September 13, 2023 Why This Major Antipoverty Funder Is Ramping Up Its Investment in HBCUs September 13, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Against the backdrop of rising funder interest and a controversial Supreme Court decision, the big-donor funding collaborative Blue Meridian Partners is tripling its investment in the HBCU Transformation Project.Read More
September 11, 2023 Hands-On Help: The Other Side of MacKenzie Scott’s Recent Early Childhood Ramp-Up September 11, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen In her early childhood giving this year, MacKenzie Scott is pairing advocacy with direct service funding, including support for programs that provide one-on-one, in-home maternal and infant healthcare.Read More
September 05, 2023 Funders Get Behind a New Plan for School-Based "Health Hubs" in Detroit September 05, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Located at school sites and offering free health care for students and other resources for families, the health hubs have secured philanthropic backing from the Kresge Foundation, the Ballmer Group and others. Read More
August 28, 2023 MacKenzie Scott’s Recent Giving for Early Education Spotlights the Power of Advocacy August 28, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Much of the celebrated megadonor’s recent giving has made its way to organizations promoting early childhood care and education. Many place their focus on advocacy, a strategy some other funders are hesitant to support.Read More
August 23, 2023 What Exactly Is a Philanthropic LLC? Here Are Five Types, Ranked By Transparency August 23, 2023/ Michael Kavate The “philanthropic LLC” — not a legal category, by the way — has swiftly gained popularity among billionaire donors who want to keep their options open. Levels of transparency vary widely. Here’s a rundown.Read More
July 11, 2023 Six Questions for Nina Revoyr, Ballmer Group's Executive Director, Los Angeles July 11, 2023/ Wendy Paris The philanthropy of Steve and Connie Ballmer has become a major funder of antipoverty work, including in Los Angeles County. The head of Ballmer’s L.A. office tells us about her work, career path and second job as a novelist.Read More
June 20, 2023 Inside a Media Funding Partnership to Get the Word Out about Early Childhood June 20, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Backing journalism can be a powerful way for philanthropy to raise the profile of critical but neglected issues like early childhood care and education. Here’s one new example out of Los Angeles. Read More
May 24, 2023 “Rockstar Successful.” Why Early Ed Funders Are Backing This Unique Approach to Training Educators May 24, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen One thing holding back the American early childhood education system is a serious teacher shortage. EDvance is making the required education more accessible, drawing support from the Heising-Simons Foundation and others.Read More
May 22, 2023 On the Ground with the Ballmer Group, One of LA's Leading Antipoverty Funders May 22, 2023/ Wendy Paris Over the past few years, Steve and Connie Ballmer have continued ramping up their commitments in Los Angeles. We took a deep dive into how a vast tech fortune is being put to use to scale up local economic mobility.Read More
April 19, 2023 Who’s Providing Funding for Women and Girls’ Mental Health? April 19, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Philanthropic funding specifically addressing women and girls’ mental health remains vanishingly small. Some funders have been paying attention, though, and the organization Mindful Philanthropy wants to grow their ranks.Read More
April 06, 2023 How the Ballmers Aim to Build and Diversify the Early Ed Workforce in Washington State April 06, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen The foundation of this billionaire donor couple has made early childhood education a priority, most recently in an effort to strengthen the struggling early educator workforce through a mix of strategies. Read More
January 12, 2023 Mental Health Professionals Are in High Demand. Who’s Funding Workforce Development? January 12, 2023/ Paul Karon As mental health programs expand, the nation is facing a growing shortage of professionals to work in settings from schools to hospitals. A few major players are engaged, but there’s a huge opportunity here for more funders.Read More
October 21, 2022 Climate Philanthropy Has a New Power Couple in Steve and Connie Ballmer October 21, 2022/ Michael Kavate A $217 million commitment from the Ballmer Group marks the mega-donors’ first foray into climate giving. With the couple’s son Sam Ballmer taking the lead, big grants are already starting to flow.Read More
July 26, 2022 This Major Anti-Poverty Collaborative is Doubling Down on Support for Early Childhood July 26, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen Blue Meridian’s big investment in HealthySteps demonstrates the funding collaborative’s commitment to early childhood and interventions that disrupt the intergenerational cycle of poverty.Read More
July 20, 2022 Philanthropy's Role in the Growing Community Schools Movement July 20, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen Community schools, which support academic and nonacademic needs of students and their families, have taken the spotlight. Philanthropy has played an important role in the development and spread of this education model.Read More
June 07, 2022 How One Nonprofit Is Pooling Public and Private Funds to Support Students in Rural America June 07, 2022/ Martha Ramirez Formerly an initiative of Berea College focused on Appalachian Kentucky, Partners for Rural Impact is now a standalone nonprofit, pulling together federal grants and private funding to improve education in rural areas. Read More
May 12, 2022 How a Public-Private Collaboration in L.A. Is Looking Beyond Punishment to Curb Youth Incarceration May 12, 2022/ Martha Ramirez Ready to Rise is channeling government and private funds toward local groups providing support to youth. Organizers hope it can be a model for communities seeking better ways to reduce crime and curb incarceration.Read More
April 29, 2022 Five-Alarm Fire: Should Philanthropy Do More About Attacks on "Critical Race Theory" in Schools? April 29, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen As attacks on anti-racist education in schools continue, some advocates argue they’re part of a broader assault on public education. Funders have been stepping up, but the situation is urgent and the sector could do more.Read More
April 06, 2022 Why Funders Are Rallying Behind Some Unusual Suspects Advocating for Early Childcare April 06, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen Education advocates are making a big push for early care, but the cause has a long list of supporters, including police, military and business leaders. Here’s why some big ed funders are backing their work on the issue.Read More
March 03, 2022 Where a Huge Mental Health Gift from the Ballmers Is Headed—and What It Means for the Field March 03, 2022/ Paul Karon The Ballmer Group's $425 million grant establishes a new children's mental health institute, building on the funder's strategy of connecting universities with community programs. It’s also a bellwether for mental health giving.Read More