Congress Questions Whether Charities Do Enough for Minorities

Prominent executives from the American Red Cross and the Ford Foundation are among those who have been called to testify Tuesday before a key Congressional committee examining whether charities and foundations do enough to serve minorities.

The House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee is playing host to the executives as part of a hearing that will discuss whether the government needs to create new partnerships with nonprofit organizations to serve minorities more effectively.

The nonprofit world has been criticized in some circles because many donors choose to give their money to universities, museums, and other institutions with already large endowments — instead of poverty-relief or medical charities.

Nonprofit groups have also drawn criticism for not attracting a diverse enough mix of volunteers to serve on boards of directors.

Witnesses scheduled to appear at Tuesday’s hearings include:

• Julian Wolpert, Bryant Professor of Public Affairs at Princeton University, in Princeton, N.J.
• Elizabeth T. Boris, Ph.D., director of the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute in Washington.
• Kevin M. Brown, chief operating officer of the American Red Cross in Washington.
• Susan V. Berresford, chief executive officer of the Ford Foundation, in New York.
• Lesley Grady, vice president of community partnerships for the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.
• Byron Laher, director of government and labor relations and community affairs for the Greater Twin Cities United Way, in Minneapolis.

People who want to submit comments on the record can do so until October 9 through the House Ways and Means Committee Web site.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Web site will provide coverage of the hearing’s highlights tomorrow afternoon.