau Community Foundation.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor