Recently, Bloomberg Philanthropies awarded nine American cities $1 million each as part of its US Mayors Challenge. This money will help leaders in these cities implement innovative solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing American urban centers, including drug use, climate change, economic opportunity, and homelessness. The nine winners were announced at the… Continue Reading
One cause that does not receive a lot of attention from philanthropists is mental health. Under that umbrella, social isolation has emerged as a new focus of some donors, even if most of the larger grantmakers continue to ignore the issue. Researchers have accumulated a significant amount of data showing how much loneliness impacts health.… Continue Reading
Through estate planning, people can leverage their wealth to serve a variety of philanthropic causes, both during their lifetime and beyond. While philanthropy does not always become part of the estate planning process, it can help families establish a legacy and perhaps even drive connections between different generations. When you decide you want to include… Continue Reading
Following the death of prominent philanthropist David Rockefeller last year, the world of philanthropy recently lost another giant: Paul Allen. The cofounder of Microsoft Corporation, Allen made a name for himself as a philanthropist not afraid of taking risks. During a time when the majority of foundations and individual donors gave cautiously and backed only… Continue Reading
Women are assuming larger roles in American philanthropy. Their efforts have drawn attention to other gender disparities in the United States. One of the topics that has received a lot of attention recently is gender diversity in the technology industry. Research has shown that only about 11 percent of senior technology leaders are women. Executives… Continue Reading
The billionaire founder of Facebook Inc. Mark Zuckerberg, along with Dr. Priscilla Chan, his wife, recently announced that they are on the hunt for a chief investment officer (CIO) who will manage more than $10 billion in philanthropic contributions through their LLC, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The organization has brought on Yale University’s longtime CIO… Continue Reading
When vetting a nonprofit that you are thinking about donating to, it is important to think about transparency. When nonprofits operate transparently, they build trust with the people supporting them. Legally, nonprofits have to disclose certain information to the public and board members must have access to financials to fulfill their role. Ideally, a nonprofit’s… Continue Reading
One of the biggest trends in philanthropy in the past decade or so has been a move toward strategic giving, which can teach donors how to maximize their impact. Last year, Americans gave more than $400 billion in total, but many of those gifts were not given in a strategic manner, which means that the… Continue Reading
About a year ago, Jeff Bezos put out an open call for suggestions about how to direct his philanthropy. It seems like the founder of Amazon has finally made his decision. Very recently, Jeff Bezos, the richest man on the planet, announced via Twitter that he was creating a $2-billion philanthropic venture called the Bezos… Continue Reading
As the field of philanthropy continues to evolve at a rapid rate, some names are coming up more frequently in conversations, such as Barbara Dalio and Laurene Powell Jobs. Another donor who has been receiving a lot of attention is Kenneth Griffin, a hedge funder who has accrued $9 billion in wealth before turning 50.… Continue Reading