Investment losses and spending policies prompt major cuts in journalism programs and staffing at Freedom ForumThe slide in the stock market since the spring of 2000 has had devastating effects on the portfolios ALSO SEE: Percentage of Endowments Spent at Operating Funds: a Sampling How Freedom…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Key Figure in American Jewish Philanthropy Linked to Israeli Investigation
Two small charities connected to one of the foremost figures in American Jewish philanthropy have been named in an Israeli investigation of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s 1999 election campaign. Israel’s state comptroller says in a new report that three nonprofit organizations, two of them linked to…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Unusual Arizona Group Shuts Down, Cutting Off Annuity Payments to Donors
An unorthodox Arizona charity that paid financial planners a commission to market its gift annuities has shut down, cutting off payments to an unknown number of donors who entrusted the organization with their money. The closure of the Mid-America Foundation, in Scottsdale, Ariz., was disclosed in…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Nonprofit groups reap billions in tax-free income annuallyOver the past five years, the Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit group ALSO SEE:A Boom in Charities’ Business IncomeWhat’s Exempt From the Federal Tax on Charities’ Unrelated Business Income that created the “Sesame Street” television program,…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Faltering Economy Slows Asset Growth at Community Foundations
As the nation’s economy slowed last year, net assets in community foundations ALSO SEE:Cultivating Philanthropy OverseasCommunity Funds Down Under Tackle Issues Facing Rural AreasCommunity Foundations Across Eastern Europe Advance ‘Step by Step’Community Foundations’ Assets, Gifts, and Grants in…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Judge’s Verdict Could Reduce Postage Costs for Some Groups
In a ruling that could save charities millions of dollars, a federal district court judge has overturned a U.S. Postal Service regulation that virtually barred fraternal organizations from mailing out insurance-policy offers at a lower postage rate than is available for other nonprofit mailings.…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
How The Chronicle Calculated Generosity of State Residents
By HARVY LIPMANFiguring out how residents of one state compare in generosity with those of another is a complicated task because comprehensive data are not available. For its analysis, The Chronicle used data from the Internal Revenue Service’s Statistics of Income Bulletin for spring 2001,…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Senator Seeks Review to Find Out Whether Charities ‘Defraud Taxpayers’
By HARVY LIPMANThe investigative arm of Congress is examining how charities spend and raise funds, along with how good a job the Internal Revenue Service does monitoring those activities. The General Accounting Office began its inquiry this month at the request of Sen. Charles E. Grassley, an Iowa…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Gifts to Paid Solicitors Drop in Conn. and Ohio
By HARVY LIPMANDonors in Ohio and Connecticut are cutting back sharply on the amount they give to telemarketers and other professional solicitors hired by charities, according to new reports by state regulators. Donations by Ohio residents decreased by 24 percent in 2000, from $118.4-million in…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Group draws heat for rating Christian charities on fiscal efficiency without accounting for mission or quality of serviceA nonprofit group founded by a professional financial analyst has started a Web site that rates the fiscal efficiency of Christian charities and publishes the information on the…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor