Philanthropy This Week

Charlie Neibergall, AP

Good morning.

This week we covered two profound transitions: the impending power shift at the White House after the election of former President Donald Trump; and the transformation in leadership at foundations toward younger and more diverse presidents and CEOs.

First, the election. Responses from people in the nonprofit world working on the environment, reproductive rights, immigration, and other causes ranged from elation to anguish, reports Alex Daniels. Pro-life organizations and groups trying to diminish diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at universities and elsewhere expect to benefit during a Trump administration, whereas left-leaning groups are bracing for “dark days,” “devastation,” and “chaos.”

“A lot of big, establishment sectors and ‘pillars’ of society, culture, and the economy will be on the defensive,” said Michael Hartmann of the conservative Capital Research Center. “This would include elite, progressive Big Philanthropy.”

Aaron Dorfman, of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, has a different take: “We are going to need some radical solidarity in the coming years. Donors and foundations need to stand with those who are fighting for their rights, their freedoms, and their dignity.”

Nonprofit policies under a microscope: The nonprofit world may well be on the agenda for Congress and the White House in the new administration, reports Ben Gose. Among the issues: whether all Americans should be able to take a tax deduction for their charitable gifts; whether to impose new regulations on mandatory payouts from foundations; and whether to require donor-advised funds to pay out assets each year.

Our other election-related coverage includes three opinion pieces worth a read: Benjamin Soskis writes that Elon Musk’s “almost manic partisan engagement” in the effort to elect Trump has harmed philanthropy; Eboo Patel says that a documentary on Bruce Springsteen should give hope for democracy and civil society; and Daniel Stid writes that fighting Trump’s populism hasn’t worked and suggests a different approach.

The other transition we reported on this week: As some of the biggest names in philanthropy step down from foundation leadership roles, a new wave of leaders who have risen through the ranks of the nonprofit world are taking their place, Alex Daniels reports in our November cover story. Some are Gen Xers, and many are women and people of color.

Whether or not they’re acting as change agents, these new leaders are bound to play a public role as fights over foundation assets and DEI efforts escalate.

Among the new leaders: Toya Fick of the Meyer Memorial Trust, who is taking a service-oriented approach to grant making with an emphasis on advocacy; and Sam Gill at the Doris Duke Foundation, who told Alex that instead of relying just on trust-based philanthropy, grant makers need to take a more active role and become subject-matter experts.

Here’s what else you need to know:

Photo by Gregory Campbell

Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus has died, reports Maria Di Mento. The Atlanta billionaire gave $2 billion during his lifetime to a variety of causes, including children’s nonprofits, Jewish groups, and medical research. Last year he told the Chronicle he planned to give at least 90 percent of his wealth to his foundation, which will shutter in 20 years.

A small Florida humane society used artificial intelligence to quickly create a campaign that raised $37,000 from lapsed donors and pet adopters. The campaign used direct mail, emails, social media, and a blog to tell the story of Max and Whiskers, a dog and a cat, from their perspective.

— Marilyn Dickey, Senior Editor, Copy

WHAT WE’RE READING ELSEWHERE

The Election and Politics

Faith groups that help migrants and refugees are vowing to continue their work in the wake of Donald Trump’s election, and they are even hoping to win some of his supporters for their cause. The former president made gains among Latino voters, for example, but his promise to deport migrants en masse could affect nearly 1 in 3 Latino residents, “either because of their legal status or that of someone in the household,” according to FWD.us, a social-welfare organization focused on immigration and criminal justice reform. And an executive at World Relief, the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals, said that although most evangelicals backed Trump, Christians support refugee resettlement when they “realize that most refugees resettled to the U.S. in recent years have been fellow Christians, that they’re admitted lawfully after a thorough vetting process overseas, and that many were persecuted particularly because of their faith in Jesus.” (Religion News Service)

Alex Soros, who has inherited control of the $25 billion Open Society Foundations, is jumping more directly into politics than his father, George Soros, ever did. The two men have given more than $60 million during this election cycle, but the younger Soros has been meeting with and sizing up politicians, from aspiring members of Congress to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. In contrast, George Soros preferred writing checks and opinion columns to glad-handing and was not necessarily invested in the Democratic Party but rather wary of the GOP, a former foundation leader said. (Wall Street Journal — subscription)

Nonprofit leaders in clean energy are nervously watching the presidential election, noting that each candidate could take the country’s energy supply in starkly different directions. A second Trump administration could slow the transition from fossil fuels that got a boost from the Biden-Harris administration, although one nonprofit executive noted that renewable sources have become inexpensive “and will grow in the market regardless of who is president.” And leaders of regional green-energy trade groups say friendly state and local governments are at least as important as the White House in pushing for the transition. (Inside Climate News)

The former leader of a nonprofit that urges Christians to vote faces eight counts of possessing child pornography. Investigators say Jason Yates, former CEO of My Faith Votes, had a hard drive with photos and videos of child pornography, which was found by a relative and eventually handed over to police. Court documents say Yates told investigators he had a previous conviction related to child pornography that had been expunged. In a July op-ed, he railed against “sexually deviant” messages, particularly concerning LGBTQ people, aimed at children. Yates’s attorney declined to comment. (Religion News Service)

A grassroots campaign is using music to try to boost turnout among Latino voters, particularly Mexican-Americans. Grita. Canta. Vota., which translates to Shout. Sing. Vote., holds combined concerts and voter-registration drives around the country that feature popular Mexican and Mexican-American artists. Latinos make up nearly 20 percent of the population, but they turn out at lower rates than white, Black, or Asian voters. Grita. Canta. Vota. is a nonpartisan project of the nonprofit IncludUs Fund. (Los Angeles Times)

Other News

The leader of PEN America, a pre-eminent free-speech advocacy group, is stepping down after weathering a year of turmoil over the war in Gaza. Since becoming the nonprofit’s chief executive in 2013, Suzanne Nossel has helped PEN America expand its membership, revenues, and ambitions. But in the past year, hundreds of writers have accused the group of ignoring the peril to Palestinian lives and culture posed by Israel’s military action, with the rancor culminating in the cancellation of PEN America’s literary awards and annual World Voices Festival in April. Nossel will become president and chief executive of democracy watchdog Freedom House. (New York Times)

A new ban on homeless camps in Kentucky has the camps’ residents at a loss over where to go. Louisville has enough shelter beds to accommodate only two-thirds of its unsheltered population, even as a new law essentially allows landlords to refuse to accept tenants using rental vouchers. Social-service workers say camp clearances make it difficult to keep track of their clients, while proponents of the ban say the proliferating camps are unsafe and a drag on tourism. (New York Times)

A small nonprofit in South Los Angeles is turning thirsty lawns into ambitious fruit and vegetable gardens and bringing organic produce to those with little access to it otherwise. Crop Swap LA, which grew out of one resident’s experiments with food gardens, serves 80 nearby families, with priority given to the elderly, disabled veterans, single parents, and others in particular need. It has patched together fees, grants, donations, and subscriptions to create three eco-friendly front-yard gardens that run on solar power and recycled water. (New York Times)

The Mozilla Foundation is cutting 30 percent of its staff and jettisoning the divisions that run its public-interest advocacy campaigns and global programs. The foundation, which is the nonprofit arm of the corporation that develops the open-access Mozilla web browser, champions a free and inclusive internet. The foundation’s executive director told staff the closures will help the organization sharpen its focus, although a spokesperson said that “advocacy is still a central tenet of Mozilla Foundation’s work and will be embedded in all the other functional areas.” (TechCrunch)

NEW GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

Your Chronicle subscription includes free access to GrantStation’s database of grant opportunities.

Education: NewSchools Venture Fund envisions an education system that keeps its promise to all students. Through NewSchools 2025 funding opportunity, $10 million is available for innovators and educators working to reimagine education in the United States. Support is provided to early-stage organizations and new initiatives within existing organizations in the following areas: new, innovative public schools that support students to develop a strong academic foundation and skills needed for success in life; learning solutions; teaching reimagined; and learning differences, including enhancing teaching and learning for students with diagnosed and undiagnosed learning disabilities. Final deadline is January 8, 2025. (Applicants are encouraged to confirm their eligibility by December 10, 2024, to have the opportunity to receive personalized support on their application.) Grants range from $150,000 to $250,000.

Youth Activism: Youth Service America in partnership with the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation is offering the Youth Stop Hunger Innovation Grants to encourage youth in the United States to devise and implement sustainable hunger-relief programs in their community. Twelve $2,500 grants will be awarded to cohorts of youth between the ages of five and 25 years old who are looking to fight hunger in their community by addressing its root causes, while also engaging other youth in volunteerism. Application deadline December 8. Twelve grants of $2,500 will be awarded.