Nonprofits Can Help Shape Public Policy in an Election Year — With Care
How to advocate for a cause without risking your tax-exempt status.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
World Vision’s Gaza Chief Accused by Israel of Aiding Hamas
Israeli security officials arrested the aid organization’s Gaza director on allegations that he steered tens millions of dollars from the charity to the Islamist Palestinian group’s military wing, Israeli daily Haaretz and the Associated Press report.
At Colleges Riven by Unrest, Older Alumni Rethink Giving
A year of student protests over race, gender, history, and identity at university campuses has engendered a backlash among alumni donors, particularly at elite liberal-arts institutions, according to The New York Times.
ACLU Shifts Gears in Campaign to Cut Jail Population
The American Civil Liberties Union is retooling an ambitious, donor-funded effort to reduce incarceration across the country, shifting its emphasis from the ballot box to the courtroom, reports BuzzFeed News.
Black Lives Matter Groups Push Grant Makers to Step Outside Their Comfort Zones
Foundations should back efforts to create “deep, systemic, and structural change” rather than supporting programs that just tweak existing power structures, says one leader of the racial-justice movement.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
World Vision Donor Learns Story Behind His ‘Sponsored Child’
The New York Times looks at the intersection of a global aid charity, an individual contributor, and a Palestinian village in a human-interest story that grew out of a reporter’s chance encounter at the Sydney airport.
Ronald Lauder’s Gallery May Hold Work Looted by Nazis
The philanthropist and cosmetics heir, who has helped lead global efforts to track down art plundered by the Nazis and return it to Jewish owners, is stepping up efforts to establish the provenance of works in his Manhattan museum, writes The New York Times.
Website Offers ‘Reparations’ Exchange to Aid People of Color
A new website is offering a novel way to tackle racial injustice, and a new twist on the debate over how to compensate its victims, by providing a forum for white people to offer everyday services to people of color, reports The Washington Post.
Black Live Matter Groups Issue Call for Reparations
Demands that African-Americans be compensated for historical wrongs and that the death penalty be abolished were part of a six-point platform released Monday by more than 60 organizations connected to the national racial-justice movement, The New York Times writes.
A Timeline for Planning a Year-End Campaign
A tool to map out steps to take for a successful year-end fundraising campaign, online and off.
By Eden Stiffman
Senior Editor
Obituary: Suzanne Wright, Co-Founder of Autism Speaks
Ms. Wright, whose organization advocates for the autistic and funds research into the disorder, died Friday of pancreatic cancer at age 69, reports The New York Times.
Mothers Help Each Other Prevent HIV in Newborns
Mothers2mothers employs HIV-positive women as mentors to coach others on how to give birth to healthy babies. The transmission rate for program participants has dropped to less than 5 percent.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Diversity Slowly Takes Hold on N.Y.’s Elite Cultural Boards
An emerging class of African-American leaders in business and academia is making inroads in the overwhelmingly white upper reaches of the city’s major arts institutions, writes The New York Times.
Foundations Ask Public for Messages of Hope in Major Newspaper Buy
Presidents of the grant-making organizations want to counteract the “feelings of sorrow and discord” resulting from recent killings of both unarmed African-American citizens and police officers.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
After the Conventions, Time for Foundations to Focus on Change
Whatever the election results, the country could be facing political gridlock for years — so it’s up to philanthropy to push for solutions to the nation’s problems.
By Vince Stehle
Contributor
‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ Credited for Major ALS Discovery
Money raised through the viral fundraiser that swept the internet two years ago contributed to the identification of a gene that scientists have linked to diagnoses of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, The New York Times and The Christian Science Monitor report.