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.
Bay Area Church Settles Suit With Housing Charity It Founded
San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church and a nonprofit it launched nearly 50 years ago to operate an affordable-housing project have settled a rancorous court fight over alleged plans to sell the complex to market-rate developers, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
India Bars Facebook Offer of Limited Free Internet for Poor
The country’s government has effectively blocked Facebook’s “Free Basics” Internet service, dealing a blow to Mark Zuckerberg’s Internet.org project to extend connectivity in the developing world, reports The Washington Post.
Activist Rejects Probation Deal in Planned Parenthood Case
David Daleiden, the abortion foe indicted last month on charges stemming from a series of Planned Parenthood video stings, surrendered to Texas authorities Thursday but has turned down a plea-bargain offer of probation, the Associated Press and The Washington Post report.
Judge Allows Suit Against George Lucas Museum to Proceed
A federal judge denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit opposing construction of the Star Wars creator’s planned museum on Chicago’s lakefront, keeping in place the last obstacle to construction, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Hearing Could Clear Final Roadblock for George Lucas Museum
A federal judge will hear arguments Thursday in a Chicago preservation nonprofit’s legal challenge to movie mogul George Lucas’s plan for a privately funded museum on the Lake Michigan waterfront, reports the Chicago Tribune.
Donald Trump’s Philanthropy: How Generous Is He?
The presidential candidate last made a donation to his foundation in 2008. Its grants have been fueled mostly by other people’s donations.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
Study Says Tax Rates Have Little Effect on Philanthropy
The review by Britain’s Charities Aid Foundation found that how much people give to charity is not influenced by whether they live in a country with high or low tax rates, reports the Financial Times.
Ex-Head of Medical Group Gets 4 Years in $2 Million Theft
Michael Parry admitted funneling money from the Maryland-based American Registry of Pathology into a personal account to support what prosecutors termed a “lavish lifestyle with multiple residences,” The Washington Post reports.
Foundation Seeks Proposals for Tech Tools to Fight Slavery
San Francisco-based anti-slavery charity Humanity United is teaming with federal agencies and other groups to develop technological means to track and combat the use of forced labor worldwide, writes The Wall Street Journal.
State Reviews Clearing Planned Parenthood on Fetal Tissue
A dozen states that launched investigations of alleged sales of fetal organs by Planned Parenthood clinics have closed the inquiries without finding evidence of illegal tissue transactions, according to NPR.
Charity Navigator Adds Wounded Warrior Project to ‘Watchlist’
The move comes after reports criticized the veterans group’s spending and management practices.
By Timothy Sandoval
Contributor
Politically Prominent Philadelphian Accused of Charity Fraud
The well-connected former board president of a mental-health nonprofit was charged Wednesday with siphoning hundreds of thousands of dollars from the organization, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
‘Dark Money’ Dominating Ad Buys in 2016 Campaign Season
Nonprofits and other entities that are not required to reveal their financial supporters have accounted for nearly two-thirds of spending on political advertisements thus far in the election season, Bloomberg writes.
Ill. Suit Accuses Fundraising Firm of Misleading Tactics
The complaint filed Wednesday by state Attorney General Lisa Madigan charges Chicago-based telemarketer Safety Publications with deceiving charity donors out of millions of dollars, the Chicago Tribune reports.