Since 1864 more than 300,000 veterans have been buried beneath simple white headstones at Arlington National Cemetery, in Virginia. To honor their service, volunteers have gathered at the cemetery each December since 1992 to place 5,000 wreaths on graves. The volunteers are recruited by the Maine…
By nicole lewis
Contributor
A Plea for Transparency: An Excerpt From a New Book on Philanthropy
In his new book, The Foundation: A Great American Secret — How Private Wealth Is Changing the World, Joel L. Fleishman, a professor at Duke University, offers ideas on how to make grant makers more accountable. Following is an excerpt from the book, which will be released next month by…
A Scholar’s Analysis of Grant-Making Successes — and Failures
In his book on American foundations, Joel Fleishman, head of a foundation-research program at Duke University, provides several case studies as a way to show grant makers and scholars why some projects have made more of a difference to society than others.
In a new book, scholar Joel Fleishman urges foundations to ‘open their doors.’
By Suzanne Perry
Contributor
Donor Withdraws $20-Million Pledge to a Florida University
After Florida International University this month turned down a trustee’s request to stretch out payments on a $20-million pledge so he could save money on taxes, the trustee withdrew the pledge and stepped off the board, saying the university’s president had insulted him. Herbert A. Wertheim,…
By Anne W. Howard
Contributor
Tycoon’s Trust Awards $120-Million to Six Cancer-Research Centers
A trust set up by Daniel K. Ludwig, a shipping and mining magnate, is providing six research institutions $20-million apiece to establish centers for the study of cancer. Mr. Ludwig died in 1992 at age 95, and since then the trust he created has quietly distributed $50-million to endow…
By Anne W. Howard
Contributor
$60-Million Donated to Yale; Other Recent Big Gifts
Eight institutions have received big gifts: Yale University, in New Haven, Conn., has received $60-million from Edward P. Bass, chairman of Fine Line, an investment and venture-capital management firm in Fort Worth, to renovate and build science facilities. Mr. Bass, who graduated from the…
Global Companies Say Charity Key to Business, Survey Finds
By Harvy LipmanNine out of 10 multinational companies say they recognize that supporting charitable and other community programs represents a potential source of business for them, according to a new survey by the Conference Board. Two-thirds of the 198 companies that participated in the survey…
Wealthy Donors Urged to Think Globally and Give Until ‘It Hurts’
By Maria Di MentoWealthy philanthropists and donors of average means today have unprecedented opportunities to improve the lives of poor people in the United States and around the world, Bill Clinton, the former president, told a conference held here last week to honor the donors who appear on The…
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
How an Author’s Views on Giving Evolved
There are four forces in modern American life that are primarily responsible for making people charitable. These forces are ALSO SEE:ARTICLE: Charity’s Political DivideLIVE DISCUSSION: Join a live discussion with Arthur C. Brooks to discuss his new book, on Tuesday, November 28, at noon Eastern…
Republicans give a bigger share of their incomes to charity, says a prominent economist It’s been a tough month for conservatives, with the Republican Party losing control of both houses of Congress, but a new book ALSO SEE: TEXT: How to Increase Giving ARTICLE: How an Author’s Views on Giving…
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
Children being treated for cancer at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, in Spokane, Wash., are often scared, tired, in pain, and lonely. The medical center is the only children’s hospital between Seattle and Minneapolis, and patients can be separated from family members and friends for long periods…
By Nicole Lewis
Contributor
Small Foundations Awarded $2.6-Billion Last Year
Despite a flurry of donations spurred by Hurricane Katrina, giving remained essentially flat last year among foundations that operate with few or no paid staff members, says a new report. Nearly $2.6-billion was distributed to charity in 2005 by members of the Association of Small Foundations, in…
By nicole lewis
Contributor
Calif. Fund Gets a $200-Million Surprise
Mary Joan Palevsky, a Los Angeles philanthropist and former wife of a computer-technology tycoon, left $200-million from her estate to the California Community Foundation, a Los Angeles fund that supports the arts and human development, community revitalization, education, and health care. Her…
By Anne W. Howard
Contributor
A ‘Reinvention’ to Aid Grant Seekers
As the Foundation Center turns 50 years old, it seeks $15-million to upgrade research toolsTo help fund raisers better understand the scope, scale, and style of modern-day philanthropy, the Foundation Center is raising ALSO SEE: Table: How U.S. Foundations Have Grown millions of dollars to expand…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor