Court Rejects Pa. Groups’ Challenge to Birth-Control Rule
A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that the Affordable Care Act’s birth-control mandate, as revised by the Obama administration to accommodate religious nonprofits, does not violate faith groups’ First Amendment rights, the Associated Press reports.
Red Cross Volunteers Face Attacks at Ebola Victims’ Burials
Red Cross aid workers assigned to safely bury people killed by Ebola in Guinea are regularly subjected to physical and verbal abuse by those attending the funerals, which eschew traditional rituals because the bodies are contagious, Reuters and The New York Times write.
Nonprofits Push Boundaries for Valentine’s Day
Some pitches are sophisticated and sweet; others may raise eyebrows, including a museum’s risqué use of handcuffs and a cancer campaign featuring a heavy dose of nudity.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
N.Y. Authorities Reportedly Investigating Charity’s Collapse
City and state investigators are looking into the finances of a major New York City social-service nonprofit that is closing in the face of a gaping budget shortfall, the New York Daily News reports, citing unnamed sources.
Black-History Museums Struggle but Find Ways to Survive
USA Today looked at the financial challenges facing several museums devoted to African-American history and the steps some have taken to preserve their mission to educate new generations about slavery and the civil rights movement.
Philanthropy Must Lead With Its Heart
All the focus on strategy means nonprofit leaders are afraid to talk about love or caring, and that could ultimately limit what donors and charities can achieve together.
By Peter Buffett and Jennifer Buffett
Longtime Head of Boston’s Gardner Museum Stepping Down
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum director Anne Hawley announced Wednesday that she will depart at the end of the year after a quarter-century leading the venerable Boston institution, The Boston Globe reports.
Bill de Blasio Urges Philanthropy to Tackle Inequality Through Internet Access
The New York mayor was among the speakers at an event marking a new multifoundation effort aimed at improving Internet security and availability.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor
Philanthropy Must Jump-Start a Digital Revolution for the Common Good
Grant makers can’t sit by while policies are advanced that are the equivalent of separate but equal.
By Mark Surman
Contributor
Charity Funds for Fla. Hospitals at Risk in Medicaid Fight
Florida hospitals could lose hundreds of millions of U.S. government dollars for treating poor and uninsured patients in what Republican lawmakers contend is an Obama administration ploy to get the state to expand Medicaid, the Tribune/Scripps news service writes.
S&P Says Nonprofit Obamacare Coverage Co-Ops Losing Money
Most of the 23 nonprofit health-insurance plans set up with federal loans to offer coverage through Affordable Care Act exchanges are struggling with cash flow, Bloomberg reports, citing an analysis issued Tuesday by Standard & Poor’s.
Ore. Bill Would Steer Leftover Class-Action Money to Charity
The Oregon House of Representatives passed legislation Tuesday that would direct at least half of any unclaimed money from class-action settlements to legal aid and other charitable causes, reports the Salem, Ore., Statesman Journal. Oregon is one of a minority of states that allows defendants to keep leftover class-action funds rather than mandating a charity payout, a process known as “cy pres.”
Maine Summer Camps Sound Alarm on Plan to Tax Nonprofits
Leaders of Maine summer camps say Gov. Paul LePage’s proposal to allow cities and towns to tax large nonprofits—a measure aimed primarily at hospitals and universities—will force dozens of seasonal facilities that own waterfront property to pare down programs or fold up their tents, the Sun Journal of Lewiston, Me., writes.
Ex-Bay Area Nonprofit Official Sentenced for $920,000 Theft
The former chief financial officer of an unidentified San Francisco-area organization was sentenced Tuesday to four years and nine months in prison and ordered to pay $1.1-million in restitution for embezzling from his employer, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
Study Makes Case for Endowments to Stick With Fossil Fuels
A new report on fossil-fuel stocks’ performance asserts that colleges and universities could damage their endowments by heeding the growing call to divest from coal, oil, and gas, The New York Times reports.
N.Y. Trust OKs Lease for Diller’s $130-Million Pier Park
The Hudson River Park Trust approved a lease agreement Wednesday with a group led by billionaire media mogul Barry Diller that aims to build a $130-million park and cultural center on the waterway, reports The New York Times.