Wendy Schmidt Gives Big to Protect the Ocean and Fight Climate Change
She and her husband, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, have poured nearly $2.2 billion into their philanthropies since 2019.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Wendy Schmidt’s Advice for Donors
Wendy Schmidt leads her and her husband’s broad network of philanthropies, the largest of which is the $2 billion Schmidt Family Foundation, which they started in 2006.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Financier and Wife Give $25 Million to Work-Force Development Charity
Plus, Ken and Kathryn Chenault give $1 million to help formerly incarcerated people, and three universities and an art museum in Michigan land big gifts.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
The Federal Whiplash on Climate Is a Wake-up Call for Better Grant Making
As the political winds continue to shift on climate change, philanthropy needs to set its sights on organizations that have worked for decades with minimal funding — the environmental justice groups that understand best how to clean up communities and create a healthy planet.
By Ansje Miller
Contributor
Texas A&M Athletics Lands $25 Million From Houston Energy Mogul
Plus, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum receives $15 million for arts education, and a science organization, an Urban League, and two universities all got big gifts.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Silicon Valley Real-Estate Mogul and Wife Give UC-Berkeley $30 Million
Plus, three donors give big gifts to support mental-health programs at two universities and at a treatment center.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
A Message to Ford Foundation in Gates Spending Approach: Give More Now
Bill Gates’s $20 billion donation to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the decision to increase its payout rate to charities should be seen as a lesson for trustees of the nation’s second largest philanthropy — the Ford Foundation — about the perils of maintaining the organization forever.
By Howard Husock
Contributor
Philanthropy Leaders Should Stop Bashing the Capitalism That Built Their Organizations
A recent article on foundation efforts to remake capitalism shows why that goal is off the mark, according to a philanthropy scholar.
Prominent Lawyer Gives Oxford $35 Million Gift That Will Also Benefit U. of Pittsburgh
Plus, Vassar College received $10 million from Hollywood producer Jason Blum.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
I Was a Leader of the Anti-Abortion Movement — Until I Engaged With the Other Side
An evangelical minister says he might never have changed his position on abortion if a pro-choice advocate and philanthropist hadn’t been willing to listen to his views and eventually help him understand the flaws in his thinking.
Donors Need to Recognize the Link Between Abortion and Democracy — and Fund Accordingly
Grant makers that support efforts to strengthen American democracy and those committed to reproductive justice will be more effective if they see the connection between the two issues and work together to achieve their goals.
By Brook Kelly-Green and Pamela Shifman
Philanthropy Should Focus on Building Stronger Families — Not Supporting Abortion Advocacy
While both sides of the abortion debate shout at each other, struggling young mothers need help now to raise their children and keep their families together.
By Megan Rose
Contributor
Medical College of Wisconsin Receives $50 Million to Reshape Medical Profession
Also, the University of Virginia will use a $17.6 million gift for its democracy and Civil War history programs, and the billionaire heir Howard Buffett is giving $2.7 million for humanitarian aid in Ukraine.
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
My Brother’s Troubling Story Shows Why Philanthropy Should Avoid Investing in Institutional Care
A lack of space for foster kids has triggered calls for more funding of child-welfare facilities, but that is exactly the wrong approach. These institutions harm kids and exacerbate trauma. The focus instead should be on expanding the availability of high-quality foster homes.
By Sixto Cancel
Contributor
The World Responds to Crises — but Climate Change Victims Need Long-Term Support
The devastating volcanic eruption in Tonga brought an outpouring of help in its immediate aftermath, but now resources are scarce. The few small nonprofits working in the region need others to join the recovery effort and prepare for inevitable future climate catastrophes.
By Michael P. Hassett
Contributor
Dolly Parton and Tipper Gore Give Big
Plus, the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven received a $35 million bequest to endow support for four New Haven, Conn., nonprofits, and the Holocaust Museum Los Angeles landed a gift of $5 million.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor