Pierre Omidyar Donates $269 Million in eBay Shares
An eBay regulatory filing this week disclosed that Mr. Omidyar, a co-founder of the company, gave away one-tenth of his stock last month, according to EcommerceBytes, a news site that covers the online-auction industry. The causes that will benefit from the stock gift valued at nearly $270 million are not known.
Papal Visit Loosens Wallets in Philadelphia
A charity executive closed out one $24-million fundraising effort evoking Pope Francis and is about to wrap up a $1.4-million push to fight hunger and homelessness.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor
$40-Million Gift Boosts Campaign for N.Y. Catholic Schools
The donation from finance mogul Stephen Schwarzman and his wife, Christine, supports the Archdiocese of New York’s Inner-City Scholarship Fund for minority and low-income students, the New York Daily News and The Wall Street Journal write.
Gifts Roundup: National Zoo Pandas and U. of Buffalo Get Big Donations
Other notable recent gifts include $5.6 million for neuroscience at the Scripps Research Institute and $3 million from retired baseball legend Hank Aaron to the Morehouse School of Medicine.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Indianapolis Museum Gets Valuable Art Bequest From NFL Owner
The late Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams has left a collection of art and artifacts valued in the tens of millions of dollars to the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, writes the Indianapolis Star.
With Focus on Fundraising, Met Opera Considers Naming Rights
As the Metropolitan Opera edges back into the black, General Manager Peter Gelb tells The New York Times that naming rights for the company’s internationally known opera house could be on the table as it seeks to boost fundraising.
Donations to Medical Colleges Rose 8%, Survey Shows
Gifts to public colleges climbed from an average of $38.5 million to $41.1 million, while those to private colleges increased from $79.9 million to $84.5 million.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor
L.A. Donor Pledges $30 Million From Art Sale to Synagogue
All proceeds from arts patron Audrey Irmas’s auction of a 1968 Cy Twombly painting, expected to fetch more than $60 million, will go to her foundation, with a portion earmarked to support Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s construction of a new events center, reports the Los Angeles Times.
A Measurement Tool to Track Fundraising Costs and Returns
How to track your organization’s fundraising costs and returns and compare your performance to other organizations.
By Debra E. Blum and Holly Hall
U. of Buffalo Alumnus Donates $30 Million to Medical School
The university renamed its medical school for donor Jeremy M. Jacobs Sr., the billionaire head of hospitality and tourism conglomerate Delaware North, reports The Buffalo News.
Hilton Boosts Annual Humanitarian Prize to $2 Million
As the foundation marks the 20th year of the award, it also is underwriting a new coalition to facilitate the collaboration among its network of prize winners, like Operation Smile.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor
Other donations went to Connecticut College, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Notre Dame, and Harvard.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Laurene Powell Jobs Pledges $50 Million to Start New Schools
The Silicon Valley philanthropist’s XQ: the Super School Project will design and establish five to 10 new high schools in what Ms. Powell Jobs describes as an effort to remake an outmoded system of public education, The New York Times writes.
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.
Big Gifts for NYU Law, Conn. College, and Hunter College
Property magnate and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross has donated $20 million to the New York University School of Law, reports The Wall Street Journal, and Connecticut College announced a like contribution from telecommunications executive Robert Hale, Boston Business Journal writes.
Learning From Zuckerberg’s ‘Naïve’ $100-Million Mistake
Veteran journalist Dale Russakoff discusses what philanthropists should know about the billionaire Facebook founder’s well-intentioned push to transform the Newark, N.J.'s troubled school system.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor