Foundations

The three dreaded words for grant officers, “Do not apply — DNA.” They appear on private foundation profiles more often these days than ever before. Most annoying is that the funder seems particularly aligned with your mission. “If I could only get close to them, I would know the perfect thing to say,” you tell your CEO.

Donor-advised funds are vital tools for donors. That’s especially true of those who are mid-range or major donors. Of course, that depends on the size and budget of the charity where they donate. It can take as little as $5,000 to open a donor-advised fund at Fidelity Charitable. Other companies, like Vanguard, open one for $25,000.

The three dreaded words for grant officers, “Do not apply — DNA.” They appear on private foundation profiles more often these days than ever before. Most annoying is that the funder seems particularly aligned with your mission. “If I could only get close to them, I would know the perfect thing to say,” you tell […]

New technologies are the key to helping Africa and Asia’s smallholder farmers adapt to climate change, said the Gates Foundation as it pledged funding to research new crops that can thrive amid rising heat, drought and erratic rainfall. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation unveiled a $300-million plan to help farmers on Tuesday, with funds…

For the past 7 years, the National Philanthropic Trust has been closely following donor-advised fund trends by conducting in-depth research reports. While donor-advised funds have been around for over a decade, its popularity has been rapidly increasing over the past few years...

Do you have a bucket list? For many years, going to Graceland, the home of the late Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tenn., has been at the top of my bucket list. I spent many hours creating excuses why I could not go on this visit...

Marking a new chapter in education philanthropy, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will step back from its traditional education reform agenda to instead invest close to $1.7 billion over the next five years on new initiatives that include a focus on building networks of schools. "Education is, without a doubt, one of the most…

The past year has been a whirlwind for Rhiannon Giddens, the Grammy-winning musician who became the first woman and first nonwhite person to win a major prize for excellence on the banjo and then celebrated the release of her latest album, “Freedom Highway,” with a performance at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility. But none of…

Charlotte Hornets owner and NBA legend Michael Jordan will help start up two medical clinics in North Carolina by donating $7 million, according to Deon Roberts and Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. The Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Clinics will be built in poor and troubled areas of Charlotte. "Michael really wanted to do something personally,…

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation filed a lawsuit against a California-based software company today, alleging that the company failed to deliver on its promise to build a new software platform despite billing the Gates Foundation $2.8 million for the work. The Gates Foundation is suing Saama Technologies on claims of fraud, breach of contract, violations…