With more arts funders talking about "equitable access for all,” a gift out of Los Angeles points to a simple strategy: make museum admission free. Which philanthropists and institutions have swung behind this idea? And what’s been the impact?
Read MoreThe Knowles Teacher Initiative is mainly focused on professional development for math and science teachers through intensive fellowships. But it’s also looking to empower them to fight for larger improvements in education.
Read MoreConsumer Reports, founded in 1936, has been rebooting in recent years to keep up with a rapidly changing technological landscape. Now, with a $6 million gift from Craig Newmark, it’s ramping up its digital privacy work. Here’s an inside look.
Read MoreWith a second big gift in less than three years, Jody Gottfried Arnhold and her husband John have carved out a distinctive and impactful philanthropic brand around dance education—a niche largely devoid of big-ticket patrons.
Read MoreThe Farash Fellowship made its debut last year, offering serious cash and underwritten by a relatively young foundation with sizable assets and a major focus on Jewish causes. Who are the winners so far and what’s been the impact?
Read MoreAs the founder of DC Central Kitchen, Robert Egger was an old hand at scaling social ventures when he arrived in Los Angeles to create L.A. Kitchen, an ambitious effort to fight hunger and poverty with a proven model. Here’s how things fell apart.
Read MoreThe U.S. will need 1.5 million new nurses by 2026 to provide care for retiring baby boomers. Despite this looming public health crisis, philanthropy has been largely tuned out. Can a recent big gift out of D.C. help change the narrative?
Decades of studies have shown that challenging harmful gender norms are a key to improving outcomes in under-served communities. Riki Wilchins explores how some foundations are stepping up here, backing gender audits and other strategies.
Read MoreMore than 5 million children under age five die every year, and Gates is hungry for better data on what’s killing them—and how to save lives. It’s now given over $250 million to an NGO on the forefront of this quest. But is more data really needed?
Read MoreMany dance and theater groups continue to grapple with lower box office yields, a shrinking subscriber base, fickle millennials, and declines in public funding. The Schubert Foundation is one of the best friends these nonprofits have.
Read MoreThe billionaire’s $500 million Beyond Carbon initiative is a landmark in environmental philanthropy. But will it be a new kind of climate funding effort, out to shift power and follow the lead of groups on the ground? Or another top-down, technocratic effort?
Read MoreGiving USA’s latest tally of charitable giving offers bad news for nonprofits. But since the 2017 tax law has reduced itemizing, hard data on donations is ever harder to come by—underscoring long simmering questions about these annual statistics.
Read MoreIn his new book, “The Business of Changing the World,” Devex co-founder Raj Kumar shows how business-savy philanthropists are helping disrupt foreign aid with their focus on results. But what are the downsides of this sea change?
Read MoreThe Andrew Mellon Foundation has emerged as a leading funder of prison education, seeing such programs as a “public good.” Mellon’s latest big round of grants in this space comes on the heels of a new study showing how such funding can ease reentry.
Read MoreOrchestras continue to grapple with dwindling revenues and labor unrest. But a $55 million gift suggests that if ensembles can ensure organizational stability and roll out strong community outreach efforts, donors will throw them a lifeline.
Read MoreTech and finance winner Mark Gorton might be best known for launching Limewire. But for some two decades, he’s devoted his time and money to advocating for transportation alternatives in New York City and a “better way to live.”
Read MoreSome commentators have argued that funders over-hype the demand for STEM jobs. A recent $100 million gift to UCLA, however, suggests that donors with decades of experience in the engineering field have a very different take.
Read MoreOver 30 years ago, Echoing Green helped pioneer venture philanthropy with grants to fledgling social entrepreneurs. Today, the group is better funded than ever and has stuck with its distinctive approach to ferreting out young change agents.
Read MoreThe post-2016 “Trump bump” brought in lots of new progressive donors, and spurred others to ramp up their giving. But front-line organizations looking to get out the vote remain under-resourced. The Movement Voter Project aims to bridge that gap.
Read MoreWater 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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