Warren Buffett’s Philanthropy: a Year’s Worth of Foundation Grants
Warren Buffett’s philanthropy, the Buffett Foundation, awarded nearly $10-million in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, according to its informational tax return filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Following are the grants the foundation listed on that return: Arts and culture. $5,000 each…
Warren Buffett Holds Firm Opinions on How-and When-to Donate
No matter how much Warren E. Buffett has been criticized for not giving away more of his billions, he is unlikely to waver from his belief that the best thing he can do is leave all his money to charity after he’s dead. That way, he reasons, he can keep using his investment magic to keep…
The Securities and Exchange Commission, the federal agency that monitors corporate transactions, is now studying the feasibility, costs, and benefits of two bills introduced by Rep. Paul Gillmor, a Republican from Ohio. One measure, H.R. 944, would require companies to disclose their major…
Proposed measure would require corporations to disclose their charitable contributions to shareholders Public companies should be legally required to tell shareholders what charities the corporations support and how much is given to each, says Rep. Paul Gillmor, an Ohio Republican. “Shareholders…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
As a foster mother, Lula Mae Phillips discovered that the children she cared for lacked some of the most basic skills. They did not know how to brush their teeth or tie their shoelaces, or when to wash their hands. They had no table manners and could not sit still for any length of time. The…
Corporate Giving, the Buffett Way
Billionaire financier’s approach, in which shareholders pick charities, is the model for proposed legislation Warren E. Buffett, the Omaha billionaire, has long been a role model for anybody who wants to build a successful investment strategy. But now Congress is eyeing him as a model for the…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
George Lucas’s Charitable Alliances
Artists Rights Foundation (Los Angeles): vice-president Joseph Campbell Foundation (San Anselmo, Cal.): member, Board of Advisors The Film Foundation (New York): member, Board of Directors George Lucas Educational Foundation (San Rafael, Cal.): founder and chairman University of Southern California…
At a Glance: The George Lucas Educational Foundation
History: Established in 1991 by the film maker George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars movies. Purpose: Set up as an operating foundation, the organization gathers and distributes information designed to improve education. It also seeks to involve the general public in helping the nation’s schools,…
Through his foundation, ‘Star Wars’ creator George Lucas is promoting innovative ways to use technology in education George Lucas, the film maker who created the immensely successful Star Wars saga, is working on two visions simultaneously: one of an imaginary galaxy long ago and far, far away --…
By MARINA DUNDJERSKI
Contributor
Giving to Diana Fund Less Than First Reported
Donations to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund are adding up slower than first reported. Officials at Mischon de Reya in London, the law firm that is administering the fund, put the total as of last week at £12-million, or almost $20-million. Some early news reports had placed the value of…
Jewish Schooling Wins Big Support
Ten prominent Jewish philanthropists and business leaders have teamed up with the UJA-Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York and AVI CHAI--A Philanthropic Foundation to create 25 to 30 new private Jewish day schools across the country. Each of the 12 members of the Partnership for…
Tobacco Funds to Pay for Disease Research
Four major tobacco companies have agreed to spend $300-million to create a non-profit group to study early detection and cure of diseases associated with smoking. The agreement was part of a $349-million settlement announced this month that ended a landmark class-action lawsuit over secondhand…
Soros on Why the Market Is Not Enough: ‘Every Society Needs Some Shared Values’
In announcing his gift of up to $500-million to finance social programs in Russia, the philanthropist and financier George Soros said last week that he was motivated by his desire to promote a global capitalist society -- but not one controlled merely by market forces. In a speech last month to a…
Virginia School Gets $15-Million; Other Gifts
A private school and two universities have received big gifts. * The Steward School, a pre-kindergarten-through-12th-grade day school in Richmond, Va., has received $15-million from anonymous donors. The number of benefactors remains a mystery to school officials, as the gift was made through a…
George Soros plans to donate up to $500-million to support a range of programs intended to promote a more open society Last week’s announcement by George Soros that he plans to spend $300-million to $500-million on philanthropic ventures in Russia during the next three years shows he has not lost…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor