Beneficiaries of Bloomberg’s Donations Hope Mayor Is Eligible for Another Term
Several New York City charities that are supported privately by Michael R. Bloomberg, the city’s mayor, testified in October in favor of a bill before the City Council that might allow the billionaire to serve a third term. The bill, which was slated for a vote late last week, would allow elected…
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
EBay’s Founder Expands Giving and Adds New Causes to Support
The Omidyar Network will increase its grant making by more than 50 percent this year and expand the types of charities it supports. Omidyar Network, the grant-making organization established by Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay, will make grants worth roughly $55-million this year, up from about…
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
Donors Create ‘Sacred Places’ for Reflection
A dozen years ago, Tom and Kitty Stoner went for a stroll in central London to kill some time before checking into their hotel. On their walk, the couple came upon a red brick arch that led them to an enclosed garden. “We instantly felt as though we had left the city behind and had entered a place…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Ashley Judd Brings Passion to Role as Charity Spokeswoman
As the “global ambassador” for the the Washington charity Population Services International, the actress Ashley Judd has been asked to speak before United Nations delegates, members of Congress, and business executives. Her goal: to personalize the stories of people served by the nonprofit group.…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Putting Stars to Work for Good Causes: Tips From Nonprofit Experts
By Caroline PrestonMuch of Marshall Stowell’s job for the past three years has been organizing trips that enable supporters of his charity, Population Services International, to see firsthand how the organization seeks to stop the spread of AIDS and other diseases among young people in developing…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Speaking His Mind: Gingrich on Nonprofit Issues
As a member of Congress, Newt Gingrich was known for his outspoken conservative views. Now as the head of a political think tank, American Solutions for Winning the Future, the former Republican lawmaker from Georgia continues to speak his mind, including on nonprofit issues. For instance, he…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
A conservative leader seeks out people of all views to devise innovations to solve America’s problemsNewt Gingrich has not held elected office for a decade, but the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives continues to play a major role in conservative politics — and he is starting to…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
(Photograph by Michael Ventura, for The Chronicle) War affects more than just the men and women who experience it directly: When members of the military return home from the battlefield, the stress caused by their experience can carry over to family, friends, even the doctors and nurses who care…
By Cassie J. Moore
Contributor
Clinton Philanthropy Meeting Yields $8-Billion in Commitments
The Clinton Global Initiative, the annual philanthropy event organized by Bill Clinton, garnered 250 charitable commitments estimated to be worth $8-billion.
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Businessmen Pledge Millions to Two Research Centers
Two donors have made major gifts to bolster the research operations of prominent universities: Hansjörg Wyss, a Swiss-born engineer and businessman, has pledged $125-million to Harvard University to expand the university’s Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. Lorry I. Lokey, the founder…
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Organizations Pledge $3-Billion to Malaria-Prevention Effort
Foundations, companies, and international aid organizations recently pledged $3-billion to help stop the spread of malaria, with a goal of preventing 4.2 million people from succumbing to the disease during the next six years. The ambitious effort, which is part of the new Global Malaria Action…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Promoting Peace Is Key Ingredient for N.Y. Food Company
Company: Peaceworks, a New York business that sells fruit-and-nut bars, tapenades, and other food. It has 20 full-time employees. How it gives: The business donates 5 percent of profits to the Peaceworks Foundation, a nonprofit group created in 2002 by the company’s founder, Daniel Lubetzky. The…
Web Company Donates to Charity by Design
Company: Sierra Bravo, a Web-development company in Bloomington, Minn., with 70 employees. How it gives: In March, the company held its first “F1 Overnight Web Site Challenge.” (The F1 key on the computer signals a need for help.) For 24 hours straight, Web developers at Sierra Bravo and other…
Vermont Foodbank Focuses on Bringing Small and Local Businesses to the Table
Shortly after Ryan Emmons was hired to work in marketing for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, he decided to help out at the Vermont Foodbank in his hometown of Barre. Now, seven years later, he returns to the charity three or four times a year as part of a volunteer program he created at the…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Bakery’s Partnership With Charity Is Recipe for Success
Company: Fairytale Brownies, a Phoenix business that has 40 employees year-round and about three times that number during the holiday season. How it gives: The company supports Kaboom, a Washington charity that builds playgrounds in neighborhoods nationwide. Fairytale Brownies donates 25 cents for…
Company’s ‘Stock Tithe’ Benefits Charity
Company: Civicom, a telecommunications company in Greenwich, Conn., that employs 50 people. How it gives: Civicom’s founders and initial investors decided from the start to give 10 percent of the company’s stock to World Vision. Because the charity will not receive the money until Civicom goes…