Netflix Chief Launches $100 Million Education Foundation
Reed Hastings announced through Facebook on Tuesday the launch of a $100 million education foundation, The Washington Post reports. The first two grants from the Hastings Fund, totaling $1.5 million, will support college access for minority students.
Kresge Fund Commits $20 Million for Early-Childhood Programs
Calling high-quality early-childhood care a key to Detroit’s turnaround, the Kresge Foundation announced a five-year, $20 million effort Thursday to expand and improve programs for kids up to 5 years old, The Detroit News reports.
S. African Fund Manager Gives Control of Firms to Foundation
The namesake founder of Cape Town investment house Allan Gray has turned over controlling interest in the firm and its offshore partner to his family foundation, which could reap tens of millions of dollars a year in dividends to be devoted to charity, Bloomberg and South African newspaper Business Day write.
Walton Foundation Pledges $1 Billion to Back Charter Schools
The five-year commitment matches what the charitable fund headed by heirs of the Walmart fortune has spent to build and support charters over the past two decades, the Associated Press writes.
Capri Sun Maker Gives $16.5 Million for Military Scholarships
Billionaire businessman Hans-Peter Wild said childhood memories of U.S. forces stationed in his native Germany after World War II provided an impetus for his donation supporting education assistance to the children of Marine Corps and Navy veterans, The Washington Post writes.
Elections and Economy Offer Challenges to Fundraisers in 2016
The public can be distracted as the candidates’ rhetoric heats up, experts say, but this year’s outlook also reveals that retiring boomers offer opportunities for new support.
By HEATHER JOSLYN
Contributor
Walmart Heirs Make $407 Million in Year-End Gifts to Trust
Siblings Alice, Rob, and Jim Walton collectively donated 6.7 million shares of Walmart stock to a trust formed earlier last year to fund the family’s philanthropy, Fortune writes.
Alphabet Executive to Donate $148 Million From Startup Sale
Diane Greene, a director of Google parent company Alphabet, plans to give her proceeds from Alphabet’s purchase of her cloud-computing firm Bebop Technologies to a donor-advised fund, The Wall Street Journal and VentureBeat report.
Obituary: Ted Stanley, $650 Million Mental-Health Donor
The Connecticut businessman’s July 2014 gift to the Broad Institute to study psychiatric disorders is one of the largest donations ever for scientific research, the Associated Press and The Boston Globe write.
Big Gifts, Small Charities: Fundraising Success Secrets
To raise larger donations, small charities need to pay more attention to quality, not quantity, when cultivating donors, according to a new study.
By HEATHER JOSLYN
Contributor
Lacie LaRue: ‘Data Nerd’ Splits Donors Into 2,000 Segments
Her love of analytics and unusually complex set of data have helped Oregon State increase the number of annual-fund donors who give $1,000 or more every year since 2011.
By Eden Stiffman
Senior Editor
Stephanie Greiner: Fundraising From Scratch
She brought a financial windfall to Des Moines University by focusing on the basics and building relationships with neglected donors who were ready to be wooed.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Lauren Stakias: the Art of the Deal
Building corporate partnerships and traveling the globe to find new funding sources comes naturally to this young fundraising leader at the Museum of Modern Art.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Rachel Bjorklund: How to Build Support for the Courageous, Lonely Donor
World Vision’s national campaign director brings together wealthy people with a passion for helping the poor in ways that make them feel comfortable talking about their giving.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Nick Tedesco: Confidant of the Uber-Wealthy
Counseling the rich is a natural fit for someone whose résumé features leadership roles at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and J.P. Morgan Private Bank.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor
Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg: $45 Billion to Change the World
After rocking the philanthropy world with the sheer size of their pledge, the Facebook co-founder and his wife outline an unusual plan for the money that has raised hopes — and a few eyebrows.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor