Bucknell U. Receives $40 Million for Scholarships and Athletics
Plus, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Berklee College of Music, and others landed big gifts.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Delta Variant Forces Fundraisers to Rethink Events Yet Again
With Covid-19 cases skyrocketing, some nonprofits are reconsidering how to host their supporters at events this fall and beyond. Some plan to continue with in-person gatherings and require proof of vaccination. Others are sticking to the virtual realm.
By Emily Haynes
Senior Editor
Also, two foundations gave $20 million to expand internet access for households in the Cleveland area, and the Knight Foundation awarded $1.5 million to back Black and women entrepreneurs in Macon, Ga.
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
3 Takeaways as Melinda French Gates and MacKenzie Scott Team Up to Fund Women’s and Girls’ Causes
Women and men alike pay attention when women give to help women and girls.
Philanthropy Can Help Rebuild Main Street for a Post-Pandemic World
The challenges facing downtown areas, especially in communities of color, were exacerbated by the pandemic but have existed for years. Local philanthropy is particularly well-suited to help them recover.
By Nancy Rauch Douzinas and Ann Golob
NYU’s Business School Lands $50 Million From Namesake Donor
Plus, five additional universities received big gifts.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
$30 Million Storytelling Fund Seeded by Ford, Skoll, and Compton Foundations
Also, three banks have made $30 million in grants to bolster inclusive real-estate development in Memphis, and the New Breath Foundation and the East Bay Community Foundation have jointly pledged $10 million to support Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in Northern California.
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
Fundraising Podcasts Worth Your Time: Leaders and Donors on What Motivates Them
As the fourth season of her podcast is released, Kathryn Van Sickle talks about the challenges and inspiration she gets from interviewing fundraisers, donors, and leaders in philanthropy.
By Emily Haynes
Senior Editor
MacKenzie Scott’s No-Strings Giving to HBCUs Sets High Bar for Other Donors
Novelist and billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has so far given at least $560 million to 23 historically Black colleges and universities. Her approach sharply contrasts with how many wealthy white donors have interacted with Black-serving nonprofits, including HBCUs, in the past.
A Brother’s Suicide Prompts $20 Million Gift to Children’s Wisconsin
Also, the Bronx High School of Science has received $18 million from an alum to build state-of-the-art laboratories on its campus, and Steven and Alexandra Cohen gave $2.1 million to study the therapeutic effects of the psychedelic drug MDMA.
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
Inflation and Delta Variant Loom in Otherwise Strong Economic Picture for Nonprofits
Economic output is up nationally, major stock indices continue to grow consistently, wages are rising, and consumers spent money. But lingering inflation and the end of pandemic government aid programs are cutting into household incomes, a potential source of worry for fundraisers focused on smaller gifts, and for charities that provide services to the poor.
By Michael Theis
Contributor
How to Ease Tension Between Communications and Development Departments
Three reasons friction occurs between fundraisers and communicators — and five ways to prevent it.
By Jackie Yodashkin
Contributor
Melinda French Gates and MacKenzie Scott Join Forces to Support Women’s Causes
The $48 million announced today, some of which is coming from the Schusterman Family Philanthropies, will go to nonprofits that advance women’s equality in innovative ways. Scott and French Gates are joining together as part of a push to encourage more billionaires and wealthy grant makers to increase their support for women’s causes.
By Alex Daniels
Senior Editor, Foundations
Also, the Knight Foundation is seeking proposals for research to stop the spread of disinformation online.
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
Share of Households Donating to Charity Drops to Lowest Level in Nearly 20 Years
Donations to charitable causes are reaching record highs, but they’re being driven by a shrinking slice of the population.
St. Jude Hits Donation Milestone to Fight Childhood Cancer
At a time when some institutions are facing fundraising shortfalls as donors have shifted their priorities in response to the pandemic, the children’s hospital raised $2 billion in the 2021 fiscal year.