Council on Foundations Cancels Grant-Making Contest

The Council on Foundations has scrapped plans for a philanthropy challenge in which nonprofits would vie for $40,000 in grant money by answering "rapid-fire" questions about their programs. It had planned to hold the event at its annual meeting in San Francisco next month. The contest drew criticism from a number of nonprofit leaders who felt the format demeaned the charities. Participants would have responded to questions from several judges and received coaching from foundation experts on how to pitch their ideas. The winner was to be determined by an audience vote.