White House Asks Congress to Close ‘Digital Divide’
President Clinton is asking Congress to provide nearly $2.4-billion to help poor people and members of minority groups gain access to technology. Mr. Clinton is proposing that the government pass tax incentives worth $2-billion to encourage companies to donate computers to schools, libraries, and…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Dozens of Organizations Fight State Laws That Allow Suits Against Food Activists
Laws enacted in more than a dozen states now make it much easier for farmers or ranchers ALSO SEE:Legal Tactic Chills Debate, Activists Say to sue people or organizations who challenge their products’ safety. But some three dozen organizations have joined forces to oppose “food-disparagement”…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
Legal Tactic Chills Debate, Activists Say
Threat of costly court battles gives many charities goose bumps Terri Swearingen says that when she learned she had been sued for more than $1-million by the corporation ALSO SEE:Dozens of Organizations Fight State Laws That Allow Suits Against Food Activists that was operating a toxic-waste…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
Following are summaries of recent reports by the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ Philanthropic Advisory Service and the National Charities Information Bureau. Those two private organizations report on whether charities meet standards for fund raising, governance, financial management, and…
The Advertising Council (New York): Appointed Danielle Linet, director of broadcast production, to be vice president and director of broadcast production. The American Technion Society (New York): Appointed Irma Sarisohn, director of national programs, to be associate vice president for national…
Employment Policies at Foundations
From the issue dated January 27, 2000 ALSO SEE: 1 in 10 Foundations Offers Domestic-Partner Benefits, Survey Finds Grant makers that have a non-discrimination employment policy Grant makers that do not Grant makers that use performance evaluations Grant makers that do not Percentage Number…
Percentage of Foundations That Offer Different Types of Leave to Workers
From the issue dated January 27, 2000 ALSO SEE: 1 in 10 Foundations Offers Domestic-Partner Benefits, Survey Finds Type of paid leave Percentage Sick 90.6% Jury duty 82.1% Bereavement 76.5% Personal and/or discretionary 70.2% Maternity (women only) 47.3% Family care 37.7% Compensatory 33.2%…
Grant Makers: Benefits Provided to Staff Members
From the issue dated January 27, 2000 ALSO SEE: 1 in 10 Foundations Offers Domestic-Partner Benefits, Survey Finds Grant makers that provide health-insurance benefits Grant makers that do not Grant makers that offer a retirement plan Grant makers that do not Grant makers that offer benefits to…
Charity Work Holds Appeal for Students
College students show a strong interest in providing “public service,” a national poll has found. Most prefer to meet that goal by working with non-profit and educational organizations rather than through government and politics, according to the survey commissioned by the Leon & Sylvia Panetta…
Museums to Set Exhibit Guidelines
A controversial exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum of Art has prompted the American Association of Museums to seek to develop written guidelines for the exhibition of objects owned by private individuals or companies. A 17-member committee will review the association’s ethics code with an eye toward…
$850-Million Sought for National Service
President Clinton has said he will seek over $850-million -- a 16-per-cent increase -- for the Corporation for National Service in his fiscal 2001 budget. His request includes a $73-million increase for the AmeriCorps program. The President’s budget would provide money for several new efforts,…
Flat Tax Not Bad for Charity, Election Guide Argues
An election-year briefing book for Presidential and other candidates, to be published by the conservative Heritage Foundation, says that adoption of a flat tax in place of the current income tax would not dampen charitable giving, even if taxpayers could no longer take deductions for charitable…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Non-Profit Groups Win, Lose Property-Tax Rulings
State courts in Maryland and Nebraska have dealt non-profit organizations a victory and a defeat, respectively, in cases involving property taxes. The Court of Special Appeals of Maryland ruled that the North Baltimore Center, which provides outpatient mental-health care to poor people, deserves a…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
IRS Reports Big Increase in Charitable Deductions
New statistics released by the Internal Revenue Service show that the deductions that Americans claimed for charitable contributions rose from $86.2-billion in 1996 to an estimated $99.2-billion in 1997, an increase of 15.1 per cent. The jump was the largest registered in the 1990s, edging out the…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
‘Town & Country’: Undeveloping the Hamptons
Some modest proposals for mixing fun with philanthropy are offered to wealthy readers of the January issue of Town & Country. With overdevelopment wreaking havoc on shorelines, the magazine says, one might wish to reverse the process by buying up a stretch of waterfront property and tearing down…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
‘Foreign Policy’: Rethinking Civil Society
Civil society, which has become “one of the favorite buzzwords among the global chattering classes,” may have difficulty living up to its proponents’ high expectations, says Thomas Carothers in Foreign Policy (Winter 1999-2000). Mr. Carothers, who is vice-president for global policy at the Carnegie…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor