Until last year, I was the executive director of a high-tech NGO that I founded just over a decade ago. During my time as a non-profit exec, I spent an enormous amount of time on the websites of foundations and institutional grantmakers, looking for … [Read more...] about How To Get Your Foundation’s Website Right (And Wrong)
Good Ventures
Radical Idea? The New Funding Around a Basic Income
There's something very wrong with how our society deals with those it leaves behind. For all its benefits, modern welfare tends to be restrictive, humiliating, bureaucratic, and just not enough. Meanwhile, the ranks of those left behind by today's … [Read more...] about Radical Idea? The New Funding Around a Basic Income
Darkness Grows: Time for a New Conversation About Philanthropy and Transparency
One step forward, one step back. That’s the story when it comes to philanthropy and transparency in recent times. You could even argue that we’ve taken two steps back lately, amid the rise of big, new opaque foundations, the spread of donor-advised … [Read more...] about Darkness Grows: Time for a New Conversation About Philanthropy and Transparency
Meet the 50 Most Powerful Women in U.S. Philanthropy
Editor's Note: This article was originally published in March 2016. Some details about the individuals discussed have changed since then. Two years ago, we published a list of the 15 most powerful women in U.S. philanthropy. The idea for that … [Read more...] about Meet the 50 Most Powerful Women in U.S. Philanthropy
Dating Scene: Which of the Emerging Philanthropists Are Making Campus Gifts?
Fundraisers everywhere are keen to get their hands on the mountains of new wealth that have built up over recent years, particularly in tech and finance. Many end up deeply frustrated. It isn’t easy to connect with emerging philanthropists, who often … [Read more...] about Dating Scene: Which of the Emerging Philanthropists Are Making Campus Gifts?
It’s the Deadliest Neglected Tropical Disease in the World. Who’s Giving Grants to Fight It?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 700 million people around the world are at risk of contracting schistosomiasis and some 240 million are infected by the parasitic disease. In fact, schistosomiasis — which is spread through … [Read more...] about It’s the Deadliest Neglected Tropical Disease in the World. Who’s Giving Grants to Fight It?
Bill Gates Sees a Threat That Could Kill 30 Million People. Some Funders Are Paying Attention
Biosecurity has become an increasingly critical aspect of the global health security policymaking agenda—as well it should be. Advances in biotechnology present the increased risk of terrorists weaponizing dangerous pathogens that have the potential … [Read more...] about Bill Gates Sees a Threat That Could Kill 30 Million People. Some Funders Are Paying Attention
Forget Washington. Criminal Justice Funders Have Big Plans at the Local Level
In his campaign, Donald Trump positioned himself as a law-and-order candidate. Targeting immigration specifically, he also made provocative statements about urban crime, culminating in his promise to put an end to “American carnage” in his inaugural … [Read more...] about Forget Washington. Criminal Justice Funders Have Big Plans at the Local Level
Philanthropy Awards, 2016
It’s that time of year again! The period when we solemnly reflect on the highlights of the past 12 months through our annual IP Philanthropy Awards, or IPPYs. (See winners for 2015 and 2014.) There’s never been a more exciting time in U.S. … [Read more...] about Philanthropy Awards, 2016
Catastrophic Global Risks: A Silicon Valley Funder Thinks the Unthinkable
There's a reason we love to write about Good Ventures, the philanthropic vehicle of Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and his wife Cari Tuna. It's fascinating to watch a young foundation power up, backstopped by billions of dollars and yet … [Read more...] about Catastrophic Global Risks: A Silicon Valley Funder Thinks the Unthinkable
Vast Suffering, Clear Solutions: The Logic Behind a Global Push to Help Farm Animals
The Open Philanthropy Project, as its name suggests, provides thorough online explanation of its varied initiatives, and with it, some interesting insights into what guides its giving. Case in point—how it applies principles of effective altruism to … [Read more...] about Vast Suffering, Clear Solutions: The Logic Behind a Global Push to Help Farm Animals
What Should We Make of a Pharma Giant’s New Plans for Global Health Giving?
Big pharma doesn't have a great reputation in the United States, and for a lot of good reasons. Just the other day, Senator Bernie Sanders slammed Eli Lilly for "drug industry greed" after it moved to increase the price of a key diabetes drug. Lilly, … [Read more...] about What Should We Make of a Pharma Giant’s New Plans for Global Health Giving?
More Concern From Silicon Valley Donors About the Risks of Artificial Intelligence
Elon Musk notably sounded the alarm about potentially catastophic artificial intelligence. As concern grows, Dustin Moskovitz and Cari Tuna’s funding outfit is also paying attention, with several recent grants focused on the risks of AI, including … [Read more...] about More Concern From Silicon Valley Donors About the Risks of Artificial Intelligence
This Global Health Outfit Got $2 Million Out of the Blue. What Will It Do With Its Windfall?
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation has been dialed in to helping the world’s most vulnerable populations since it opened its doors in 1944 when the foundation’s namesake established the clear directive to “relieve the suffering, distressed, and … [Read more...] about This Global Health Outfit Got $2 Million Out of the Blue. What Will It Do With Its Windfall?
With Rockefeller Long Gone, Who’s Watching Out for New Pandemics?
Identifying epidemics early is all-important, because once a disease has spread beyond a local region, it becomes demonstratively difficult to control and contain.You'd think the WHO would be all over this challenge, but as we've learned, there's a … [Read more...] about With Rockefeller Long Gone, Who’s Watching Out for New Pandemics?
How Can Funders Know Who to Trust When It Comes to Tech Advice?
Digital technologies have pervaded all aspects of our lives, from the cell phone alarm that wakes us in the morning to the apps we read just before falling asleep. Philanthropy is no exception, with digital technologies at the heart of thousands of … [Read more...] about How Can Funders Know Who to Trust When It Comes to Tech Advice?
Leverage: Why This Silicon Valley Funder Is Doubling Down on a Beltway Think Tank
A while back, we described the Center for Global Development as "the premier policy shop working to reduce global poverty." The Washington-based think tank was founded in 2001 by Ed Scott, a tech winner who we once called "Silicon Valley's most … [Read more...] about Leverage: Why This Silicon Valley Funder Is Doubling Down on a Beltway Think Tank
Philanthropy Forecast, 2016: Trends and Funders to Watch
We recently took a look back at 2015 with our Philanthropy Awards that chronicled the year’s highs, along with a few lows. Now we cast an eye forward, to what 2016 may bring. Here’s our list of the trends and funders we’ll be paying attention to in … [Read more...] about Philanthropy Forecast, 2016: Trends and Funders to Watch
Philanthropy Awards, 2015
It’s our favorite time of year, again! The moment when we reflect on the highlights of philanthropy over the past 12 months through our annual IP Philanthropy Awards, or IPPYs. (See the 2014 winners.) Lots has been happening lately, and we’ve done … [Read more...] about Philanthropy Awards, 2015
New Money, Big Bets: Three Takeaways From a Massive Tech Grant to Fight Global Poverty
Perhaps the most fascinating thing about the current moment in philanthropy is how fluid the funding scene is, with big new donors arriving all the time and vast money lining up behind causes or organizations that barely existed a decade ago. A new … [Read more...] about New Money, Big Bets: Three Takeaways From a Massive Tech Grant to Fight Global Poverty
From Tech’s Sean Parker, a Strong Manifesto for Philanthropy—With Some Familiar Ideas
Within parts of the nonprofit sector, philanthropists from the tech world are viewed with unease, if not contempt. They are often seen as brash upstarts who charge into fields with more confidence than experience—wrongly imagining that their geek … [Read more...] about From Tech’s Sean Parker, a Strong Manifesto for Philanthropy—With Some Familiar Ideas
Five Big Myths About Techies and Philanthropy
There's an old saying that if you've seen one foundation... you've seen one foundation. It speaks to the diversity and quirkiness of philanthropy, where funders have myriad motivations and approaches. It's a good adage to bear in mind before you … [Read more...] about Five Big Myths About Techies and Philanthropy
Meet the 9 Most Powerful Couples in U.S. Philanthropy
No matter who makes the money, most wealthy couples share power when it comes to giving it away. And the more we dig into today's mega-philanthropy, the more we find couples who have formed deeply involved partnerships as they spend millions of … [Read more...] about Meet the 9 Most Powerful Couples in U.S. Philanthropy
