Tanzania

July 16, 2009 — Endangered species and habitats under stress will get a much-needed lift this week thanks to $700,000 in grants being awarded by the non-profit SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund to wildlife protection projects in the U.S. and around the world.

OAK BROOK, IL, June 16, 2009 — Liesel Pritzker, 25, has donated $4 million to Opportunity International, a non-profit that provides financial services to people living in poverty in the developing world. Though her contribution is one of the largest ever given to the organization, Pritzker's commitment is broader than just financial support. She is the founder of Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO), a network of young professionals who aim to inspire, educate and involve others in microfinance and the work of Opportunity International.

NEW YORK, June 2, 2009 — Weill Cornell Medical College announced today that it has received a US$100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant will support an innovative global health research project conducted by Dr. Kyu Rhee, assistant attending physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College, titled "Metabolosomes: The Organizing Principle of Latency in Mycobacterium Tuberculosis."

NEW YORK, April 7, 2009 — Cornell University announced today that Joan and Sanford I. Weill agreed to the University's request to accelerate the fulfillment of their pledge toward its $4 billion capital campaign, including Weill Cornell Medical College's $1.3 billion "Discoveries That Make a Difference" fundraising drive. By fulfilling their pledge with a $170 million cash payment, the Weills are responding with a decisive boost to the Medical College's capital campaign at a time when the University's endowment has been significantly diminished by the current economic challenges. Mr. and Mrs. Weill's 2007 pledge is believed to be the single largest gift given to a medical college.

The Coca-Cola Company has announced that it has committed $30 million over six years through its Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) to provide at least two million Africans with clean water and sanitation.

For fundraisers, the first quarter of the year is as much a time to look back as ahead. It’s a time to find out how year-end appeals tallied up, to assess how winter events performed and perhaps to report back to the board on what it all means.