Documents Show Big Think Tanks Courting Corporate Donors
Prominent think tanks like the Brookings Institution and the Center for Strategic and International Studies are increasingly promoting the agendas of corporate donors as they aggressively ramp up fundraising, according to The New York Times.
World Vision Says Charge of Hamas Diversion Doesn’t Add Up
The global aid charity said Monday that there is a “huge gap” between the amount of money, material, and other aid Israeli authorities claim its Gaza director funneled to militant group Hamas and what it actually spends in the region, the Associated Press writes.
Small Group of Big Donors Powers African-American Museum
Nineteen individuals, foundations, and corporations have collectively contributed more than two-thirds of the $273 million in private giving to build the National Museum of African American History and Culture, The Washington Post writes in a rundown of the $5 million-plus donors.
Shutdown of Minn. Foundation Draws State Scrutiny
Twin Cities philanthropist Caroline Amplatz has dissolved her foundation and given the $1.77 million remaining in its coffers to a medical-technology start-up led by her father, a transfer being reviewed by Minnesota’s attorney general, the Pioneer Press reports.
Unicef Cuts Ties to African Charity Linked to Alleged Cult
The United Nations Children’s Fund and the British government have suspended funding for DAPP Malawi, an aid nonprofit that has been tied to the Teachers Group, a shadowy network headed by an international fugitive, according to the Center for Investigative Reporting and the BBC.
Nonprofit Fla. College Has Telemarketing Army, Suit Claims
A lawsuit against Keiser University alleges the newly nonprofit institution employs 350 telemarketers to machine-call prospective students, potentially giving ammunition to critics who contend Keiser remains an essentially commercial enterprise, according to BuzzFeed News.
Education Group Says Endowments Can Afford More Student Aid
A new report on university investment funds concludes that the wealthiest institutions of higher learning can spend more to assist low-income students, Bloomberg writes.
Chicago United Way Chapter Hit by Executive Exodus
Five vice presidents, two with major roles in fundraising, left the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago in the space of 10 months recently, contributing to flat revenue growth in fiscal year 2016, Crain’s Chicago Business writes.
Roger Ailes Drops $500,000 Gift for N.Y. State Senior Center
Protests by Putnam County, N.Y., residents derailed a county proposal to turn over construction of a new elder-care center to the deposed Fox News chief’s nonprofit and name the facility after him, The Journal News of the Lower Hudson Valley reports.
Report Sees Fiscal 2016 Losses for College Endowments
New figures indicate college and university investment funds lost about three-quarters of 1 percent in the year ending June 30, the worst performance since the recession year of 2009, Bloomberg writes.
D.C. May Revisit Payments in Lieu of Taxes for Colleges
Georgetown, George Washington, and other universities in the District hold property that would have added $111 million to city coffers were it not nonprofit-owned, The Washington Post writes.
Watchdog Nonprofit Unveils Database to Trace ‘Dark Money’
The Center for Public Integrity launched a new online tool Tuesday aimed at shedding light on the flow of funds coursing into political campaigns via nonprofits that are not required to identify donors.
Suit Alleges Drug Firm Made Gifts to Secure Medicare Money
A whistle-blower lawsuit accuses pharmaceutical company Celgene of donating to and colluding with two large patient-assistance charities to get more Medicare patients to use its drugs, in violation of a federal antikickback law, Bloomberg reports.
San Francisco Museums’ Head Casts Doubt on Reports of Exit
Bay Area philanthropist and socialite Diane “Dede” Wilsey indicated she might not give up her roles as CEO and board president of the Fine Arts Museums without a fight, according to The New York Times.
Charity Care at Pa. Hospitals Lags Behind Other States
Free care to low-income patients amounted to less than 1 percent of revenue at nearly two-thirds of Pennsylvania’s hospitals in 2014, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, citing data that medical centers provided to the state agency that monitors health-care costs.
Turkish Complaint Prompts Tex. Review of Charter Schools
Texas’s education agency is looking into the operations of nonprofit network Harmony Public Schools, which Turkey’s government links to an expatriate Muslim cleric it claims orchestrated last month’s failed coup, the Houston Chronicle and The Wall Street Journal report.