Also, two foundations gave $20 million to expand internet access for households in the Cleveland area, and the Knight Foundation awarded $1.5 million to back Black and women entrepreneurs in Macon, Ga.
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
A New Report Raises Concerns About Philanthropy’s Trustworthiness. How Alarmed Should We Be?
Independent Sector found a decline in trust of nonprofits, especially philanthropic organizations. But there are likely many factors that account for this finding — not all of them as bad.
By Leslie Lenkowsky
Contributor
Philanthropy Can Help Rebuild Main Street for a Post-Pandemic World
The challenges facing downtown areas, especially in communities of color, were exacerbated by the pandemic but have existed for years. Local philanthropy is particularly well-suited to help them recover.
By Nancy Rauch Douzinas and Ann Golob
NYU’s Business School Lands $50 Million From Namesake Donor
Plus, five additional universities received big gifts.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Foundations Are Undermining Social Equity Under the Guise of Accountability
Grant makers use conflict-of-interest policies to demonstrate they are being prudent with their dollars, but instead this approach allows them to keep an arm’s length from the very people most likely to advance meaningful change.
By Ruby Johnson, Rose Longhurst, Katy Love and Magda Pocheć
$30 Million Storytelling Fund Seeded by Ford, Skoll, and Compton Foundations
Also, three banks have made $30 million in grants to bolster inclusive real-estate development in Memphis, and the New Breath Foundation and the East Bay Community Foundation have jointly pledged $10 million to support Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in Northern California.
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
The Gateses’ Divorce Offers a Case Study in What’s Wrong With the Way Journalists Cover Philanthropy
The focus on personality obscures what matters: what Bill Gates is doing to transform global health and stave off climate change, writes a former Gates Foundation official.
By Craig Cramer
Contributor
MacArthur Grant Aims to Help People With Disabilities Find Work in Philanthropy
Fellows get training through an organization called RespectAbility as part of the organization’s push to make up for a void on foundations staffs: Less than 1 percent of people at foundations have a disability, according to a recent study.
By Alex Daniels
Senior Editor, Foundations
Private donations will cover revenue losses the city faces from a 38 percent property tax cut enacted in 2017. The goal is to keep the city competitive when fighting for jobs and talent with Southwest Michigan’s many other localities.
By Drew Lindsay
Senior Editor, Special Projects
A new $50 million philanthropic effort aims to ensure all Americans have access to high-quality care for children and families. As the Biden administration seeks to expand federal support for caregiving, more grant makers should embrace this opportunity to change what care looks like in the United States.
By Carla Thompson Payton
Contributor
Also, the Knight Foundation is seeking proposals for research to stop the spread of disinformation online.
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
MacArthur Issues $80 Million in Grants From Its Bond Offering
The MacArthur Foundation has now committed nearly all of the $125 million it raised in a bond offering last summer.
By Alex Daniels
Senior Editor, Foundations
Philanthropy’s New Activism in Public Safety
After George Floyd’s murder by police a year ago, foundations, corporations, and individuals donated billions of dollars to nonprofits in support of racial-justice and equity efforts. But the increase in funding comes at a time when homicide rates are on the rise so grant makers may come under pressure to change course — especially from politicians in regions with strong support for the police.
By Alex Daniels
Senior Editor, Foundations
UCLA Students Take On the Role of Grant Makers
Students enrolled in Philanthropy as Civic Engagement spend 10 weeks researching local nonprofits, visiting with charity executives, and discussing how to make the greatest impact through giving. After 10 weeks, they vote on how to award $80,000 to Los Angeles nonprofits.
By Emily Haynes
Senior Editor, Nonprofit Intelligence
Philanthropy Can Help Bridge the Gap Between the Idea of Disability Rights and the Reality
The Americans With Disabilities Act became law 31 years ago, but it did not end discrimination against that population. Philanthropy has a special role to play in supporting the ongoing struggle and demonstrating in both word and action what inclusion looks like, says the head of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
By Sam Gill
Contributor
How Philanthropy Can Make the Quantum Leaps Society Is Counting On
Letting people close to the problems make decisions about where money should go and building trust are essential if we want to do more than make incremental changes.
By Kathleen Enright
Contributor