In May, four-term incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn lost his seat to a successful primary challenge by Trump-backed former Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who ran as a MAGA stalwart. In June, five-term incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat … [Read more...] about New Funding to Catalyze the Disenfranchised Center
Melinda French Gates
Trust and Collaboration: Women Billionaires Rewrite the Rules of Global Giving
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on June 2, 2026. MacKenzie Scott is just one person — one very, very wealthy person — but still: one person. And in 2025, her charitable giving totaled $7.2 billion, nearly as much as the $8.5 … [Read more...] about Trust and Collaboration: Women Billionaires Rewrite the Rules of Global Giving
As the Epstein Files Reignite the Toxic Donor Debate, Who Might Be Affected?
An Updated Biography Remembers Chuck Feeney, the “Billionaire Who Wasn’t”
7 Billionaires Funding Efforts to Address the Homelessness Crisis
“We Forgot the Kids.” Funders Back New Efforts to Support Youth Wellbeing in a Tech-Driven World
“Broken Status Quo”: Melinda French Gates’ Latest Investment in Women and Girls
7 Questions for Richard Reeves on Boys and Men and Philanthropy
A Steep Hill to Climb: Six Workers’ Rights Funders to Know
“Truly a Crisis.” Backing Abortion Access and Support Two Years After Dobbs
Many observers predicted that abolishing federal abortion rights would have disastrous health outcomes — and the two years that have passed since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision have proven them right. As a recent Congressional report … [Read more...] about “Truly a Crisis.” Backing Abortion Access and Support Two Years After Dobbs
Against Democracy Threats, the State Infrastructure Fund Channels Optimism — and Donor Dollars
Recent developments have lifted some of the doom and gloom narrative around the plight of democracy in the United States in the lead-up to the 2024 election. And Erica Teasley Linnick, a vice president at NEO Philanthropy who leads its donor … [Read more...] about Against Democracy Threats, the State Infrastructure Fund Channels Optimism — and Donor Dollars
A Decade In, This Gender Justice Funder Collaborative Faces “Really Challenging Times”
Powerhouse funders like MacKenzie Scott and Melinda French Gates have made big splashes in philanthropy, especially when it comes to supporting causes related to women and girls – and that can make it seem like we’re in the middle of a renaissance of … [Read more...] about A Decade In, This Gender Justice Funder Collaborative Faces “Really Challenging Times”
“The Election Isn’t the End Point.” A Deep Dive into the Carnegie Corporation’s Democracy Giving
In 2015, the Carnegie Corporation of New York made a grant to the National Academy of Sciences earmarked for studying voting and election security issues. Geri Mannion, the managing director of the corporation’s Strengthening U.S. Democracy program, … [Read more...] about “The Election Isn’t the End Point.” A Deep Dive into the Carnegie Corporation’s Democracy Giving
“Evidence to Action.” The Commonwealth Fund’s Evolving Approach to Healthcare Equity
Everything about Dr. Joseph Betancourt’s background made him a perfect fit for the job he now holds — president of the Commonwealth Fund. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York City, he says that like the many patients he has served as a primary … [Read more...] about “Evidence to Action.” The Commonwealth Fund’s Evolving Approach to Healthcare Equity
A Philanthropy-Backed Competition Taps Winning Cohort to Promote Youth Mental Health
The need for more philanthropic support for mental healthcare has been a running theme at Inside Philanthropy. While the National Institute for Mental Health reports that more than 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. live with a mental illness, mental health … [Read more...] about A Philanthropy-Backed Competition Taps Winning Cohort to Promote Youth Mental Health
Melinda French Gates
SOURCE OF WEALTH: Microsoft, private investments FUNDING AREAS: Global health and development, gender equity, U.S. education, advancing philanthropy OVERVIEW: Melinda French Gates is among the world's leading philanthropists. She co-founded the … [Read more...] about Melinda French Gates
A Global Relief Organization Keeps the Spigot Open for Community Healthcare Providers Closer to Home
Direct Relief’s name encapsulates its mission in clear, unflashy language, which matches its approach. The organization aims to provide assistance, including medicines and healthcare resources, to communities around the world — whether they’re … [Read more...] about A Global Relief Organization Keeps the Spigot Open for Community Healthcare Providers Closer to Home
A Look Under the Hood of MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving Open Call
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on May 6, 2024. In March, MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving announced the winners of its inaugural open call, capping a year-long process in which philanthropy’s most-talked-about donor partnered with … [Read more...] about A Look Under the Hood of MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving Open Call
An Open Letter to MacKenzie Scott: Three Ways to Change Up Philanthropy’s Damaged Status Quo
Dear Ms. Scott,In your 2019 Medium post outlining the approach you planned to take after committing to the Giving Pledge, you wrote about the “tremendous value [that] comes when people act quickly on the impulse to give.” You said, I think correctly, … [Read more...] about An Open Letter to MacKenzie Scott: Three Ways to Change Up Philanthropy’s Damaged Status Quo
A Foundation-Backed Initiative Looks to Boost Public Health, One City at a Time
Where you live has a major impact on your health: Factors like pollution, poor housing, and lack of access to health care and nutritious food undermine health and lower life expectancy. For a funder like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which … [Read more...] about A Foundation-Backed Initiative Looks to Boost Public Health, One City at a Time
As We Enter a New Era of Checkbook Philanthropy, Can Donors Avoid the Pitfalls of the Old One?
There was a time not too long ago when to be at the height of philanthropic innovation was to unequivocally reject “checkbook philanthropy.” That is, ad hoc support — often unrestricted or otherwise with little follow-up — for organizations a donor … [Read more...] about As We Enter a New Era of Checkbook Philanthropy, Can Donors Avoid the Pitfalls of the Old One?
10 Funders to Watch in 2024
Following a year in which seismic, disruptive change appeared to level off in philanthropy (though looks can be deceiving, as our latest round of Philanthropy Awards amply illustrates), 2024 may well bring us more of the norm-shattering shifts we’ve … [Read more...] about 10 Funders to Watch in 2024
A Call to Action for Philanthropy in the Face of a Mental Health Crisis
Most families are touched in some way by mental illness. Whether it’s the depression of a family member or a friend, a colleague’s substance use disorder or personal struggles of one's own, few people escape mental illness or its fallout. COVID-19 … [Read more...] about A Call to Action for Philanthropy in the Face of a Mental Health Crisis
Address Youth Homelessness or Youth Mental Health? Philanthropy Can Solve Both
When our children were growing up, like many young people, they faced challenges and struggles that required support from us as parents, their schools and other caring adults. We recognized that their ability to grow into healthy adults hinged upon … [Read more...] about Address Youth Homelessness or Youth Mental Health? Philanthropy Can Solve Both
A Billionaire Couple Takes Aim at the Medical Debt Weighing Down American Families
Imagine if you had an illness or accident that sent you to the hospital, racking up an enormous medical bill. You get out of the hospital, and now you have to choose between buying groceries — or medicine, or school supplies for your child, or … [Read more...] about A Billionaire Couple Takes Aim at the Medical Debt Weighing Down American Families
A Tale of Two Georgias: One Healthcare Funder’s Roadmap for Rural Health Equity
The Healthcare Georgia Foundation, a health legacy foundation formed from the merger of BlueCross BlueShield of Georgia and WellPoint Health Networks, has been funding work on a range of health needs and disparities across the state for about 20 … [Read more...] about A Tale of Two Georgias: One Healthcare Funder’s Roadmap for Rural Health Equity
An Audacious Effort to Transform the Foster Care System Gets a Big Funding Boost
Anyone who has had contact with the U.S. foster care system — particularly the children who’ve spent time in that system — will tell you that it’s broken. Sixto Cancel is one of those children, and now he is working to transform foster care from the … [Read more...] about An Audacious Effort to Transform the Foster Care System Gets a Big Funding Boost
“A Fragile Political Moment.” A Seasoned Donor Advisor on the State of Democracy Funding
I recently spoke with Mike Berkowitz, a philanthropic consultant and executive director of the Democracy Funders Network (DFN), about the state of the democracy field and what issues are keeping donors up at night. The timing of the call was somewhat … [Read more...] about “A Fragile Political Moment.” A Seasoned Donor Advisor on the State of Democracy Funding
“Aligning to a North Star of Health Equity.” Five Things to Know About Texas’ St. David’s Foundation
As one of the largest health systems in Texas, St. David’s HealthCare is a partnership between hospital management company HCA Healthcare and two nonprofits — St. David’s Foundation and Georgetown Health Foundation. The company was established in … [Read more...] about “Aligning to a North Star of Health Equity.” Five Things to Know About Texas’ St. David’s Foundation
“We Are the Wealth We Are Looking For.” Yvonne Moore on Black Philanthropy, DAFs and More
Yvonne Moore got her start in philanthropy in the late 1990s as a program associate and director. She went on to become the executive director of the Daphne Foundation in New York and chief of staff for Abigail Disney, where she oversaw the family’s … [Read more...] about “We Are the Wealth We Are Looking For.” Yvonne Moore on Black Philanthropy, DAFs and More
