The Decline in Small-Dollar Giving Hurts Bottom Lines — and Democracy
Mega-donations make headlines but send the message that philanthropy is for the wealthy. We need to celebrate the little gifts that add up to even more.
By Amy Schiller
Contributor
Art Institute of Chicago Lands $25 Million Gift From Bucksbaum Family
Plus, Boston College School of Theology and Ministry got $25 million from alumni couple Charles and Gloria Clough, and Colorado College and University Hospitals also received large sums.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Former Student Activist Couple Gives UCLA $10 Million for Ethnic Studies Centers
Plus, Leonard and Pamela Schaeffer gave USC $59 million to establish the Leonard D. Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service, and Colby College landed $50 million from Paula and Peter Lunder to back efforts to provide more financial aid to students from underserved backgrounds.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Lisa Yang Gives $35 Million to Boost Global Wildlife Conservation
Plus, we report on big donations to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Monmouth College, and a new history museum in Wisconsin.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Donor Chemistry: An $84 Million Gift to UPenn Sciences
Plus, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, McCombs School, CUNY’s journalism school, and Dickinson College all got big gifts.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
2nd Big HBCU Gift This Month: Spelman College Lands $100 Million
The donation from Ronda Stryker follows a Lilly Endowment grant to UNCF to boost endowments at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Plus, CUNY, MIT, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center receive multimillion dollar gifts.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Denver Bankers Give Local Science Museum $20 Million
Plus, Howard University’s medical school landed $12 million from billionaire novelist MacKenzie Scott, and Ballet Arizona company received $2 million from a longtime supporter.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
What MacKenzie Scott Wants in a Grantee — a New Analysis Offers Clues
Harvard researchers mined information about the maverick philanthropist’s nearly 2,000 grants to offer the best window yet into the types of organizations she favors.
By Drew Lindsay
Contributor
Minnesota’s Richest Man Gives Land Worth $172 Million to Benefit Nonprofits in the State
Plus, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the Ehlers-Danlos Society, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and an Outward Bound education program all received large sums.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Gifts From Warren Buffett and Phil Knight Top the List of 2023’s Biggest Donations
Among the recipients: Harvard, Henry Ford Health, and the 1803 Fund to revive a once-thriving Black neighborhood in Portland, Ore.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Donors shouldn’t try to control a charity through their gifts after the fact, and charities should reject gifts that are offered with strings attached that they aren’t happy about.
By Ellen P. Aprill and Jill Horwitz
Memorial Sloan Kettering Lands $400 Million From David Geffen and Ken Griffin
Plus, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, Howard University, and two other nonprofit institutions win multi-million dollar gifts.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Donor Revolts, Fundraising Fallout, and Why the Ivy League’s Turmoil Matters to All Nonprofits
Following the resignation of Penn President Liz Magill, nonprofit leaders, academics, and funders weigh in on donor influence and free speech politics.
New England Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Gives $100 Million to Fight Antisemitism
Plus, MacKenzie Scott contributed $15 million for affordable housing, and the Hollywood producer Chuck Lorre gave $10 million to back a research education program for aspiring scientists from under-served areas of Los Angeles.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
FedEx Founder Fred Smith Pledges $50 Million to Renovate Athletics Stadium
Plus, three other higher education institutions — Oregon State University, Evangel University, and Luther College — and two health-care organizations landed eight-figure gifts from big donors.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Charlie Munger, Big Donor and Warren Buffett’s Business Partner, Has Died
The influential investor gave more than $500 million during his lifetime, primarily to build university student housing.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor