What We’re Reading Elsewhere
Here are some of the articles that attracted our attention in the past week. We provide these summaries every day in our free Philanthropy Today newsletter. (Sign up now.)
The U.S. system of food charity has been essential during the pandemic, but it also papers over, or even helps perpetuate, widespread food insecurity. Food banks subsidize poverty-level wages and take the heat off of corporations to pay a living wage. Meanwhile, they give favorable publicity to those same corporations, some of which donate food by the ton. Food banks are often governed by white board members from private industry, a world away from their clients, many of whom are people of color. “Food philanthropy is focused on mitigating rather than ending hunger because it is connected to capitalism by the hip,” said Raj Patel, a scholar of food poverty and philanthropy. “There is so much money to be made in food aid through tax breaks, free publicity, salaried executives, electronic Snap cards.” (Guardian)
MacKenzie Scott’s method of giving away billions — suddenly, with an email or a phone call, and with little online presence or physical infrastructure — makes it the perfect vehicle for scammers, experts say. Sophisticated criminal gangs are pretending to be Scott, targeting vulnerable people with elaborate cons. One single mother in Australia, who had posted a crowdfunding appeal, was lured with the promise of $250,000, which she had to pay a steady stream of fees to “unlock.” The woman said her research turned up no red flags, but by the time she got wise to the scam, she was out $7,900, which she could not recoup because it had been paid in Bitcoin. Criminals in West Africa are running the schemes by setting up dummy bank accounts, one investigator said. (New York Times)
The idea of direct cash payments to people in need is having a moment again, but pilot programs on universal basic income are still inconclusive. The first U.S. city to test the program was Stockton, Calif., where foundations and big donors provided major support. The city saw an increase in full-time work among participants compared with a control group. But that pilot had a sample size of only 125 people, and information on the program and press access to participants was tightly controlled. In Brazil, on the other hand, far more people participated. Almost 68 million people received about $107 a month last year. Once the program ended, though, desperation returned, and people started selling their belongings on the street. (Washington Post)
Last year’s shutdown of religious services accelerated a trend that began more than a decade ago, away from physical collection toward online giving in support of churches and their charity work. The share of congregations accepting online contributions rose from 27 percent in 2006 to 48 percent in 2018. By the time of another study, two years later, 73 percent of churches could accept online donations, and the pandemic pushed about 40 percent of the holdouts to make that option available. Now it is mostly small congregations that do not offer an online option, and some congregation leaders say they will bring back in-person collection as soon as they can for those who prefer using checks or cash. (Religion News Service)
New Grant Opportunities
Your Chronicle subscription includes free access to GrantStation’s database of grant opportunities. Among the latest listings:
- Refugees. The Refugee Career Pathways Program of the Department of Health and Human Services supports projects that help refugees qualify for licenses and certifications necessary to get a job and improve self-sufficiency. This program requires a partnership with at least one educational institution (e.g., a university, college, community college, or other institution with expertise in career and technical education) to facilitate career opportunities in ways that supplement existing services. Allowable activities include, but are not limited to, case management, training and technical assistance, specialized English language training, and mentoring. The application deadline is June 1.
- Youth running programs. The Saucony Run for Good Foundation provides grants of up to $10,000 to community groups that initiate and support youth running programs to help prevent and reduce childhood obesity. Program participants must be 18 or younger. Priority will be given to programs that serve youth populations not traditionally exposed to running programs. The application deadline is June 15.