Chicago Eyes Site Shift for Stalled Lucas Museum Project
Hoping to kick-start the building of Star Wars creator George Lucas’s planned Chicago showcase for his collection of art and movie memorabilia, currently mired in a legal fight, city officials have proposed a new location on the Lake Michigan waterfront, reports the Chicago Tribune.
Clintons Gave 11% of Income to Charity in 2014; Sanderses Gave 4%
Bill and Hillary Clinton contributed $3 million of their $28 million in adjusted gross income to nonprofit groups, while Bernie and Jane Sanders donated $8,350 on $205,000 in earnings, according to the Associated Press.
Iowa Regents President Has Given Only a Third of His 2008 Pledge of $5 Million
Bruce Rastetter’s pledge is for a training complex for the University of Iowa’s football program, according to an Associated Press analysis.
GiveDirectly to Provide ‘Basic Income’ for Poor in Kenya
The nonprofit, which gives money to the poor in Kenya and Uganda, will test the concept of a basic income by giving 6,000 Kenyans enough cash to meet basic needs over 10 years, Vox reports.
New Leader Chosen for the Trust for the National Mall
Catherine Townsend, a nonprofit consultant, previously headed a fund that raises money for the D.C. public schools, reports the Washington Business Journal.
House Bill Would Expand Incentives for Gifts to Donor-Advised Funds
The increasingly popular giving vehicles were left out of a law passed last year that provided incentives to give to charities from individual retirement accounts.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Insurance Company Sues Charities for Return of $2.1 Million
A company trustee claims the donations belong to the company’s investors, reports The Waco Tribune-Herald.
New York to Consolidate Welfare and Homelessness Agencies
Mayor Bill de Blasio said reuniting the city’s Department of Homeless Services and Human Resources Administration would offer a “new vision” for tackling entrenched homelessness, reports The New York Times.
‘Panama Papers’ Law Firm Used Red Cross Name to Hide Origin of Funds
The law firm at the center of an international offshore-accounts scandal used the names of charities, such as the Red Cross, to conceal the origin of millions of dollars in questionable accounts, according to the Associated Press. There is no indication that the charities knew the firm was using their names.
Federal Inquiry Into NYC Police Activity Expands to Include Mayor’s Former Nonprofit
Federal investigators are looking into whether real-estate developers and union leaders who donated to a nonprofit that supported the campaign and agenda of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio received special favors, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources.
One Year Later, Hope and Despair Found in Equal Measure in Baltimore
Foundation leaders at a conference in the nation’s capital take a side trip to the scene of one of the nation’s notorious recent clashes between police and an African-American community.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Stop the Spread of State Laws That Trample on Charity Rights
Proposals in several states would put unconstitutional limits on fundraising, advocacy, donor tax breaks, endowment spending, and more.
By DIANE YENTEL
Contributor
N.Y. Court Tosses Suit Opposing Diller-Funded Park on Hudson
A lawsuit filed last year by a nonprofit critical of billionaire media mogul Barry Diller’s planned park and performance center on a Hudson River pier was dismissed Thursday by a New York State judge, The New York Times reports.
Bill Would Expand Incentives for Gifts to Donor-Advised Funds
The bipartisan measure introduced in the Senate on Wednesday would also change the foundation excise tax on net investment income to a flat rate of 1 percent.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Oil Firms That Backed Clinton Foundation Lobbied State Dept.
Major fossil-fuel companies that lobbied Hillary Clinton’s State Department on developing resources from Canada’s oil sands have also donated millions to her family charity, according to International Business Times.
N.Y. Nonprofit Sued Over Chemical Attack on Top Executive
The Queens charity leader who was doused with lye last year in what authorities allege was an attempt to cover up a $750,000 embezzlement is suing the organization’s board, claiming it negligently failed to prevent the assault, the New York Daily News reports.