September 28, 2023 As Funders Press Forward for Local Journalism, Doubts Persist Around the Role of Racial Equity September 28, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe Several criticisms have circulated around Press Forward, a recently-announced $500 million local news initiative backed by a host of funders. One issue stands out: its vague, noncommittal language around racial equity.Read More
September 21, 2023 Youth Leaders Put Climate on the Agenda, But Get Philanthropic Scraps. They're Ready for Abundance September 21, 2023/ Michael Kavate The new Youth Climate Justice Fund, which debuted at Climate Week NYC, will channel the fundraising and organizing chops of young leaders to build the field and, hopefully, inspire a wave of similar funds.Read More
September 18, 2023 “Transformation” at the JPB Foundation: Eight Questions with Deepak Bhargava, President-Elect September 18, 2023/ Michael Kavate Bhargava, a longtime insider and former grantee of the JPB Foundation, will take over from founding donor and president Barbara Picower in February 2024. We connected with him to learn more about the transition.Read More
August 24, 2023 Eight Questions for Ray Colmenar, President of the Akonadi Foundation August 24, 2023/ Martha Ramirez Ray Colmenar recently succeeded Lateefah Simon as president of the Oakland-based Akonadi Foundation. We spoke to him about his career, the notion of co-governance, Akonadi’s racial justice commitments and more.Read More
August 10, 2023 As It Backs Civil Rights Sites, the National Park Foundation Has Some Big Partners in Its Corner August 10, 2023/ Ade Adeniji The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and billionaire Robert F. Smith partnered with the National Park Service’s nonprofit arm on a new national monument honoring Emmett Till, one of several such sites the foundation’s supporting.Read More
August 09, 2023 This Megadonor’s Attempt to Curtail Ohio Voters’ Rights Is a Symptom of Our Larger Problem August 09, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe An effort in Ohio to raise the vote threshold needed for a state constitutional amendment failed, despite a big push from a wealthy conservative donor. It’s yet another reminder of the inescapable influence of wealthy donors.Read More
July 27, 2023 As Book Banning Campaigns Spread, this Funder is Defending the Right to Read July 27, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Across the country, conservative groups are working to ban books. The American Library Association is standing up to these challenges, with a big boost from Solidarity Giving, founded by billionaires Brian and Tegan Acton.Read More
July 05, 2023 More Cuts at Open Society Foundations: Nearly Half of Staff to Depart, Offices Close July 05, 2023/ Michael Kavate OSF plans to let go of 40% of staff as it reaches a new stage in its longtime bid to bring focus to its legendarily complex operations. Critics point to a consolidation of power amid low morale and a shrinking global footprint.Read More
June 28, 2023 “The Privilege to Take Risks.” Alberto Ibargüen Reflects on His Tenure at the Knight Foundation June 28, 2023/ Mike Scutari After 18 years, Ibargüen announced he would step down as head of this influential media funder. In a wide-ranging conversation, we discuss his career trajectory, philanthropy’s role in society, and much more.Read More
June 28, 2023 How Can Funders Meaningfully Address Gender-Based Violence? Support Survivor Justice June 28, 2023/ Brook Kelly-Green and Ada Williams Prince, Guest Contributors In this guest contribution, Brook Kelly-Green of Schusterman Family Philanthropies and Ada Williams Prince of Pivotal Ventures highlight the need for funders to center and support survivors of gender-based violence.Read More
June 23, 2023 Taking on Infrastructure, Arnold Ventures Seeks to Make a Trillion-Plus Dollars "More Impactful" June 23, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe As massive federal investment flows in, Arnold Ventures is taking aim at America’s “diminished capacity to build cost-effective infrastructure.” That’s a worthy goal, but can Arnold retain an equity focus in its quest to cut red tape?Read More
June 22, 2023 Six Years and $125 Million Later, Art for Justice Takes a Final Bow June 22, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe Agnes Gund’s Art for Justice channeled a large chunk of money toward artists and activists focused on the carceral system. The fund is now winding down, but it made a big impact in a short time.Read More
June 22, 2023 Dear Philanthropy: Step Up for Reproductive Justice by Backing Black Women and Black-Led Nonprofits June 22, 2023/ Surina Khan and Janette Robinson Flint, Guest Contributors It’s been a year since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. In this guest piece, Surina Khan and Janette Robinson Flint call on funders to better support Black women at the vanguard of the fight for reproductive rights.Read More
June 21, 2023 “Ask Yourself Those Hard Questions.” How — and Why — a Regional Funder Plans to Sunset June 21, 2023/ Mike Scutari James B. McClatchy Foundation just published a plan to spend down by 2030. CEO Priscilla Enriquez explains how they came to this decision, challenges along the way, and why funders are so protective of their assets.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
June 15, 2023 The Next Generation of Asian Americans Are Poised to Lead. Does Philanthropy Have Their Back? June 15, 2023/ Reshma Shamasunder, Guest Contributor In this guest article, Asian American Futures Executive Director Reshma Shamasunder calls on philanthropy to be more supportive toward young Asian Americans working to build a more equitable world.Read More
June 07, 2023 As Government Budgets Pull Back, a Look at Philanthropy’s Role in Funding Public Libraries June 07, 2023/ Liz Longley Libraries are an indispensable public good, but from the start, private wealth has played a major part in their creation and expansion. As library budgets are threatened, we take a deep dive into philanthropy’s support. Read More
June 07, 2023 Six Questions for Michelle Morales, President of Woods Fund Chicago June 07, 2023/ Mike Scutari Woods Fund Chicago was one of the first foundations in the city to center racial equity. We chat with its president about the importance of giving young people a voice, a new fund supporting the migrant community, and more.Read More
June 01, 2023 Can Philanthropy Ever Truly Be Democratized? Here Are Three Things Standing in the Way June 01, 2023/ Philip Rojc There’s been a lot of talk, and some action, around making the sector more egalitarian. But are we all kidding ourselves? Here are some inconvenient truths standing in the way of philanthropic democratization.Read More
May 31, 2023 To Build Community Power, Here Are Two Habits Funders Need to Break May 31, 2023/ Jenifer Fernandez Ancona, Jodeen Olguín-Tayler, Josh Stearns, Guest Contributors Funders often struggle to back civic engagement and community power building. In this guest piece, three authors whose organizations collaboratively fund that work suggest some changes in approach.Read More