Koch-Backed Conservative Groups Quadrupled Spending in 2014
Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners increased their spending from $57 million to $220 million in 2014, repeating a pattern of greater activity in election years, writes The Wall Street Journal.
Calif. Reviewing Whistle-Blower Complaint at San Francisco Museums
State Attorney General Kamala Harris’s office is investigating allegations of financial impropriety at San Francisco’s Fine Arts Museums in connection with a $450,000 payment to an ailing former staff member, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
NYC to Put $3 Billion Into New Effort for the Homeless
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan Wednesday to create 15,000 housing units paired with social services to combat persistent homelessness, with some of the estimated $3 billion cost in the form of subsidies and tax credits for nonprofits and developers to build some of the facilities, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Calif. Says Blue Shield Backing Out on $140 Million Pledge
State regulators and consumer advocates accuse the nonprofit health-insurance company of reneging on a promise to donate an additional $14 million a year to charity for 10 years as part of a merger agreement, the Los Angeles Times writes.
Family Foundations Boosting Clout in Detroit Region
Led by a handful of philanthropies set to significantly increase giving following the deaths of their wealthy founders, family-run funds are upping their impact in the southeastern Michigan, The Detroit News writes.
Gates Foundation Quietly Sheds Fossil-Fuel Stock
Tax documents show the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has reduced its stake in major oil, coal, and gas companies by two-thirds since 2013, The Seattle Times writes, and a new study asserts the foundation would have seen much greater returns if it had swapped fossil-fuel stocks for greener investments years ago, according to The Guardian.
Clinton Foundation and Health Affiliate Refile Tax Returns
The foundation and its Clinton Health Access Initiative said Monday that they have submitted revised Form 990s to the Internal Revenue Service to correct errors in six years’ worth of past filings, Reuters and Politico write.
High Court Won’t Hear Planned Parenthood Open-Records Case
The Supreme Court said Monday that it would not take up a New Hampshire anti-abortion group’s suit seeking access to financial documents a Planned Parenthood affiliate used in applying for federal funds, reports The New York Times.
External Review Backs Carnegie Hall Director in Board Clash
The inquiry commissioned by Carnegie Hall found no evidence to support claims that the storied venue’s executive director, Clive Gillinson, sought to undermine oversight by former board chairman Ronald O. Perelman, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal report.
Loan Fund Offers $30 Million to Health-Care Charities
The plan by Vital Healthcare Capital, a community-development group, will help nonprofits provide better care to the most vulnerable patients in low-income areas.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Many Hospitals Keeping Quiet on Charity Care, Study Finds
More than half of nonprofit medical centers do not tell uninsured and underinsured patients that they could be eligible for free or discounted care before attempting to collect unpaid bills from them, The Washington Post reports, citing a new University of Michigan study.
Major Campaigns Show Public Universities’ Rising Ambitions
Texas A&M University’s newly announced $4 billion capital campaign signals public colleges’ growing push to compete with their private peers for philanthropic dollars, Bloomberg writes.
N.J. Hospital Sheds Part of Tax Break in Suit Settlement
The nonprofit Morristown Medical Center hospital will pay $15.5 million to its hometown and give up a tax exemption on nearly a quarter of its property as part of a deal to settle a long-running legal dispute, the Morris County Daily Record reports.
N.Y. State Minimum-Wage Hike Could Squeeze Charities
More than four-fifths of New York State nonprofits have employees who earn less than $15 an hour, the level to which Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposes raising the wage floor for workers across the state, the Albany Times Union writes.
Del. Nonprofit Might Sue State Over Bank-Settlement Millions
The Delaware Community Reinvestment Action Council is threatening court action over the state’s use of $31 million it secured in settlements with major financial firms to close a budget gap rather than fund programs to help areas hurt by the credit crisis, The News Journal of Wilmington reports.
Opinion: Gates Giving Increasingly Includes Corporations
A Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation critic raises questions about the philanthropy’s relationships with major multinational corporations, which often include direct donations to the companies, in an essay for left-wing journal Jacobin.