A Global Philanthropic Competition to Save the Lives of Mothers and Babies

A Global Philanthropic Competition to Save the Lives of Mothers and Babies

Lever for Change recently announced finalists in its Maternal & Infant Health Award grants competition. Can this approach, which supports community-based health programs, move the needle on a global problem?

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An Audacious Effort to Transform the Foster Care System Gets a Big Funding Boost

An Audacious Effort to Transform the Foster Care System Gets a Big Funding Boost

Think of Us has a bold mission: to transform the foster care system from the ground up. The organization’s approach, which elevates those with lived experience, landed a major haul from The Audacious Project and others.

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Philanthropy Can Better Support the Youngest Migrants and Refugees by Investing in Cities

Philanthropy Can Better Support the Youngest Migrants and Refugees by Investing in Cities

Millions of children have been forced to move in recent years due to conflict, climate change and more. Guest authors outline how directly funding cities is a powerful way to help refugees, including through a new pooled fund.

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Why Funders Are Rallying Behind Some Unusual Suspects Advocating for Early Childcare

Why Funders Are Rallying Behind Some Unusual Suspects Advocating for Early Childcare

Education advocates are making a big push for early care, but the cause has a long list of supporters, including police, military and business leaders. Here’s why some big ed funders are backing their work on the issue.

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Hilton’s Equity Funding Expands—for a Disability Rights Group, It’s a “Game-Changer”

Hilton’s Equity Funding Expands—for a Disability Rights Group, It’s a “Game-Changer”

Philanthropy historically underfunds disability rights and equity. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation recently made a $1 million grant to disability-led organization RespectAbility as part of a growing fund dedicated to equity issues.

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Funder Spotlight: Flush with a Huge Bequest, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Has Ramped Up Giving

Funder Spotlight: Flush with a Huge Bequest, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Has Ramped Up Giving

Established by the hotel tycoon, the foundation tackles issues like early childhood development and homelessness. A 2019 bequest from its namesake's son more than doubled its endowment to $7.5 billion.

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Responding to Inequities Revealed by COVID, Funders Set Out to Repair Workers’ Safety Net

Responding to Inequities Revealed by COVID, Funders Set Out to Repair Workers’ Safety Net

In 2020, major foundations established a short-term, rapid-response fund for the pandemic’s hardest-hit. Now, the Families and Workers Fund has launched an effort to shore up protections for American workers.

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“No Going Back.” Funders Chart a Path to an Equitable Los Angeles, Post-Pandemic

“No Going Back.” Funders Chart a Path to an Equitable Los Angeles, Post-Pandemic

Some of Los Angeles’ biggest funders assembled a coalition of local leaders to address equity amid the pandemic fallout. The collective just released a bold and far-reaching plan for the region’s future.

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A Healthcare Giant in California Gives Big to Expand Contact Tracing

A Healthcare Giant in California Gives Big to Expand Contact Tracing

Healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente pledged $63 million to launch an expanded COVID-19 contact tracing program in California communities with greatest need.

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To Bolster Access to Water and Sanitation, These Funders Are Betting on a Systems Approach

To Bolster Access to Water and Sanitation, These Funders Are Betting on a Systems Approach

Water and sanitation have long been a focus for global grantmakers, but the approach has often been piecemeal, with projects failing after donors have moved on. In an interview, two leading WASH funders discuss their quest for a better approach.

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Building on #MeToo, Foundations Look to Change Workplaces in the U.S. and Around the World

Building on #MeToo, Foundations Look to Change Workplaces in the U.S. and Around the World

Translating early energy and activism into long-term change is a persistent challenge of social movements. A major new funding collaborative seeks to keep the momentum of #MeToo alive with millions in grants to challenge workplace harassment.

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Hard Choices: A Big Foundation Gets More Focused

Hard Choices: A Big Foundation Gets More Focused

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is the latest major grantmaker to consolidate its programs in a bid to be more strategic. Its CEO explains that this wasn’t an easy process. Why is streamlining these places so hard?

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In a World of Suffering, Can Philanthropy Really Make a Difference? Ask This Foundation

In a World of Suffering, Can Philanthropy Really Make a Difference? Ask This Foundation

Don't throw up your hands. In fact, many heroic groups are engaged in high-impact work to save and improve lives in poor countries—often flying beneath the radar. Hilton has made a point of spotlighting them. 

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A Foundation Follows a Familiar—and Promising—Playbook in Tackling a Debilitating Disease

Philanthropic giving for disease research pales next to what the Feds spend. But funders try to get a lot of bang for the buck by backing young scientists and riskier projects. Hilton's giving on MS is a case in point. 

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Hilton’s New Foster Youth Strategy: What L.A. Nonprofits Need to Know

Hilton’s New Foster Youth Strategy: What L.A. Nonprofits Need to Know

We’ve been particularly interested in funding shifts at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation lately, including its new foster youth strategy. What does it mean for Los Angeles area groups?

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An Ongoing "Collective Failure" on Refugees, But With Some Philanthropic Heroes

An Ongoing "Collective Failure" on Refugees, But With Some Philanthropic Heroes

We'll say it yet again: The Syrian refugee crisis, with suffering on a Biblical scale, hasn't been among the finer moments for U.S. philanthropy, with most funders taking a pass. So who is stepping up? 

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