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From: The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Subject: Foundations Are Sending More Dollars to Donor-Advised Funds, Chronicle Analysis Finds
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Foundation GivingCongress is facing growing pressure to stop the transfers, which allow grant makers to keep secret many of the details about their giving. -
Major GiftsPlus, Phil Knight gives $900 million to his foundation, and $300 million to the University of Oregon.
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Online BriefingMelanie Lundquist shares what she thinks philanthropists should do to respond to the current crises and how nonprofits can attract donors like her.
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Grant MakingThe foundation will work with Lever for Change, a nonprofit affiliated with the MacArthur Foundation. The program will be modeled on MacArthur’s 100&Change competition.
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OpinionPhilanthropic organizations say they want to embrace bottom-up approaches to grantmaking, but a series of donor workshops reveals how entrenched ideas and policies create obstacles to such reforms, says a foundation consultant.
Nonprofit News From Elsewhere
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are pouring money from their Chan Zuckerberg Initiative into election-year causes — and taking fire from all sides. Nationwide, the couple are adding $100 million to the $300 million they’ve already put aside to help local and state officials administer elections. Republicans have objected to the grants, saying they open the door to “privatized” election management. In California, the couple have been using their philanthropy to spend almost $11 million on a ballot initiative that would roll back California’s tight property tax cap, but only for commercial properties. The state’s businesses opposes the measure, but Zuckerberg, Chan, and many others argue that 1978’s Proposition 13 has starved schools of funding and indirectly inflated housing prices. (Washington Post and Vox)
An extraordinary confluence of events is creating upheaval for U.S. museums as they try not only to survive but also to better represent their audiences. Most museums are bleeding revenue, and nearly half have cut staff as they remain closed or open with reduced capacity during the pandemic. At the same time, the renewed racial-justice movement is demanding a rethinking of everything connected to museums, from acquisitions and community outreach to staffing and oversight. Now a group of African-American trustees of some prominent museums has formed the Black Trustee Alliance for Art Museums, which will push institutions to find new talent in overlooked communities and to represent more varied perspectives. (Washington Post and New York Times)
Plus: LACMA Trustee Tom Gores Has Resigned From the Museum’s Board After Activists Decried the Billionaire’s Prison Investments (artnet News)
More News
- 41 WNET Employees Call for Resignation of C.E.O. Neal Shapiro (New York Times)
- Princeton to Name Residential College After Black Alumna (New York Times)
- New Prize Modeled on MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grants Hands Out $1 Million (New York Times)
Opinion
- Three Rockefellers Say Banks Must Stop Financing Fossil Fuels (New York Times)
- Save the Planet, Win a Prize (New York Times)
- What the United Nations World Food Program’s Nobel Peace Prize Win Says About Global Hunger (Fast Company)
- Researchers Gave Thousands of Dollars to Homeless People. The Results Defied Stereotypes. (CNN)
About Innovation
- Researchers Gave Thousands of Dollars to Homeless People. The Results Defied Stereotypes. (CNN)
- Experiential Museums Find New Ways to Sell Fun Even With Covid Restrictions (Wall Street Journal)
- Microsoft and Facebook Vet Leads Nonprofit Making Software to Improve COVID-19 Rapid Tests (Geek Wire)
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Leaders of ColorThe Building Movement Project surveyed 433 charity leaders of color. Women leaders, in particular, reported that they are stretched thin.
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Donor-Advised Funds and FoundationsA blueprint for Congress that would add new tax incentives to channel more money from donor-advised funds and foundations to charities is drawing criticism.
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FundraisingFundraisers say they’re focused on raising support for social and racial justice programs, financial aid, and unrestricted funding, according to a new survey of college development professionals.
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GivingConcern about the difficulty of soliciting gifts from donor-advised funds was especially high — 70 percent — among nonprofits that had never received such gifts.
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Civil DiscourseConservative and liberal foundations are putting money into a cadre of nonprofits working to help Americans find common ground on political and public policy matters.
How to Boost Your Planned-Giving Program
Join Our Webinar — Jump-start your planned-giving program by learning how to create appeals and marketing materials that resonate — even during these challenging times. You’ll learn from a planned-giving director at a nonprofit, a veteran consultant, and a planned-giving director at a financial-services firm. They’ll share:
- Strategies for strengthening legacy giving (even if you’re just getting started)
- Tips for developing a planned-giving strategy
- Real-world examples of how to frame conversations and messages, and
- Detailed marketing advice and examples
Plus, you’ll get tips on how to recognize these donors and keep them engaged in your work. Register now to get the early-bird rate for this session, which airs Thursday, October 22, at 2 p.m. Eastern.
Online Briefing: Promise and Peril: Nonprofits in the Age of Big Tech
Join Us on Thursday — Nonprofits are moving more of their work and meetings online, especially since the pandemic struck. And while technology offers opportunities for connecting in ways unimaginable a generation ago, it also presents risks and creates digital divides that exacerbate longstanding societal inequities. Nonprofits are especially vulnerable as they become more dependent on technology. Budget shortfalls can lead organizations to skimp on security or use free software that comes with unfavorable conditions.
In a recent Chronicle opinion series, Lucy Bernholz calls on nonprofits, including foundations, to recognize risks associated with an overreliance on big tech companies, take steps to diminish that dependency, advocate for policies that protect consumers, and invest in alternative solutions. Join us to hear Bernholz’s views and those of other experts who will discuss these issues and innovative approaches that democratize technology. Our panelists also will argue for greater philanthropic investment in nonprofits’ ability to use technology safely and will share resources to help nonprofits better manage digital risk.
Individual Chronicle subscribers are automatically preregistered and will receive an email with a link to join. Non-subscribers, register now to secure a spot.