Gates Is Spearheading Multibillion-Dollar Clean-Energy Effort
As landmark U.N. climate talks get under way in Paris on Monday, Bill Gates is set to announce a global fund backed by governments and philanthropy to research and develop new clean-energy technologies, Greenwire and The New York Times report.
Lilly Fund Gives $100 Million to Indiana Arts Groups
The Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment made grants of $5 million to $10 million aimed at boosting the long-term financial stability of 14 cultural organizations in its home state, reports The Indianapolis Star.
Colo. Shooting Further Roils Planned Parenthood Debate
The killing of three people Friday by a gunman at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colo., could escalate the political battles in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail over the women’s health nonprofit, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal write.
Senate Panel Scrutinizing Private Art Museums’ Tax Breaks
The Senate Finance Committee is seeking financial and operational information from several galleries and museums opened by wealthy art collectors to determine whether the centers provide enough public benefit to justify their tax exemptions, writes The New York Times.
Planned Parenthood Goes to Court in Tex. Over Medicaid Funds
Texas is the latest in a series of Republican-led states the nonprofit has sued this year for seeking to block federal reimbursements to its clinics for non-abortion health services, reports The New York Times.
Box-Office Slide Tightens Belts at Philadelphia Orchestra
The orchestra saw attendance and ticket sales decline in the 2014-15 season and has cut spending to balance its budget for the current year, writes The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Okla. Man Guilty of Defrauding Alzheimer’s Charity
A friend of former University of Arkansas football coach Frank Broyles was convicted Monday for fraud over a print job for Mr. Broyles’ Alzheimer’s-focused charity, reports the Tulsa World.
Buffett Grandson’s Investment Firm to Focus on Social Good
Howard Warren Buffett, the grandson of billionaire financier and philanthropist Warren E. Buffett, has launched an operating company that will capitalize firms aiming to tackle social problems, The New York Times reports.
Post-‘Grand Bargain,’ Detroit Museum Tackles New Challenges
The Detroit Free Press looks at the state of the Detroit Institute of Arts and its effort to raise endowment funds a year after the city emerged from bankruptcy via an agreement in which the museum was a linchpin.
Ore. Donor Must Pay Taxes on Nonprofit’s Political Spending
A federal court has found a major Oregon political contributor liable for excise levies on money his charitable foundation spent on election ads, reports Willamette Week.
Court in India Stays Government Order Against Greenpeace
Greenpeace India said the court ruling blocked a government move to cancel the environmental group’s right to operate in the country, pending a final verdict on authorities’ allegations of financial impropriety, reports the Associated Press.
Ga. Investigating Claim That Children’s Home Deceived Donors
State charity regulators have launched an inquiry into an Atlanta-area home for foster children that solicted hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations after ostensibly shutting down, according to Atlanta television station WSB.
Koch-Backed Conservative Groups Quadrupled Spending in 2014
Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners increased their spending from $57 million to $220 million in 2014, repeating a pattern of greater activity in election years, writes The Wall Street Journal.
Calif. Reviewing Whistle-Blower Complaint at San Francisco Museums
State Attorney General Kamala Harris’s office is investigating allegations of financial impropriety at San Francisco’s Fine Arts Museums in connection with a $450,000 payment to an ailing former staff member, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
NYC to Put $3 Billion Into New Effort for the Homeless
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan Wednesday to create 15,000 housing units paired with social services to combat persistent homelessness, with some of the estimated $3 billion cost in the form of subsidies and tax credits for nonprofits and developers to build some of the facilities, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Calif. Says Blue Shield Backing Out on $140 Million Pledge
State regulators and consumer advocates accuse the nonprofit health-insurance company of reneging on a promise to donate an additional $14 million a year to charity for 10 years as part of a merger agreement, the Los Angeles Times writes.