Despite Gains in Assets, Many Funds Stick to the Legal Minimum for Giving
The value of foundation endowments has soared in recent years, but that has prompted few grant makers to increase the share of their assets that go to charity. In a Chronicle survey of the nation’s wealthiest funds, 57 out of 88 foundations said that they aimed to spend no more than the amount…
By Debra E. Blum
Contributor
Birthday parties are probably the last thing on parents’ minds when they can’t afford to feed their children or keep a roof over their heads. But Dan McGinn, president of the Arlington, Va., public-relations firm Ryan-McGinn, thinks birthday celebrations should be a part of everyone’s childhood, no…
Foundations’ Endowment Explosion
Assets of large funds rise 22%, which means more for grants The endowments of America’s wealthiest private foundations grew by a total of more than 22 per cent last year, thanks to a record-breaking stock market. A new Chronicle survey has found that the endowments of 121 big private foundations…
By Debra E. Blum and MARINA DUNDJERSKI
CALIFORNIA WELLNESS FOUNDATION 6320 Canoga Avenue, Suite 1700 Woodland Hills, Cal. 91367 (818) 593-6600 World-Wide Web: http://www.tcwf.org Period covered: Year ending June 30, 1997. Finances (in millions) 1996 1997 Assets $880.3 $1,022.4 Interest & dividends 16.8 23.5 Net realized gain on sale of…
‘Points of Light’ Awards Honor Outstanding Volunteers
Following are the people and organizations that have most recently been named to receive President Clinton’s daily “Points of Light” award. The awards, which are given to those who have done exemplary volunteer work, take their name from President Bush’s description of people who do community…
Donors to Liberty U. Reveal Identity
The donors of $70-million in anonymous gifts to Liberty University over the past 12 years have stepped forward. Beginning in 1986, Arthur Williams of Palm Beach, Fla., a retired life-insurance executive, and his wife, Angela, made several donations to support capital projects at the private…
Academic Programs Receive $12.5-Million
Eighteen educational institutions will receive a total of $12.5-million from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to expand the study of non-profit groups and improve the training of non-profit professionals. The 18 grants, which will be distributed over five years, went mostly to universities that already…
Health Efforts Garner $24-Million Pledge
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation have joined forces in a new $24-million grant program designed to transform state and local public-health systems. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is focusing on the state public-health agencies, said Nancy Kaufman, a…
Mott Fund Pledges Money for Child Care
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has pledged to donate up to $55-million over the next five years to support the proposed expansion of a federal program to provide before- and after-school care for children. The funds will be used to enhance the President’s 21st Century Community Learning…
By DOMENICA MARCHETTI
Contributor
Health Care and Medical Research Top Issues for European Foundations
Europe’s leading grant makers provide more support for health care and medical research than for any other field, according to a new report. The European Grants Index, based on a broadly representative sample of grants awarded primarily in 1996 by members of the European Foundation Centre, shows…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
Rob Reiner Is Giving His All for the Youngest Members in Every Family
From his portrayal of the sensitive and liberal-minded son-in-law known as ''Meathead’’ on the 1970s television series “All in the Family” to his more recent direction of such films as “This Is Spinal Tap” and “When Harry Met Sally,” Rob Reiner has long had a flair for comedy. But Mr. Reiner is…
By DOMENICA MARCHETTI
Contributor
Taking the Pulse of the Planet
Along the southern tip of the Florida peninsula, where the pinelands have gone relative ly undisturbed by civilization, Earthwatch volunteers like Lisu Derungs, trek through subtropical forests to take stock of the trees. Some 4,000 volunteers participate annually in Earthwatch projects around the…
A New Focus on Infants and Toddlers
Scientific findings on the need to stimulate babies’ brains spur charities to step up efforts Over the next three months, 25 million boxes of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies will appear on grocery-store shelves bearing messages devised by Zero to Three, a Washington charity that hopes that the publicity…
By DOMENICA MARCHETTI
Contributor
Clinton Backs Bigger Credit for Housing
The Clinton Administration has announced that its 1999 federal budget will include a proposed $1.6-billion increase in tax credits designed to spur construction of low-cost housing. The Administration estimates that the expansion will encourage the development of 150,000 to 180,000 new housing…
By Paul Demko
Contributor