M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Professional Advice
Chronicle of Philanthropy
M.J. Prest has been writing about major gifts, grant making, and executive moves for the Chronicle since 2004.
Her work has also appeared in the Washington Post, Slate.com, and the Huffington Post, and she wrote the young-adult novel Immersion.
M.J. graduated from Williams College and after living in many different places, she settled in New England with her husband, two kids, and two rescue dogs.
Stories by This Author
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Grants RoundupNew York Genome Center Receives $125 Million to Continue Operations
Plus, the 1803 Fund pledged $75 million to Oregon groups that serve Black youths, and the Bezos Earth Fund and the Global Methane Hub will give $27.4 million to lower methane emissions through livestock breeding programs. -
Fundraising Update
Foster Ties With Next-Generation Heirs
Plus, experts offer insights into a report on 2024 giving data. -
Grants Roundup
Nutrition for Growth Summit Unveils $1 Billion From U.S. Grant Makers
Also, Enterprise Mobility committed $200 million to address food insecurity and social equity, and the Skoll Foundation announced the five winners of the 2025 Skoll Award for Social Innovation. -
Gifts Roundup
Bezoses Pledge up to $500 Million to UNICEF USA’s Child Nutrition Fund
Plus, an alum left $35 million to Allegheny College to build an innovation lab, and Vanderbilt Law School will use $6.8 million to exonerate wrongfully convicted people in Tennessee. -
Transitions
Skoll Foundation Promotes Marla Blow to CEO
Also, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and Direct Relief have tapped new CEOs, and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors named two interim co-leaders. -
Fundraising Update
How to Make Small-Dollar Donors Feel Appreciated
Plus, working with committed philanthropists can ease the budget crunch when government funding dries up. -
Gifts Roundup
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Lands $125 Million From Comcast CEO and Wife
Also, the University of Delaware received a commitment of $71.5 million for its business school, and Fairfield University will use a $50 million gift to enhance academic and interdisciplinary programs. -
Grants Roundup
Iconiq Impact Pledges $200 Million Through Its Youth Mental Wellbeing Co-Lab
Also, Open Philanthropy promised $120 million through its Abundance and Growth Fund to advance economic development, and the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation gave $10 million to develop precision therapies for Alzheimer’s disease. -
Fundraising Update
How Major Gifts Are Won Today
Plus, new ways to master thank-you notes that help donors feel the love. -
Fundraising
What Works Now: Rethinking Big Gifts 5 Years After the Pandemic
Three nonprofit leaders share the new ways they’re approaching major-gift fundraising in a post-Covid world — from Zoom-forward fundraising to outside-the-box events.
