The story of Room to Read begins in 1998 with John Wood, a then China-based Microsoft executive. Wood was trekking through Nepal and stumbled into a village school with hundreds of students and almost no books. Jarred by the experience, he returned … [Read more...] about As International Aid Wanes, Room to Read’s Private Donor Base Has Been Crucial
Libraries & Literacy
As America Turns 250, We Must Preserve Local Philanthropic History
An Innovative Partnership Boosts Storytelling for Kids in Underresourced Schools
A Republic of Letters: Carnegie Recommits to Funding Libraries
The Literary Arts Are in Crisis. Funders Can Help More Than They Realize
Takeaways From Our Deep Dive on Writing and Literature Funding
Why the Mellon Foundation’s Lifeline for Humanities Councils Is So Important
As the Trump Administration Targets Funding for Libraries, Who Has Their Back?
Who’s Funding the Wayback Machine? Saving Information Under Threat
Why Book Lover James Lewis Went in Big for Libraries and Librarians
The Latest in a Life of Firsts: Carnegie President Louise Richardson Talks About Her Role
Dame Louise Richardson was the first woman to lead the University of St. Andrews, the first woman head of Oxford University, and as of January 2023, the first woman president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Richardson came to the role after … [Read more...] about The Latest in a Life of Firsts: Carnegie President Louise Richardson Talks About Her Role
Righting the World: How Five Globally Bestselling Authors Give
Authors like Stephen King and J.K. Rowling are household names to anyone who likes to read, and regularly produce works that sit atop bestseller lists around the world. But how do these and other successful chroniclers of the human condition engage … [Read more...] about Righting the World: How Five Globally Bestselling Authors Give
As Book Banning Campaigns Spread, this Funder is Defending the Right to Read
Amanda Jones was accused of being a groomer and a pedophile, she was trolled and doxxed on social media and snubbed at high school football games. Given this treatment, one might assume that Jones is some kind of deviant. In fact, she is a school … [Read more...] about As Book Banning Campaigns Spread, this Funder is Defending the Right to Read
As Government Budgets Pull Back, a Look at Philanthropy’s Role in Funding Public Libraries
Philanthropy played a foundational role in creating the American public library system. Once the private privilege of the wealthy, Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie began channeling more than $55 million into … [Read more...] about As Government Budgets Pull Back, a Look at Philanthropy’s Role in Funding Public Libraries
Literary Writers Get Peanuts from Philanthropy. With a New Prize, South Arts Is Doing What It Can
Aspiring writers clicking through Esquire magazine’s website should probably skip over author Nicole Chung’s reflections on her career choice and go straight to “21 Aviator Sunglasses That Look Great on Everyone.” In a piece titled “The Unbearable … [Read more...] about Literary Writers Get Peanuts from Philanthropy. With a New Prize, South Arts Is Doing What It Can
The Logan Legacy: Three Brothers Carry on the Philanthropic Work Their Parents Started
At a time when billionaire donors are looming ever larger in philanthropy, it can be easy to overlook the accomplishments of more modest foundations whose founders rarely draw media attention. If anybody had been watching six years ago, when two … [Read more...] about The Logan Legacy: Three Brothers Carry on the Philanthropic Work Their Parents Started
How Philanthropy Can Combat a “Ferocious” Wave of Book Bans
In its recent report, “Banned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Censor Books in Schools,” nonprofit organization PEN America, which champions the cause of free expression in literature, “documented a ferocious wave of book bans that’s sweeping … [Read more...] about How Philanthropy Can Combat a “Ferocious” Wave of Book Bans
Getting to Know Manu Chandaria, the First Carnegie Medal Recipient From Africa
Over the years, the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy has been awarded to well-known names like Gates, Rockefeller and Annenberg. With the exception of the beloved singer-songwriter Dolly Parton, this year’s recipients may be lesser known outside of the … [Read more...] about Getting to Know Manu Chandaria, the First Carnegie Medal Recipient From Africa
Round Four: Here’s What You Need to Know About MacKenzie Scott’s Latest List of Gifts
Note: This article was originally published on March 24, 2022.It’s hard to believe that the last time MacKenzie Scott announced the name of a grantee was back in June of 2021, almost nine months ago. She has continued to dominate the philanthropic … [Read more...] about Round Four: Here’s What You Need to Know About MacKenzie Scott’s Latest List of Gifts
Five Things to Know About MacKenzie Scott’s Latest Round of Gifts
Late last year, the philanthrosphere waited with bated breath for a fourth announcement from MacKenzie Scott—what we hoped would be another multibillion-dollar round of unrestricted gifts to hundreds of nonprofits. Instead, we got “no dollar signs … [Read more...] about Five Things to Know About MacKenzie Scott’s Latest Round of Gifts
Funder Spotlight: How the Fleishhacker Foundation Backs Bay Area Artists, No Strings Attached
IP Funder Spotlights offer quick rundowns of the grantmakers that are on our radar, including a few key details on how they operate and what they’re up to right now. Today, we take a look at a San Francisco-based family foundation dedicated to … [Read more...] about Funder Spotlight: How the Fleishhacker Foundation Backs Bay Area Artists, No Strings Attached
Seven Rounds, $100 Million. How a Global Foundation Responded During the Pandemic Year
As things stand, the pandemic’s driven more than 1,500 funders to make at least 50,000 grants totaling $25.5 billion. Some made high-dollar commitments right away and took time doling it out. Others invested sporadically as needs evolved. Some are … [Read more...] about Seven Rounds, $100 Million. How a Global Foundation Responded During the Pandemic Year
A Foundation Goes All in to Support Rural Libraries
Based in Austin, Texas, the Tocker Foundation describes itself as dedicated to the support of rural libraries of Texas serving populations of 12,000 or fewer. The foundation was established by the late Phillip and Olive Tocker of Waco. Phillip was an … [Read more...] about A Foundation Goes All in to Support Rural Libraries
Planet Word: A Philanthropist’s Mission to Build a Museum of Language
Philanthropist and language aficionado Ann Friedman’s dream to create Planet Word, an interactive, multimedia museum “dedicated to the power of language and how words shape the human experience,” is becoming a reality. Design and building processes … [Read more...] about Planet Word: A Philanthropist’s Mission to Build a Museum of Language
A League of Readers: Behind a Big Gift to Boost Literacy
A big gift from the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation will go to support the national expansion of Reading League, a nonprofit in Syracuse, New York, dedicated to increasing awareness and adoption among educators of evidence-based techniques to teach … [Read more...] about A League of Readers: Behind a Big Gift to Boost Literacy
A Major Gift Underscores the Role of Childcare Providers in Early Learning
As evidence keeps piling up that early childhood learning is critical to the long-term development and success of kids, more foundations and philanthropists are looking for ways to give young children a boost before they start kindergarten. Some are … [Read more...] about A Major Gift Underscores the Role of Childcare Providers in Early Learning
Growth Industry: A “Disruptor” Helps Libraries Navigate an Expanding Funding Landscape
Look across the philanthropy space and you'll find many funders encouraging libraries to embrace accessibility, inclusion, and technological innovation. The space certainly isn't suffering from a lack of good ideas.Nor is it suffering from a lack of … [Read more...] about Growth Industry: A “Disruptor” Helps Libraries Navigate an Expanding Funding Landscape
Leverage Point? A Foundation Sees School Libraries As a Key to Boosting Student Achievement
We've been writing quite a bit lately about efforts to boost libraries. Funders like the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the Knight Foundation and Jim and Marilyn Simons envision libraries as open community spaces fostering inclusivity, collaboration … [Read more...] about Leverage Point? A Foundation Sees School Libraries As a Key to Boosting Student Achievement
Towards a Fine-Free Future: A Funder Tackles a Barrier to Public Library Engagement
Recent coverage of public library giving can be summarized in a single word: access.Funders including the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Jim and Marilyn Simons envision U.S. public libraries as open … [Read more...] about Towards a Fine-Free Future: A Funder Tackles a Barrier to Public Library Engagement
Let’s Get Inclusive: An Atypically Large Gift Yields Lessons for Libraries Everywhere
Every now and then, we come across a gift that is both an outlier and a bellwether in its relevant corner of philanthropy. Such is the case with the $55 million gift from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation to renovate the New York Public Library's … [Read more...] about Let’s Get Inclusive: An Atypically Large Gift Yields Lessons for Libraries Everywhere
