Senate Measure Would Cut Some Planned Parenthood Funds
The Senate is slated to vote Thursday on a bill that would divert $235 million of Planned Parenthood’s federal funding, about half the annual total, to other women’s health organizations in a bid to avert a government shutdown, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Pledging Transparency, Coke Reveals Research, Health Grants
Coca-Cola has spent almost $120 million since 2010 to fund academic health studies, medical organizations, and community fitness programs aimed at tackling obesity, The New York Times writes. The soft-drink giant published the grant list on its website Tuesday after CEO Muhtar Kent promised greater openness about the company’s spending on obesity-related programs and research.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Foundation Joins Fossil-Fuel Divestment Push
The actor said Tuesday that he and his namesake foundation will drop all investments in fossil fuels, the Thomson Reuters Foundation and The New York Times report.
How to Fix 5 Common Board-Meeting Problems
By making the most of members’ time and energy during meetings, you can help trustees better serve your nonprofit.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
The Pope’s Visit Offers a Challenge to Nonprofits
Already Pope Francis has stimulated more giving, but his visit to the United States will put renewed emphasis on aiding the poor.
By Tom Watson
Contributor
Charter-Schools Backers Plan Massive L.A. Fundraising Effort
Charter supporters in Los Angeles have drafted a strategy to place half of the city’s 260,000 students in the independently run schools by 2023 and raise nearly half a billion dollars to back the plan by tapping leading philanthropists and foundations, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Top 10 Things to Consider Before Joining a Board
A foundation executive director and board chair share key questions to answer before a prospective member commits to serving on a board.
By SUSAN SCHAEFER
Contributor
House Votes to Defund Planned Parenthood; Senate OK Unlikely
Citing controversy over Planned Parenthood’s provision of fetal tissue for medical research, the House of Representatives voted largely along party lines Friday to block federal grants to the women’s health nonprofit for a year, but Senate Democrats have enough votes to block the measure in the upper chamber, the Associated Press reports.
McDonald’s Spearheads Campaign for Food Aid for Migrants
The fast-food giant is leading a corporate effort to promote the World Food Program’s fundraising efforts to feed displaced people from Syria, Iraq, and other countries, writes The New York Times.
Aid Charities Say They’ve Been Frozen Out of Eastern Ukraine
Separatist authorities in the self-declared, Russian-backed Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic imposed new regulations in July that effectively block Western humanitarian groups from operating in the region, The Washington Post reports.
Land Sale to D.C. Private School to Shutter Nursing Home
The Washington Home, a venerable nonprofit care facility for elderly, infirm, and low-income patients, will close by the end of next year with the sale of its property to the elite private Sidwell Friends School, The Washington Post reports.
Federal Court Backs Faith Groups on Contraceptive Mandate
The 8th Circuit Court in St. Louis ruled Thursday that the Affordable Care Act’s mandate of birth-control coverage for employees violates nonprofit faith groups’ religious freedom, differing with seven other U.S. appeals courts and setting up a potential Supreme Court clash, the Associated Press and The Washington Post report.
Calif. Regulators Tighten Rules on Nonprofit Politicking
The state’s campaign-finance watchdog office approved new requirements Thursday that effectively outlaw “dark money,” closing a potential loophole in previous legislation and regulatory moves to compel donor disclosure by nonprofits steering money into state races, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Redskins Charity Cries Foul as Indian Rodeo Renounces Deal
The Indian National Finals Rodeo, one of America’s biggest sporting events for Native Americans, abruptly took a sponsorship deal with the Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation off the table earlier this month, The Washington Post reports.
$13-Million Funding Round Backs Anti-Poverty Software Firm
A group of investors led by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman is backing a startup that is developing software for nonprofits and government bodies running anti-poverty programs in developing countries, Bloomberg writes.
Despite Job Gains, Little Movement in Poverty Numbers
Rising employment and higher minimum wages enacted in pockets of the country have failed to make much of a dent in the nation’s poverty rate, the Los Angeles Times reports, citing Census Bureau data released Wednesday.