A $60-million foundation effort is trying to persuade White House contenders to pay attention to education.

Alan Wycheck/Getty Images, for The Chronicle

Pennsylvania's regulators have earned a reputation as vigorous enforcers of nonprofit laws.

Courtesy of Witness

The human-rights charity Witness gave a video camera to this activist in Burma to help him fight abuses.

From the issue dated November 15, 2007 About Gifts and Giving A LEGAL FEUD between Princeton University and the heirs of two of its donors turns on the much-debated question of how closely an institution must adhere to a benefactor's wishes. NOT ENOUGH PRINCETON GRADUATES enter government service to suit the Robertson family, who claim that was the key intent of their parents' gift to the university. SEVERAL QUESTIONS AT ISSUE in the Princeton case, including who should control a supporting organization, are ones many charities must grapple with. IN THEIR LAWSUIT against Princeton, the Robertsons are using a private foundation, the Banbury Fund, to pay their legal expenses. DONORS TO PROGRESSIVE CAUSES would be more likely to give to community-organizing efforts if they could better see the results of those activities, a new survey suggests. THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN has received an $85-million donation for its business school; other recent gifts to nonprofit organizations and institutions. THE FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: The Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps flies "air ambulances" to provide health-care services to needy people in the United States and overseas. About Fund Raising PENNSYLVANIA'S CHARITIES BUREAU, blindsided by a huge nonprofit scandal in the state more than a decade ago, has emerged as a leader among state regulators in curbing abuses by tax-exempt groups. IN THE BIGGEST INVESTIGATION in their history, Pennsylvania's charity regulators won a $150,000 settlement from a network of child-welfare charities with questionable connections to one another. THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES prompted pledges of more than $23-million to help with relief efforts, with the greatest share going to the American Red Cross. ONE IN 10 AMERICANS who give to charity does so over the Internet, according to a study commissioned by American Express. THE TAX BREAKS on gifts of appreciated stock are poorly understood by donors, a newly released study shows. UPDATE ON CAMPAIGNS for endowments, capital improvements, and other needs. INTEREST RATES for planned gifts, issued by the Internal Revenue Service. About Managing Nonprofit Groups WITH YOUTUBE'S DECISION to devote a portion of its video-sharing site to charities, many groups are discovering that promotional videos aren't just for fund-raising dinners anymore. WITNESS, a human-rights group in New York, has built a video-sharing site, the Hub, to which grass-roots groups can upload testimonials about human-rights abuses around the world. THE ARREST OF FRENCH AID WORKERS on charges of attempting to smuggle children out of Chad has other relief groups that work in Africa worried about how the scandal will affect their operations. A FEDERAL JUDGE dismissed one of eight charges Johnson & Johnson filed in its dispute with the American Red Cross over commercial use of the red-cross emblem. A PROMINENT U.S. SENATOR says he is likely to push for tougher regulations on nonprofit hospitals if those organizations do not temper their opposition to proposed revisions of the Form 990 (Tax Watch). A BILL NOW BEFORE CONGRESS would make permanent a tax deduction for businesses that donate surplus food to charity (Tax Watch). SIX TELEVISION EVANGELISTS have been asked to submit financial data about their ministries to a member of the Senate Finance Committee (Tax Watch). FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS of a storied environmentalist, Greg King faced high expectations when he took over leadership of the Northcoast Environmental Center (New on the Job). GIVEN HER LOVE OF MUSIC from early childhood, it was almost inevitable that Betsy Siggins Schmidt would end up the leader of a charity devoted to preserving traditional music (Entry Level). RED OR GREEN? The Chile Pepper Institute, in New Mexico, is a resource center for all kinds of information about the spicy fruit, fielding questions from big-time growers and "chileheads" alike. About Technology HACKERS have stolen data from 92 charities that use the services of Convio, a company that helps nonprofit groups raise money online, the company announced. FOUNDATIONS LAG behind other groups in their use of information technology, according to a new survey. About Grant Makers AS THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN PROCEEDS, foundations are putting money behind efforts to keep a variety of social issues on the presidential candidates' agenda. RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers. SUMMARIES OF ANNUAL REPORTS from Atlantic Philanthropies, the Duke Endowment, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Also in This Issue OPINION: Gar Alperovitz, Steve Dubb, and Ted Howard urge charities to explore new wealth-building efforts as a way to fight poverty; Susan V. Berresford describes foundations' efforts to help veterans of combat return to civilian life; and Pablo Eisenberg chides federal officials for failing to appreciate the extent of the Smithsonian's problems. LETTERS: on the Carnegie Corporation of New York's grant making and the Center for Excellence in Higher Education's mission. BOOKS: An economist's look at wealth and poverty, essays on religious groups that work around the world to help the needy, and summaries of other publications on volunteerism and other "civic engagement" measures and the economic impact of Chicago's arts organizations. PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world. AWARDS: Honors for people and organizations in philanthropy.