L.A. Voters to Decide on $1.2 Billion Fund to Help Homeless
The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to put a bond measure aimed at financing a decade’s worth of programs to combat the city’s homelessness crisis on the November ballot, reports the Associated Press.
U. of Maryland Foundation Joins Fossil-Fuel Divestment Push
The university affiliate that oversees the system’s $1 billion endowment will withdraw all direct investments in coal, oil, and natural gas and appoint a staff member to focus on financial opportunities in renewables, The Baltimore Sun reports.
Study Gives Top Human-Rights Groups Low Marks on Transparency
Human Rights Watch, the United States Institute of Peace, and the Open Society Foundations ranked near the bottom in the study by watchdog group Transparify, which rated 200 think tanks and advocacy nonprofits on their level and quality of donor disclosure, the Thomson Reuters Foundation writes.
How a Nonprofit Earned Big by Charging for Memberships
Immigrant-rights group CASA brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars a year by charging a membership fee for services.
By Timothy Sandoval
Contributor
Minn. Charity Leader’s Son Convicted in Fraud Conspiracy
A federal jury found Minneapolis police officer Jordan Davis guilty Friday of participating in a theft scheme to which his father, longtime Community Action of Minneapolis CEO Bill Davis, admitted in court earlier this month, the Star Tribune reports.
Market Turmoil Calls for Reviewing Fundraising Strategy, Experts Say
The economic fallout of the Brexit vote is likely to have a small negative impact on fundraising for U.S. charities.
By Eden Stiffman
Senior Editor
Mo. Firm Goes Bankrupt With $22 Million Outstanding on Gift
A hotel company that filed for bankruptcy protection Sunday still owes most of a $30 million pledge by its late founder to help build an arena at Missouri State University, reports the Springfield News-Leader.
Charity Loophole Opens Way for Import of Endangered Animals
Hunters, breeders, and attractions like zoos, circuses, and theme parks have been able to get around federal restrictions on the import of endangered species by making donations of a few thousand dollars to conservation charities, Reuters reports.
Obituary: Gerald Walpin, Ex-Watchdog of U.S. Service Agency
The former Corporation for National and Community Service inspector general, whose tenure ended in controversy over an investigation of AmeriCorps grants, died Friday after being struck by a vehicle in a Manhattan crosswalk, writes The New York Times. He was 84.
New Credit Card Directs Cash-Back Rewards to Causes
Looking to generate social benefit out of credit-card rewards many consumers leave on the table, public-benefit corporation Charity Charge is producing a card that steers 1 percent of all purchases to nonprofits of the customer’s choice and levies no donation-processing fees, writes Fast Company.
Amid Capitol Hill Criticism, Red Cross Board ‘100 Percent’ Confident in CEO
The charity’s governors issued a strong statement of support for Gail McGovern in the face of Sen. Charles Grassley’s scathing verdict on its disaster response.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Smithsonian Needs $1 Billion for Air and Space Museum Work
The head of the Smithsonian told Congress he will seek to raise $250 million in private funding to cover a chunk of renovation costs for the 40-year-old museum, writes The Washington Post.
Opinion: Red Cross Faces ‘Trust Deficit’ on Disaster Work
In the wake of a blistering Congressional report on its relief efforts in Haiti, the American Red Cross must improve internal oversight and transparency to retain public confidence in its frontline role in disaster response, The New York Times asserts in an editorial.
Opinion: Donor-Advised Funds a ‘Bad Deal’ for Society
Two prominent critics of donor-advised funds lay out their case against the fast-growing giving vehicles in an essay for The New York Review of Books, saying they represent “a major flaw in the financing of charities today.”
Pa. Congressman Convicted in Charity-Tied Corruption Case
Rep. Chaka Fattah, who has represented Philadelphia in the House for more than two decades, was found guilty of racketeering-conspiracy charges stemming in part from his use of nonprofit funds to repay a political loan, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Limos and Luxury Hotels on Hershey Trust Board’s Expense Tab
Since agreeing in 2013 to a state demand to curb spending, directors of the Milton Hershey School for impoverished children in Pennsylvania have collectively been paid $6.9 million and charged hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel costs to the organization, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.