N.J. Slashes Charity-Care Budget as Ranks of Insured Grow
Gov. Chris Christie unveiled a proposed state budget Tuesday that would reduce spending on charity medical treatment by 30 percent, from $502 million to $352 million, NJ Spotlight and The Wall Street Journal report.
2 More States in ‘Pay for Success’ Deals for Social Programs
The governors of Connecticut and South Carolina announced plans Tuesday to try out the burgeoning “pay for success” model in which philanthropy and businesses finance promising new social-service efforts, reports The Washington Post.
PETA Reaps Fundraising Gains as It Fights SeaWorld
Buoyed by greater public attention to one of its signature issues, SeaWorld’s treatment of performing orcas, the animal-welfare group reported donations of $43.5 million for the year that ended July 31, up by 30 percent from the same period two years earlier, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Endowment Chiefs Bearish as Global Growth Slows, Survey Says
Endowment and foundation managers say slow economic growth around the world is the biggest near-term threat to investment returns, Bloomberg reports, citing a new study by consulting firm NEPC.
Jean Case to Chair National Geographic Board
The philanthropist and former tech executive, a leader in the emerging field of impact investing, is the first woman to lead the 128-year-old National Geographic Society’s governing body, Fortune writes.
N.Y. Jewish Network Seeks $42 Million From Bankrupt Charity
The UJA-Federation of New York has filed claims that FEGS, the big New York City social-service charity that collapsed last year, owes tens of millions of dollars to a pension fund covering employees of Jewish nonprofits, The Forward reports.
James Franco and Hollywood Charity Team Up on Nonprofit Studio
The actor-director and the Art of Elysium, a charity supported by Mr. Franco and other film-industry A-listers, have jointly formed a production house whose movies will generate revenue for the nonprofit, Variety reports.
Miami Science Museum Overhauls Board Amid Cash Crunch
Under pressure to complete its new downtown Miami home amid a severe fundraising shortfall, the Frost Museum of Science dissolved its board of trustees Wednesday and will take a bridge loan from its chief benefactors, Florida philanthropists Phillip and Patricia Frost, The Miami Herald and the South Florida Business Journal write.
Red Cross Runs $159 Million Deficit as Donations Drop
The relief charity’s fundraising fell to its lowest level since at least 2000, and Red Cross blood banks also suffered significant losses, ProPublica reports, citing newly released financial statements.
Karl Rove Group Gets Long-Sought Nonprofit Imprimatur
Conservative advocacy group Crossroads GPS, one of the most prominent “dark money” entities in American politics, has been granted 501(c)(4) status by the Internal Revenue Service after a five-plus-year wait, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Bay Area Boom Could Force Out Nuns’ Charity for Homeless
A faith-based soup kitchen in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district is facing eviction as the city’s tech-fueled economic boom sends rents in even gritty neighborhoods spiraling up, reports, the Associated Press.
Congressman Says Red Cross Is Evading Questions on Cutbacks
Rep. Bennie Thompson, the ranking Democrat on the House committee that oversees disaster response, says the charity has failed to answer his queries about whether reductions in staff and chapter offices are affecting its services, ProPublica writes.
Congress Renews Scrutiny of Biggest College Endowments
Two Congressional committees are demanding data from the country’s wealthiest universities on how they spend their investment funds, reports The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Opinion: Put Money Into Scientific Research, Not Prizes
Philanthropists who fund seven-figure cash awards to honor groundbreaking scientists would do more to advance science by plowing their money into the research itself, a physicist and cosmologist writes in The New Yorker.
Watchdog Flags Check Scam Targeting Charities
BBB Wise Giving Alliance warns nonprofits to steer clear of emails from a ‘donor’ in London.
By Timothy Sandoval
Contributor
Super Bowl 50 a Boon for Dozens of Bay Area Charities
While San Francisco has drawn criticism from Bay Area activists for spending $5 million on Super Bowl-related festivities, event organizers are touting the 50th edition of the big game as the most philanthropic ever, with local nonprofits set to share $12 million in grants, Mashable and Forbes write.