Slow Growth at the Biggest Foundations
Assets of wealthy foundations rose by 2.8%, Chronicle’s study findsThe assets of the nation’s wealthiest private grant makers increased modestly last year, leading many foundations to increase their giving in 2006 or keep it about the same as last year, according ALSO SEE: DATABASE: Giving Trends…
By Caroline Preston and Ian Wilhelm
$10-Million Pledged to Aid Children With Learning Disabilities; Other Gifts
Two institutions have received big gifts: The family of Dan L. Duncan, founder and majority owner of Enterprise Products Partners, an energy company in Houston, has pledged $10-million to the Children’s Learning Institute at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. The gift will…
Arizona Grant Makers Commit $150-Million for Bioscience Research
A philanthropist in Arizona is pledging $100-million to support bioscience research and development in the state, part of an effort to prod the state to commit more money to such efforts. Under an arrangement announced last week, Stardust Charitable Group, a philanthropy founded by Jerry Bisgrove,…
By Sun Jung Kim
Contributor
A Sharp Rise in Grants to Charities
8.1% increase by foundations follows a two-year decline Foundation giving increased by 8.1 percent in 2004 following a two-year decline, according to a new study by the Foundation Center, in New York. ALSO SEE: GRAPHIC: How foundation giving to charitable causes changed from 2003 to 2004 TABLES:…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
How Foundations Can Stimulate Change
To the Editor: William A. Schambra’s February 9 commentary “7 (Bad) Habits of (In)effective Foundations” could be reduced to a single maxim: It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. Virtually all contemporary education philanthropy, and most education research, consists of…
Foundations and Katrina: a Diverse and Strong Response
To the Editor: Over the past century American foundations and corporate-giving programs have increasingly addressed the most pressing challenges of society. The Council on Foundations is one of those leading the way in this movement. We recognize that leadership demands preparation. That’s why last…
Stanford U. Receives $30-Million for Environmental Studies; Other Gifts
Five higher-education institutions and one medical center have received big gifts: Ward W. Woods, former president and chief executive officer of Bessemer Securities, a private investment company in New York, and his wife, Priscilla, a clinical social worker, have pledged $30-million to Stanford…
Bequest Worth at Least $500-Million to Support Jewish Causes
A California real-estate developer has bequeathed at least $500-million to a foundation that focuses on helping Jewish children and improving education in the religion’s traditions and history. The bequest will make the foundation one of the nation’s largest to focus on Jewish causes. Jim Joseph,…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Award-Winning Medical Inventor Discovers the Simple Joy of Giving
Dayton, Md. A chance meeting 35 years ago at a local YMCA helped lead last year to one of the biggest pledges — $30-million — ALSO SEE: DATABASE: America’s Most-Generous Donors RELATED STORIES: Top Donors of 2005 ever recorded at the University of Maryland at College Park. Back in the early 1970s,…
By nicole lewis
Contributor
Investor’s Pledges to Two Universities Reflect Personal Connection
Tempe, Ariz. During his five decades in business, Ira A. Fulton has made a fortune turning small investments into large companies ALSO SEE: DATABASE: America’s Most-Generous Donors RELATED STORIES: Top Donors of 2005 with explosive profits. In 1976, he bought Eagleson’s Big & Tall retail stores in…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
A Gift for Athletics Triggers a Furor on Oklahoma Campus
Boone Pickens’s $165-million donation to Oklahoma State University for athletic facilities is the largest ever to a college athletics program. It will be used to build a $300-million ALSO SEE:DATABASE: America’s Most-Generous DonorsRELATED STORIES: Top Donors of 2005Oil Investor Celebrates a Good…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Oil Investor Celebrates a Good Year With a Round of Large Gifts
Dallas Last year, Boone Pickens celebrated his 77th birthday, got married for the fourth time, and made more money than in ALSO SEE: DATABASE: America’s Most-Generous Donors RELATED STORIES: Top Donors of 2005 A Gift for Athletics Triggers a Furor on Oklahoma Campus his entire career with the oil…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
List of generous donors in 2005 includes some little-known namesAmerica’s most-generous donors contributed a total of $4.3-billion to charity last year, a sharp drop from 2004, when the top donors gave more than $10-billion, a new Chronicle ALSO SEE: DATABASE: America’s Most-Generous Donors RELATED…
By Maria Di Mento and nicole lewis