September 07, 2023 Billionaires Are Backing Brazil and the Amazon. What Do Locals and Longtime Funders Think? September 07, 2023/ Michael Kavate A wave of new commitments from foreign billionaires has some Amazon conservationists and activists feeling hopeful. But they’re also voicing concerns about where and how the money’s flowing.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
August 22, 2023 What Type of Climate Groups Does This Billionaires’ Collaborative Fund? August 22, 2023/ Michael Kavate With its many billionaire donors, The Audacious Project can award game-changing gifts to environmental nonprofits. But can it widen the aperture beyond tech-friendly and market-based solutions?Read More
August 09, 2023 Inside The Audacious Project: How the Billionaires’ Funding Collaborative Picks its Winners August 09, 2023/ Michael Kavate The Audacious Project has become one of the largest forces in philanthropy, thanks to its singular talent for appealing to the world’s billionaires. We take an in-depth look at who is backing it, how it works and where the money goes.Read More
August 03, 2023 Still an Apex Donor? What's Changing, and Staying the Same, About Jack Dorsey's Giving August 03, 2023/ Philip Rojc Jack Dorsey’s star has faded somewhat since he became a high-profile megadonor back in 2021, but his philanthropy is still going strong. We take a look at what Start Small is backing these days. Read More
July 31, 2023 Michael Milken Set the Standard for Rehabilitative Philanthropy. Does That Even Matter Anymore? July 31, 2023/ Mike Scutari The former junk bond king has been a case study in restoring one’s reputation through impactful and committed philanthropy. But don’t expect many other donors in need of reputational rehabilitation to follow in his footsteps.Read More
July 13, 2023 Fair-Weather Friends? Progressive Nonprofits' Dangerous Dependence on the Liberal Rich July 13, 2023/ Philip Rojc As left-of-center groups grow ever more reliant on big funders, is there a price to be paid? If and when the liberal donor class pulls back, the fallout may leave its beneficiaries impoverished in multiple ways.Read More
June 26, 2023 This Megadonor Couple’s Latest Gift to a Favored University Follows Past Criticism June 26, 2023/ Paul Karon Henry and Susan Samueli are continuing their tradition of big giving to UC Irvine. But their support for the school hasn’t always been free of controversy, highlighting concerns over megadonor influence in higher ed.Read More
June 08, 2023 The Growth of Green Regrantors: Tracking an Evolving Ecosystem of Funding Intermediaries June 08, 2023/ Michael Kavate With more dollars heading toward environmental issues, we’ve seen an explosion of pooled funds seeking to help donors engage with complex problems and front-line communities. IP’s taking stock of this important space.Read More
June 02, 2023 Jim and Marilyn Simons Just Doubled a Public University's Endowment. More Mega Gifts to Come? June 02, 2023/ Paul Karon The megadonor couple just committed $500 million to Stony Brook University in New York. Is this a sign of more huge gifts down the road? And can other states learn from New York’s higher ed endowment matching program?Read More
May 16, 2023 We Took a Deep Dive Into Mega-Donor Foundation Giving. Here’s What the Numbers Tell Us May 16, 2023/ Mike Scutari and Sue-Lynn Moses We analyzed recent publicly available data on 85 private foundations established by living mega-donors. It’s a revealing look at what’s distinct about how these influential individuals go about their giving.Read More
May 08, 2023 Is Excessive Wealth a Disorder? If So, This New Nonprofit Aims to Cure It May 08, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe It’s all there in the name. The Excessive Wealth Disorder Institute, founded last year, is taking on extreme wealth inequality, a problem with deep ramifications for philanthropy. We talked with its new executive director to learn more.Read More
March 30, 2023 Jeff Yass Is One of America's Biggest Political Donors. What Does His Philanthropy Look Like? March 30, 2023/ Philip Rojc With a fortune of $28.5 billion, the Wall Street winner has deep libertarian beliefs that form the basis for his vast political giving and more modest philanthropic record — which does come with some interesting twists.Read More
March 22, 2023 MacKenzie Scott's Open Call Is Live. Here's What You Need to Know March 22, 2023/ Philip Rojc Yield Giving teased an open call for applications last year, and now it’s here. Scott’s giving away 250 gifts of $1 million apiece, offering community organizations in the U.S. a chance to “nominate themselves.” Read More
March 15, 2023 Roku Founder Anthony Wood Is a Billionaire Donor to Watch. Here's an Overview March 15, 2023/ Philip Rojc Serial entrepreneur Anthony Wood helped usher in the current dominance of streaming TV. Now, he’s also ramping up his philanthropy with a DAF-centric approach and interests across a range of causes.Read More
March 14, 2023 The Top 10 Hedge Fund Philanthropists March 14, 2023/ Michael Kavate There’s a historic transfer of wealth on the horizon, and that includes the fortunes of donors who made their money managing hedge funds. Here, we take stock of the top philanthropists that emerged from the industry.Read More
February 16, 2023 Here Are the Top Philanthropy Stories We're Following in 2023 February 16, 2023/ Philip Rojc Every year, we ponder where philanthropy seems to headed and compile the big-picture currents that we see running through the sector. Here’s what we’re watching this year.Read More
October 25, 2022 “Game-Changing” Gifts from MacKenzie Scott Boost Educators’ Ambitions — and Hopes for the Future October 25, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen We’ve seen a flurry of new gifts from MacKenzie Scott lately, including some big K-12 donations. Two recent education grantees say the recognition and affirmation are almost as valuable as the dollars.Read More
September 29, 2022 Billionaires Are Still Stingy, but There May Be Grounds for Hope September 29, 2022/ Philip Rojc A flagging stock market has probably been the biggest contributor to billionaires’ modestly improved giving ratios this year. But while the super-rich still don’t give away much, there’s also a growing list of interesting exceptions.Read More
September 26, 2022 “Our Focus Is on the Children.” A Software Giant Ups Its Commitment to Public Schools September 26, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen Salesforce’s latest round of education funding zeroes in on mental health and resilient schools. It’s praiseworthy support, but begs the question: why is so much private backing for public schools even necessary?Read More