What's new in Philanthropy

Articles of interest in philanthropy and nonprofits published in the last 10 days:

1. At G-20, Bill Gates addresses leaders about helping poor; WashingtonPost.com, November 4, 2011
Brief Introduction: Organizations representing the world’s poor have had a fitful relationship with the Group of 20 world leaders. They arrive en masse to hold news conferences and usually get a nice mention of food security and health in any communique, but they mostly see their larger aims shoved aside by whatever crisis has hit major banks or currencies. Enter Bill Gates, literally. In what may mark a signature breakthrough, the Microsoft chairman and Gates Foundation philanthropist was given 90 minutes before a group that’s become a kind of executive board for the global economy.

2. Nonprofits get creative; WashingtonPost.com; November 6, 2011
Brief Introduction: Nonprofits have had to become ever more creative as the economic slowdown lingers — and their work is only just beginning. Two of the region’s largest philanthropic organizations, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, announced plans to phase out their charitable giving. Corporations are becoming much more selective in their philanthropy. And foundation budgets remain largely stagnant — they are handing out fewer grants — amid fears of continued budget cuts from the federal government.

3. Students could save millions on open-source texts; The Seattle Times, October 31, 2011 Brief Introduction: College students in Washington state will be the first beneficiaries of a state project to make inexpensive, open source textbooks available for the most popular college classes. But the $1 million the state invested in creating educational materials for 42 classes will benefit more than just students in Washington. That money was matched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

4. The MacArthur Foundation examines the link between housing and human and community outcomes; The Nonprofit Quarterly, November 4, 2011
Brief Introduction: Some of us thought it was quite a coup when the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation landed Mike Stegman as its director of policy and housing. Stegman was a phenomenal researcher on housing and community development at the University of North Carolina before a stint as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. And he’s been generating some great stuff at MacArthur.

What's new in Philanthropy

Articles of interest in philanthropy and nonprofits published in the last 10 days:

1. The biggest gift in the world; Wall Street Journal, October 28, 2011
Brief Introduction: In the past year, Buffett has carried his philanthropy to a new extreme and, in the process, sparked a revolution in the world of giving. Through his launch of the Giving Pledge in June 2010, a joint venture with his partner-in-patronage Bill Gates, Buffett has unlocked billions of dollars for philanthropic causes. The Pledge has touched off a national debate about how much is "enough" when it comes to giving, and created the most powerful movement in American philanthropy since Andrew Carnegie released his famous "Gospel of Wealth" treatise in 1889.

2. Interactive: How many Canadians give, and other trends in Canadian philanthropy; Globe and Mail, October 30, 2011
Brief Introduction: An interactive diagram that provides information about Canadian philanthropy.

3. New center draws job seekers; Delmarvanow.com, October 31, 2011
Brief Introduction:In just a few months, the Job Center@Delaware Libraries, an estimated $2.7 million employment services project, has helped hundreds of Georgetown library patrons with in-house counseling and educational programming, Internet access to employment resources and unlimited computer use for resume and correspondence preparation. Job Center@Delaware Libraries also received $800,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and a matching contribution through the Delaware Division of Libraries.

4. What these 3 MacArthur Foundation winners do is genius; Detroit Free Press, October 31, 2011
Brief Introduction: A historian, a chemist and a biologist who balance lecturing, teaching, research and raising kids were among 22 people named MacArthur Foundation fellows last month. The national award comes with a no-strings-attached $500,000, and the awardees have come to be deemed geniuses.