Nonprofit News From Elsewhere Online
The number of foundations with expiration dates is growing as more donors seek to make bigger gifts, faster. In an essay, Naomi Schaefer Riley, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, writes that while the idea of “sunsetting” a foundation is not new, philanthropies with expiration dates held about a quarter of the total assets of the country’s largest foundations in 2010, compared with 5 percent in the 1960s, according to one study. The urgency comes from young donors concerned about issues such as climate change, racial injustice, and the pandemic response, as well as donors who want to prevent ideological creep after they die. The impulse dovetails with the movement to force donor-advised funds to speed up their giving, but encouraging donors to sunset a foundation is easier than trying to change the law on DAFs. (Wall Street Journal — subscription)
Background from the Chronicle: A $1 Billion Mystery Donor Who Did ‘Trust-Based Philanthropy’ Long Before MacKenzie Scott
The National Audubon Society’s three-year debate over whether to jettison the name of a slaveholder has been a struggle to define itself and balance powerful competing interests. As part of a look at its culture in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020, the society asked whether it should continue to use the name of John James Audubon, a giant of ornithology but a virulent racist. As an outside review was finding an environment that diminished the contributions of women and people of color, some local chapters were changing their names. Broadly sketched, the society wants to draw a younger and more diverse crowd to bird conservation, and some employees of color have said a name change would help foster a more welcoming environment. On the other hand, Audubon relies heavily on its older, white donors. One anonymous supporter threatened to stop giving if the society dumped the name Audubon, which for many is synonymous with birding. In March, the board of the national organization voted in March to retain the name. (New York Times)
More News
- Chicago’s Biggest Foundations Saw Assets Plunge Last Year (Crain’s Chicago Business)
- TikTokers Are Becoming Philanthropists (Information)
- Houston Volunteers Fight Tickets for Serving Meals to Homeless People (New York Times)
- Rosenwald Schools Helped Educate Black Students in Segregated South. Could a National Park Follow? (Associated Press)
- R.I. Housing Crisis Is Impacting Businesses. Some Companies Are Trying to Solve the Problem Themselves (Boston Globe)
- ‘Bigger Than Myself’: Young Black Ballplayers Feel a Sense of Mission (Washington Post)
Arts and Culture
- British Museum Urged to Remove BP’s Name From Lecture Theatre (Guardian)
- Museums Robbed Hundreds of Native Graves. Now They’re Trying to Repair the Damage (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle — subscription)
Legacies
- Rhoda Karpatkin, Who Led Consumer Reports for Decades, Dies at 93 (New York Times)
- Longtime Okla. Arts, Nature Supporter William ‘Bill’ Kerr Dies at Age 85 (Oklahoman — subscription)