New IRS Rule Likely to Make Impact Investing Easier
The agency offers guidance to grant makers just days before Kresge announces it will commit 10 percent of assets to social investing.
By Alex Daniels
Senior Editor, Foundations
Foundations and Banks Team on $70-Million Housing Effort
The Strong Families Fund, spearheaded by the Kresge and Robert Wood Johnson foundations, Goldman Sachs, and KeyBank, aims to support quality affordable housing and better access to social services for low-income families, reports the Associated Press.
Target to Change Giving Focus From Schools to Wellness
The retail giant is ending its signature education-focused giving program and shifting its philanthropic focus to health and wellness efforts, such as promoting good nutrition and active lifestyles, writes the Star Tribune.
New Guide Helps Small Foundations Expand Impact Investing
The free online publication is for foundations and individual donors looking to achieve social good as well as financial returns from their investments.
By Eden Stiffman
Senior Editor
Learning From Zuckerberg’s ‘Naïve’ $100-Million Mistake
Veteran journalist Dale Russakoff discusses what philanthropists should know about the billionaire Facebook founder’s well-intentioned push to transform the Newark, N.J.'s troubled school system.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor
Tech Mogul Tries New Model to Draw Silicon Valley Giving
Tech entrepreneur Alexandre Mars and his Epic Foundation aim to reshape Silicon Valley philanthropy by steering donations to the kind of small social-service charities typically overlooked by the tech set, the San Francisco Chronicle writes.
Have Museum — Will Travel: Bringing Artwork to the People
Three museums are installing replicas of iconic paintings around their cities to the surprise and delight of residents.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Campaign Seeks $250,000 From Crowdfunding for Drought Relief
The effort in California was started by a coalition of California businesses and nonprofits and is backed by a pair of philanthropists.
By Eden Stiffman
Senior Editor
Australian Fund Manager at Leading Edge of Pro Bono Trend
The Wall Street Journal looks at an emerging trend of money-management firms whose stock pickers work without pay and a portion of proceeds go to charity, focusing on Australian firm Future Generation Global Investment.
‘Fortune’ Magazine Hails Firms That Tie Profit and Social Aims
Vodafone, Google, and Toyota lead the business magazine’s inaugural “Change the World” list of corporations that are “doing well by doing good.
Solar Company’s Charitable Work Offers a Popular Perk: Travel Abroad
SolarCity, whose chairman is Elon Musk, has created a foundation that aims to light up 1,000 schools worldwide this year, including in earthquake-ravaged Nepal.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Opinion: ‘Effective Altruism’ Promotes Analytical Giving
The New York Times’ Economic View column examines the burgeoning “effective altruism” movement, which encourages donors to take a more scientific, less emotional approach to philanthropy.
ALS Researcher Credits Ice Bucket Dollars for Progress Toward Cure
VICE reports on a new study in Science Magazine showing major progress in the search for the cause of ALS, work that one researcher attributes to donations generated by last summer’s Ice Bucket Challenge.
Google Co-Founder Views Tech Investment as a Way to Give
This week’s announcement of Google’s restructuring under the umbrella company Alphabet, which will allow co-founder Larry Page more freedom to pursue big “long-shot” projects, echoes his belief that for-profit enterprise can do more to change the world than traditional philanthropy, writes Vox columnist Dylan Matthews.
Silicon Valley Incubator Favors Nonprofits With Sustainable Funding
An article in Financial Times looks at the four nonprofits selected to participate in the next cohort at Y Combinator, the prestigious start-up incubator in Silicon Valley.
Opinion: Has Effective Altruism Lost Its Focus on Real Problems?
After attending the Effective Altruism Global conference, columnist Dylan Matthews of Vox suggests that the movement’s dominance by white male tech industry workers is skewing its focus away from problems like poverty and toward existential risks like an artificial-intelligence apocalypse.