Black Philanthropy Month Organizers Hope Current Crisis Will Spur a Burst of Giving
The coronavirus pandemic and this spring’s racial justice uprisings might inspire more donations and investments to black-led nonprofits and entrepreneurs during this year’s event, organizers say.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
Huge Sums of Money Are Flowing to Racial Justice. Are They Going to the Right Places?
Racial-justice advocates worry the money will go to superficial efforts or will overlook the small, Black-led grassroots groups that will be crucial for creating systemic change.
By Alex Daniels
Senior Editor, Foundations
Rockefeller Foundation Commits $50 Million to Ramp Up Covid-19 Testing (Grants Roundup)
Also, Dominion Energy will give $35 million to support historically black colleges and universities in four states, and the Meyer Memorial Trust has promised $25 million over five years to Justice Oregon for Black Lives.
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
MacArthur’s $100 Million Challenge Finalists Take Aim at Issues of Health, Homelessness, Environment
Report for America, which would send 1,800 reporters to work at news outlets throughout the United States, is also one of the finalists.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
Don’t Destroy Foundations’ Ability to Respond to the World’s Next Crisis
Patriotic Millionaires, a group of wealthy Americans, wants Congress to increase giving rates to 10 percent of assets for the next three years. But there’s nothing patriotic about limiting the flexibility of foundations, writes a top official of the Philanthropy Roundtable.
By Joanne Florino
Contributor
Foundations Nationwide Commit Nearly Half a Billion Dollars to Racial Justice
Surging protests and calls to action from the Movement for Black Lives and other groups have resulted in a geyser of support from philanthropy to Black-led social-justice groups.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
Open Society Foundations, Salesforce Pledge Major Grants for Racial Justice (Grants Roundup)
Also, the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation is giving $27 million for a maternal-health program in Washington, and the University of Notre Dame will receive $20 million for the new Notre Dame-IBM Tech Ethics Lab.
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
Community Foundations Boast $1 Billion for Covid Response
Despite the deluge in grant making from community foundations, there are still massive unmet demands for nonprofit funding related to the pandemic.
By MICHAEL THEIS
Contributor
New Pledge Asks Donors to Step Up Giving Amid Pandemic
The “Crisis Charitable Commitment” asks foundations, wealthy individuals, and donor-advised-fund account holders to commit to boosting their giving immediately, with a special focus on racial justice and voter engagement.
By dan.parks
Contributor
We’re All Dealing With Anxiety and Uncertainty. Let’s Not Let That Affect How We Make Grants
When I feel like we’re making too little progress, it’s tempting to switch gears and adopt the latest approach — but what nonprofits need most now is consistent, flexible, long-term funding — and lots of it.
By Lisa Pilar Cowan
Contributor
Grant Makers Can Improve Government Effectiveness in the Covid-19 Era
Ensuring that governments reduce corruption, adopt good policy, and get citizens involved in policy making is critical to creating a strong response to this crisis and its aftermath.
By Leslie Lang Tsai
Contributor
Congress Should Force Foundations and Donor-Advised Funds to Give More Now
Assets of grant makers grew 200 percent in the last decade so they can afford to increase the share of their endowments that go to charities — and they can do that without borrowing money from the public by floating bonds, says a member of the Patriotic Millionaires.
By ALAN DAVIS
Contributor
Who Benefits When Foundations Float Bonds to Do More Grant Making?
An unprecedented move by Ford and other foundations to issue debt could have led to a different outcome, one that might have done more to help women, people of color, and others too often left behind, says the senior economics correspondent of “Next City.”
By Oscar Perry Abello
Contributor
Hellman Fellows Program Endows $125 Million Fellowship in U. of California System (Grants Roundup)
Also, the Open Society Foundations has promised $100 million to Bard College, and LeMoyne-Own College has received an unrestricted grant of $40 million from the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis.
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
‘Trauma, Promise, and Possibility’
Black-led groups see a rare opportunity to advance racial justice. The question is whether foundations will give them what they need to step up.
By Jim Rendon and Eden Stiffman
Elizabeth Alexander Outlines Mellon’s Shift to Social-Justice Grant Making
The new grant-making strategy will be accompanied by an increase in spending. Mellon plans to make $500 million in grants this year, an increase of $200 million over its planned budget.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor