Photograph by Patricia Buss Florence’s Renaissance art and cultural vitality have long made the city a top destination for American college students in search of an overseas experience. But between visits to the David or the Duomo, few of those students have an opportunity to volunteer to help…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Court Ruling Appears to End Dispute Over Donor’s Guidance
Philadelphia Pennsylvania’s highest court has issued a ruling that appears to end more than two years of legal wrangling over the fate of the Barnes Foundation, an art-appreciation school and multibillion-dollar art collection in Merion, Pa. The state’s Supreme Court unanimously rejected an art…
By Debra E. Blum
Contributor
$50-Million Pledged to Stanford U.; Other Gifts
Five institutions have received big gifts: Stanford University, in California, has received a $50-million pledge from Bradford Freeman and Ronald Spogli for a new program at the Institute for International Studies that will focus on global health, poverty, and other social issues. The gift will…
Foundations Urged to End Their Timidity Over Advocacy
Washington Foundations, especially those on the left of the political spectrum, have grown timid in their efforts to change public policy and have adopted an overly technical approach to philanthropy, a panel of nonprofit leaders said here last month. At a meeting organized by the Georgetown…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Pa. Court Tells Bank It Cannot Raise Fees Charged to Multimillion-Dollar Trust
In a case that many charities and grant makers are following closely, a Pennsylvania court has blocked a bank from increasing the fees it charges to oversee a charitable trust. The 9-0 ruling by the Superior Court of Pennsylvania overturns a lower-court decision and prevents Wachovia Corporation…
By Brad Wolverton
Contributor
Charities working to improve care for dying patients mourn the loss of two major foundationsFor charities that help people cope with terminal illnesses, the past decade has been a golden age. Two grant makers -- the Open Society Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation -- have poured almost…
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
George Soros is challenging donors to pick up tab for projectBaltimore “Pure exhilaration.” That was how Joseph T. Jones Jr. says he felt when George Soros offered $10-million ALSO SEE:More about George Soros to continue an innovative experiment to help fight social ills in this city, which has one…
By Michael Anft
Contributor
For a foundation, eliminating a charitable program can be equally as difficult -- if not more so -- as ALSO SEE:Urban Experiment’s Next Phase establishing one more. It must wean beneficiaries off its dole, while making sure the strides it has made with the philanthropic effort continue after it has…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Donations to Churches on the Rise
Americans contributed more than $32-billion to 62 Christian denominations in 2003, according to a new report by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. The Yearbook of American & ALSO SEE:TABLE: Contributions to U.S. ChurchesTABLE: Contributions to Canadian Churches Canadian…
By BRENNEN JENSEN
Contributor
The J. Paul Getty Museum, in Los Angeles, has received a collection of sculptures by Alexander Calder, Henry Moore, and other 20th-century artists from the estate of the film producer Ray Stark, who died in 2004. Museum officials declined to say how much the sculptures were worth, but The New York…
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
$50-Million Awarded to Hospital; Other Gifts
Six institutions have received big gifts: Saddleback Memorial Foundation, in Laguna Hills, Calif., has received $50-million from Bill and Louise Meiklejohn to expand and upgrade medical laboratories, computer systems, and facilities at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center. The foundation has received…
David Rockefeller Pledges $100-Million to Museum of Modern Art
David Rockefeller, chairman emeritus of the Museum of Modern Art, in New York, announced that he would include a $100-million bequest to the institution in his will. In addition to the $100-million commitment, Mr. Rockefeller, 89, said he plans to start giving the museum $5-million a year until his…
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Pope’s Death Spurs Creation of New Funds in His Name
Even as the Vatican announced the election of a new pope last week, Catholic dioceses and nonprofit organizations continued to honor the previous pontiff by establishing new charitable funds to collect contributions from mourning donors. At least two Catholic dioceses were soliciting donations to…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Talk of Integrity Amid Scrutiny
IRS chief urges foundations to do more to crack down on excessive compensation, poor governanceSan Diego Foundations have taken significant steps to stem abuses among their peers, but even so, the Internal Revenue Service remains concerned about excessive compensation, poor governance practices,…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Grants to Gay Issues Focus on Civil Rights and Youths
Efforts to promote gay marriage and civil-rights issues received the largest share of the nearly $30-million given to gay causes in 2002 by foundations included in a new survey. Sixty-five percent of the 214 grant makers surveyed, or 139 foundations, awarded a total of 1,570 grants to help gay…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor