The California Endowment Had a $1 Billion Plan. Then It Threw Out Its Playbook
The foundation’s decade-long Building Healthy Communities initiative set out to improve health in 14 California regions. It ended up redefining its approach to community change.
By Sara Herschander
Contributor
The Quest for Fiscal Stability: How MacArthur’s $1 Million Bet on Human Rights Research Paid Off
Nearly 10 years after receiving a MacArthur “genius” award for institutions, UC Berkeley’s Human Rights Center has transformed itself and its work, offering lessons for both grant makers and nonprofits.
By Stephanie Beasley
Senior Writer and Fellowship Director
Carnegie Returns to Its Roots With Millions in Grants to Public Libraries
Carnegie Corporation of New York, founded by steel magnate and library builder Andrew Carnegie, thinks the public institutions can mend today’s societal fractures.
By Alex Daniels
Senior Editor, Foundations
How a $50 Million Philanthropic Investment Is Bolstering Coalitions of Care Workers, Advocates
Longtime advocates for care workers and families say there’s momentum for their cause, thanks to decades of grassroots organizing, a pandemic that brought the care crisis to everyone’s doorstep, and an infusion of philanthropic support.
By Eden Stiffman
Senior Editor
Native American Group Gives to Individuals to Build Community Wealth
The NDN Collective is giving out $25,000 and $50,000 awards, thanks to a $50 million foundation grant.
By Jim Rendon
Executive Editor
National Grant Makers Bet This Rural Education Program Can Scale
The Ballmer Group, Blue Meridian Partners, and others are helping Partners for Rural Impact take a model from Harlem and adapt it for Appalachian Kentucky and beyond.
By Eden Stiffman
Senior Editor
Rural America Is Struggling. Where’s Philanthropy?
New donor collaboratives are experimenting, but few national foundations bring big dollars or a strategy.
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
MacKenzie Scott’s Millions Boost Native American Nonprofits
Unrestricted grants with few reporting requirements have expanded the reach and visibility of Indigenous organizations after years of low funding and little trust from established grant makers.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
For 20 years, John Burton Advocates for Youth has offered a blueprint for policy change by working alongside young people and staying the course after laws are passed.
By Eden Stiffman
Senior Editor
The $260 Million Pivot: A Top Animal-Care Funder Recasts Its Mission
A strategy switch at Maddie’s Fund isn’t just about finding better ways to help pets and their owners. It provides lessons about funders’ hopes — and hurdles — when trying to fix the root causes of long-standing problems.
By George Anders
Contributor