S&P Sees Improved Fiscal Outlook for Nonprofit Hospitals
In a new report, credit-rating agency Standard & Poor’s says a wave of hospital acquisitions and Medicaid expansion has brightened the financial picture for nonprofit medical systems, Healthcare Finance News writes.
Defunct Minn. Charity’s Leader Charged With $250,000 Fraud
The former director of Community Action of Minneapolis, which was shuttered last year, was indicted Thursday on federal theft and fraud charges in connection with an ongoing corruption inquiry, the Star Tribune reports.
Lucas Museum Unveils New Design That Could Derail Lawsuit
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art revealed a scaled-back blueprint for the proposed Chicago lakefront attraction Thursday that could unravel local parks advocates’ legal challenge to the project backed by movie mogul George Lucas, reports the Chicago Tribune.
Planned Parenthood Not Invited to House Hearing on Planned Parenthood
A congressional committee kicked off a series of hearings on the orgaization’s activities Wednesday without hearing from the group itself, representatives of which were not asked to testify, The Guardian reports.
N.Y. Enforcer Gets Tough on Charities and Fraud
James Sheehan, in the state attorney general’s office, examines the web of lawyers, accountants, and others who assist shady nonprofits as he casts a wide net to find wrongdoing.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
If elected president, Jeb Bush would promote a tax plan that maintains deductions for charitable giving and provides other tax breaks for wealthy donors, the Republican candidate writes in a Wall Street Journal column.
Sen. Grassley Worries Payout Rule for Donor-Advised Funds Would Backfire
In an interview with The Chronicle, the longtime charity critic said he hopes people will do better on their own than with whatever mandate Congress might impose through law.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Photo of Drowned Syrian Child Spurs Spike in Donations
Intense media coverage of refugees crossing the Mediterranean prompted people to open their wallets, but there are already signs that the impact may be short-lived.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor
Newark Debate Goes On as Schools Spend Down Zuckerberg Gift
The Wall Street Journal looks at continuing controversies in Newark, N.J., over how the city and its public-school system have used a ballyhooed $100-million donation from Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg, which the newspaper says reflect the larger national debate over school choice, performance pay for teachers, and the influence of philanthropic money in education overhaul.
Pay Hikes at Big Endowments Often Outstrip Returns, Survey Finds
Compensation for managers at the biggest college and university endowments frequently doesn’t square with the performance of their funds, according to a Bloomberg survey of wages and raises for top endowment executives.
India Orders End to Foreign Funding for Greenpeace
Four months after suspending Greenpeace India’s license to collect donations from abroad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government revoked it outright, claiming the environmental activist group’s actions have undermined national interests, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal report.
Wash. Supreme Court Strikes Down Charter-School Effort
In a surprise ruling delivered late Friday afternoon, Washington State’s Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a law authorizing government funding of charter schools that was backed by some of the country’s biggest education donors, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Top British Charities Back New Rules on Aggressive Fundraising
As Britain weighs new restrictions on high-pressure fundraising tactics, 17 of the country’s biggest nonprofits have pledged support for regulations aimed at curbing serial phone and mail solicitation of vulnerable and elderly donors, The Guardian writes.
Athletes and Stars Back Push for U.N. Development Goals
Supporters of the United Nations’ proposed Sustainable Development Goals have launched a celebrity-studded publicity blitz aimed at winning world leaders’ backing for the anti-poverty and human-rights agenda, Thomson Reuters Foundation writes.
Tampa Homelessness Charity to Shut Down Following Raid
A nonprofit serving the homeless that is pursuing a legal challenge to the Florida city’s panhandling ban faces closure next week after a raid by police and code-enforcement officials, reports The Tampa Tribune.
Land-Mine Charity Whose Board Angelina Jolie Resigned From Faces British Inquiry
Britain’s charity regulator is evaluating a complaint about land-mine-clearance group the Halo Trust paying more than $180,000 to two board members for leading an internal review of its governance, The Guardian reports. The actress left the board last year, reportedly because she felt “uncomfortable” that the trustees were essentially paying themselves.