More than 1,000 people in Detroit have died from the coronavirus. Michigan ranks seventh in the nation for the most cases, totaling 43,950, with 4135 deaths, a fatality rate of 9%. Although black residents comprise only 14% of the state’s population, … [Read more...] about With the K-12 System in Crisis, Top Education Funders Are Largely Absent From Relief Efforts
Raikes Foundation
In a Moment of Crisis, a Test of America’s Billionaire Class
The battle against the COVID-19 pandemic is increasingly taking the shape of a war effort. Government has begun to enlist the private sector to manufacture N95 masks and ventilators, while ordinary citizens who work at supermarkets and pharmacies are … [Read more...] about In a Moment of Crisis, a Test of America’s Billionaire Class
A Top New England Education Funder Places Racial Equity Front and Center
As questions of power, privilege and race continue to surface in the U.S., more grantmakers are coming to see racial equity as central to their mission. This is certainly true in the realm of education funding. The biennial U.S. Education Department … [Read more...] about A Top New England Education Funder Places Racial Equity Front and Center
Leading Funders Aim to Change the Conversation About Poverty. Can They Succeed?
Those in charge at the world’s largest foundation have characterized it as a “learning organization,” a stance that reflects Bill and Melinda Gates’ much-publicized openness to new ideas. A hallmark of Gates’ work abroad is a willingness to … [Read more...] about Leading Funders Aim to Change the Conversation About Poverty. Can They Succeed?
From Passion to Impact: Inside a Growing Push to Help Individual Donors Get More Strategic
“We have an infrastructure mismatch in our sector,” Stephanie Gillis of the Raikes Foundation told me. The vast majority of the charitable dollars in the U.S.—more than 70 percent—come from individual donors, yet most of the learning networks, … [Read more...] about From Passion to Impact: Inside a Growing Push to Help Individual Donors Get More Strategic
Giving in the Northwest: A Big Picture View of Regional Philanthropy and Current Trends
Earlier this year, we introduced a brand-new section on our site exclusively devoted to philanthropy in the Northwestern United States. The grantmakers’ association here, Philanthropy Northwest, defines the region as six states (Alaska, Idaho, … [Read more...] about Giving in the Northwest: A Big Picture View of Regional Philanthropy and Current Trends
Hopeful Ties: A Rust Belt Funder Bets on Mentoring
Places like western New York, northeastern Ohio, and southeast Michigan aren’t easy terrain for philanthropy. The anxieties of the so-called Rust Belt, which helped Donald Trump clinch the presidency last year, are rooted in deep problems that defy … [Read more...] about Hopeful Ties: A Rust Belt Funder Bets on Mentoring
What Does This New Study on Diversity Mean for the K-12 World—and Its Funders?
Education organizations—from school districts and charter management organizations to education technology firms and policy and research organizations—have long professed a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in their organizations. … [Read more...] about What Does This New Study on Diversity Mean for the K-12 World—and Its Funders?
State of Emergency: Behind Paul Allen’s Anti-Homelessness Push in Seattle
The presence of so many unsheltered people on America's streets underscores today's housing affordability crisis and is a painful reminder of the gaping holes that remain in the social safety net. The problem has reached a state of emergency in … [Read more...] about State of Emergency: Behind Paul Allen’s Anti-Homelessness Push in Seattle
Can New School Models Offer a Big Boost to K-12 Outcomes? These Funders Think So
School design is red hot right now among education funders. We wrote recently about the XQ Institute, funded by Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective, and its major infusion of philanthropic capital into new high schools across the country. Along … [Read more...] about Can New School Models Offer a Big Boost to K-12 Outcomes? These Funders Think So
From Social Movement to Social Change: Philanthropy and School Discipline Reform
What role does philanthropy play in social movements? It’s an interesting question, and there’s a long history of funder involvement in different movements—from civil rights in the 1960s to LGBT rights in the past decade. Just last week, I wrote … [Read more...] about From Social Movement to Social Change: Philanthropy and School Discipline Reform
