Donated Cars: a License for Abuse?
Programs invite tax fraud and profiteering, officials say Every day, when state Sen. Patrick Johnston drives to and from the California State Capitol in Sacramento, his blood pressure rises as he listens to radio ads urging listeners to donate their old cars to charity and get a tax break. He is…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
New Financial Data on Grant Makers and Rankings of Foundations
The Foundation Center has issued the 1998 edition of The Foundation Directory, which provides information on 8,642 foundations. Of the 1,021 foundations never previously listed in the directory, the biggest is the California Endowment, in Woodland Hills, which was created after Blue Cross of…
New Survey Details the Giving Patterns of Homosexuals
Homosexuals donate equally to gay and non-gay causes, aside from their giving to AIDS organizations, a new survey has found. The survey looked at giving and volunteering patterns among more than 2,200 gay, lesbian, bisexual, and “transgendered” people whose names appeared on mailing lists of…
By Marilyn Dickey
Senior Editor, Copy
Templeton Prize Awarded to Briton
The 1998 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion -- worth $1.23-million -- has been awarded to Sigmund Sternberg, a champion of improved interfaith relations, especially between Christians and Jews. Mr. Sternberg, a Hungarian-born British citizen, was recognized for his efforts to help relocate a…
New Report Details Milwaukee Giving
Philanthropy is thriving in the Milwaukee area, according to a new report from the Milwaukee Foundation. The foundation has issued what it calls its first “report card” on giving in four local counties. The report is based on financial information from 63 area charities. No churches or religious…
Baruch College Gets 2 Big Donations; Other Recent Gifts
The City University of New York Bernard M. Baruch College has received two big gifts. Lawrence Zicklin, a managing principal of the investment firm Neuberger & Berman and a 1957 alumnus, and his wife, Carol, have pledged $18-million to expand the M.B.A. program at the School of Business. That gift…
Charities Must Work to Build on Successes in Fight Against Poverty, Report Says
Non-profit organizations need to develop better management and fund-raising skills, and must be bolstered by government funds, to successfully combat the social problems caused by poverty, a new report says. While charities ranging from youth clubs to economic- and neighborhood-development groups…
By DOMENICA MARCHETTI
Contributor
Diverse groups unite in quest for ways to deal with lawbreakers As crime has been dropping in many American cities, a growing number of charities and foundations have begun to focus on a new worry: the exploding cost of the nation’s prisons and jails. More than 1.7 million people are now held in…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
For centuries, the Yup’ik Eskimos prayed for food, driftwood, and other resources they needed to survive on the cold, harsh tundra in southwestern Alaska. They made ornate masks decorated with feather tufts and wooden appendages and held dance ceremonies as part of their religious tradition. But…
Volunteers Honored as ‘Points of Light’
Following are the people and organizations that have most recently been named to receive President Clinton’s daily “Points of Light” award. The awards, which are given to those who have done exemplary volunteer work, take their name from President Bush’s description of people who do community…
NBC, Kaiser Tackle Teen-Age Pregnancy
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation has teamed up with NBC and the Advertising Council in a campaign to educate teen-agers on ways to avoid pregnancy. The campaign includes public-service announcements to be aired on NBC televsion stations, a contest among teen-agers in high school and junior…
Philip Morris Fights Hunger Via Dance
Philip Morris Companies is trying to encourage dance fans to do more to help the hungry. Throughout 1998, people will receive $5 off the price of admission to performances by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington when they deposit two…
American Express Aids Arts Groups
American Express has awarded a $1.5-million grant to the Arts & Business Council, a national group that supports the arts, to help small and mid-sized theaters, dance troupes, and other arts organizations improve their marketing. “Many in the arts are suspicious of marketing, viewing it as a…
TV Ad Asks Olympics Viewers to Support Children’s Games in Sarajevo
An international-relief group used the recent Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, to remind television viewers of the continuing plight of children in the former Olympic city of Sarajevo. The charity says it hopes to continue to keep the war-torn Bosnian city in people’s minds long after the…
By Susan Gray
Contributor