Daily News Roundup: Gates Foundation Is Paying Off Nigeria’s Polio Debt
The foundation will pay off a $76 million loan the country got from Japan in 2014 to aid the fight against polio. In other articles, the tax code benefits real-estate investors but is bad news for art collectors; the law is also a “one-two punch” for nonprofits and for giving; the Pittsburg Foundation files a “friend of the court” brief in a gerrymandering case; and much more.
Tax Law Eliminates Giving Incentive for 21 Million Americans, Study Says
The number of taxpayers who itemize under the new law will plunge from 37 million to about 16 million in 2018, according to the Tax Policy Center.
By dan.parks and Megan O’Neil
Postal Rates Would Increase for Nonprofits Under Proposal
Charities have until March 1 to comment on the proposed changes.
By Timothy Sandoval
Contributor
Daily News Roundup: Jeff Bezos Is Giving $33 Million for Dreamer Scholarships
The money will go to TheDream.US, a nonprofit that former Washington Post owner Don Graham founded. In other news, advocates worry that the tax bill will make affordable housing more scarce; Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says deducting property taxes as charity is “ridiculous"; before Eric Trump resigned from his charity, he continued to host events that benefited his father’s companies; an anonymous donor gave $100 million to a mental-health and addiction center; and much more.
Daily News Roundup: Charities Fear Drop in Donations From Government Workers
Giving to the combined federal campaign has been on the decline since its peak of $282.6 million in 2009. In other news, the Trump administration wants to revamp regulations on bank lending to the poor; the GOP tax plan’s levy on university endowments will hurt colleges mostly in Democratic areas; World Vision’s president plans to step down at the end of the year; and more, including articles on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new admissions policy.
Obama Center’s Design Will Highlight Unity
The facility to honor the legacy of the former president will include a 235-foot-tall tower, a women’s garden, sledding hill, civil-rights museum, and library.
By Ariella Phillips
Contributor
Daily News Roundup: What Will Jeff Bezos Do With All That Money?
His fortune has grown since he solicited ideas for his philanthropy seven months ago. In other news, the Lilly Endowment has given $80 million to sustain 10 social-service groups for decades; the San Antonio police chief is being criticized for releasing immigrants found in a trailer to Catholic Charities; eight activists who attended the Golden Globe awards say Hollywood women “are trying to learn from us": and much more about taxes and impacting investing.
Daily News Roundup: Bill Gates on Big Pharma, Startups, and Global Health
He says far more could be accomplished if large pharmaceutical companies and startups would get more involved in the Gates foundation’s global-health efforts. In other news, the Interior Department has told its staff to check that discretionary grants “promote the priorities” of the Trump administration; a rising hedge-fund star has been charged with defrauding a foundation client; and much more about the arts, health care, and the Rockefellers.
Daily News Roundup: Emory U. Gets $400 Million Pledge
The money will go toward curing diseases, innovative patient care, and enhancing health. In other news, three N.J. towns are trying a creative way to elude the GOP tax law; the ACLU plans to spend big on the 2018 midterms; at the Golden Globes, actresses wear black and bring activists as guests to protest sexual abuse; after dropping for years, free or discounted care at hospitals is now flat; and much more.
Last Original GuideStar Employee Talks Data in the ‘Golden Age’ of Fraud
Chuck McLean, who started with the organization 23 years ago, says that while nonprofit transparency has improved greatly, the IRS is poorly equipped to prevent abuses.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor
Daily News Roundup: What Gives Bill Gates Hope
In other articles, the FBI has launched another inquiry into whether the Clinton Foundation engaged in illegal activity; for the first time in half a century, the Metropolitan Museum of Art will charge non-New Yorkers an admission fee; Warren Buffett has given $43 million worth of stock since July; and more.
Opinion: Nonprofits Must Move Swiftly to Fight for Sound Public Policies
The tsunami of challenges caused by the new tax law will pummel nonprofit finances and their work forces — and hurt the charitable missions foundations and organizations strive to carry out.
Daily News Roundup: NYC Ballet Leader Acted With Impunity, Say Dancers
In other news, Meryl Streep and Steven Spielberg are among the celebrities giving to #TimesUp; Betsy DeVos’s foundation donated to 100-plus groups in 2016; big hospitals got richer but provided less charity care under Obamacare; La Salle University is selling 46 masterpieces to fund its strategic plan; and more.
Daily News Roundup: Giving Surge From Tax Law
Charities urged last-minute gifts as they worried about a drop in donations this year. Also, the tax bill allows the rich in some states to profit from “donations” to private-school scholarships; a Trump Mar-a-Lago deal skirted IRS scrutiny; a $165 million gift aspires to set an example for tech’s elite; powerful Hollywood women announce anti-harassment plan and raise $13 million for a legal fund to help less privileged people; and much more.
Fighting Misinformation, Grooming New Leaders, and Unlocking More Giving: Ideas for 2018
Fresh approaches to philanthropy’s urgent problems will be essential in the year ahead. Here are some of the best pieces from The Chronicle’s opinion section to get up to speed on new thinking.
Daily News Roundup: Big Companies Vow to Give to Charity Due to Tax Law
President Trump was pleased, but Democratic lawmakers and corporate watchdogs called it a stunt. In other articles, a report on five things you should know about donor-advised funds and the new tax law; how to write off donations under the new law; how the rich are profiting by manipulating a charitable deduction in the tax code; a look at Harvey Weinstein’s charity nightmare; and much more.