Should a donor have a say in a university's hiring decisions and research priorities? While the answer to this question might seem obvious, St. Louis University has pushed aside criticisms of a $50 million strings-attached gift from a wealthy libertarian benefactor.
Read MoreThe Tyler Prize honors environmental scientists. This year’s awardees: a meteorologist who made early climate models and the scientist who came up with the famous “hockey stick” temperature graph—only to be embroiled in “Climategate.”
Read MoreThey sold their company for $1.4 billion. Now, a San Diego couple is working on three fronts—philanthropy, research and policy—to make the United States’ culture and healthcare system more friendly to seniors in an era of rapid demographic transition.
Read MoreProviding vulnerable immigrants with legal representation dramatically decreases their chances of deportation. With the support of top funders, the Vera Institute’s Safety and Fairness for Everyone Network cultivates local jurisdictions to make that a reality in more places.
Read MoreWhile it’s no secret that corporations see their giving as a way to both have social impact and burnish their reputations. Research has revealed a more troubling picture of how business philanthropy may be used as a tool to sway public policy.
Read MoreOne of the country’s oldest foundations has been working over the past decade to bolster science education, with a big focus on improving the quality of instructional materials. How’s this effort been going? And what’s been learned along the way?
Read MoreA gift to the University of Florida's law school encapsulates three of the big themes reshaping higher ed: increasingly specialized giving, ambitious multi-billion dollar fundraising campaigns, and the emergence of previously under-the-radar alumni mega-givers.
Read MoreSalesforce founder Marc Benioff and his wife Lynne are among a growing number of philanthropists focused on ocean health. Like other Silicon Valley givers in this space, they see a role for tech—most recently getting behind an Ocean Solutions Accelerator.
Read MoreWith new evidence tying the Sackler family to the deadly opioid epidemic, pressure is growing on recipients of Sackler gifts to repudiate the family and return money derived from an empire of addiction. Museums, for the time being, have yet to do so. Why?
Read MoreAmid a sea change in media, Craig Newmark recently gave $15 million to Columbia Journalism School and the Poynter Institute. We look at how this gift came about and the goals behind one of the biggest investments in journalism ethics in years.
Read MoreWhen the primary benefactor behind a nonprofit goes away, it can be a rough transition to a new and sustainable funding model. Some organizations don’t survive. The Ucross Foundation’s artist colony is determined to learn the ways of fundraising.
Read MorePsychedelics have reentered the mainstream conversation thanks to Michael Pollan’s “How to Change Your Mind.” But there are still very few foundations that focus in this area. We get the inside story of how one philanthropist came to back psilocybin research and related causes.
Read MoreWe’ve tracked nearly $80 million in new commitments for cancer research so far this year. With funders keen to leverage limited resources for maximum impact, a majority of that giving has gone to underfunded forms of cancer and young investigators.
Read MoreFormer Washington Mutual CFO and vice chair Bill Longbrake steers a family foundation which focuses on affordable housing, education, and faith-based work. Beyond just giving grants, he’s been closely involved in helping nonprofits scale.
Read MoreAt a time when Americans are dying by the thousands from opioid and other addictions, substance abuse treatment programs can save lives. Finding a good program isn’t easy, though. Arnold Ventures, along with other funders, is looking to change that.
Read MoreA recent $20 million gift from the Windgate Foundation to the University of Central Arkansas—the largest in the school’s 111-year history—is another reminder of the stronger philanthropic ecosystems that are emerging in the South.
Read MoreEven as national funders step up their giving for child development and learning, a lot of the new action is happening locally, with regional foundations focusing more resources on the very youngest kids. We look at emerging initiatives in Texas and Montana.
Read MorePhilanthropy is a small but important part of major projects in Seattle and the Bay Area aimed at ensuring more affordable housing and providing aid to the homeless. Where can grant dollars have the most impact in taking on these daunting challenges?
Read MoreUsing genomics to design far more precise and effective medical treatment plans has been called the “wave of the future.” Now, as breakthroughs increase, more funders are coming to the table to back biomedical research in this emerging field.
Read MoreFewer than half of all students who start community college finish. In Mississippi, the Woodward Hines Education Foundation sees honor societies as one key to changing that. It’s also connecting schools in the state to a national community college network.
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