The Foundation Center reports that the nation’s largest foundations increased funding for all major subject areas in 2006, with a record number of exceptionally large grants helping to drive this growth. According to the 2008 edition of Foundation Giving Trends (2008 Edition), six out of 10 fields posted double-digit rates of growth in the latest year, led by the field of international affairs/development/peace, which grew 72.5 percent.
Foundation Giving Rises
March 18, 2008New Minnesota Budget Blog
March 17, 2008The Minnesota Budget Project, an initiative of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, has launched a new blog, Minnesota Budget Bites.
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Do Celebrity Endorsements Matter?
March 16, 2008 |
| Natalie Portman discusses her celebrity in the article. New York Times photo |
An article in the New York Times magazine discusses the “celebrity-philanthropy world”:
The old Hollywood philanthropy was passive and dutiful. In those days stars were shaped by the studio system before being delivered to the public. Now, in the era of People and the E! channel and the global swarm of paparazzi, stars shape themselves, and their brands, through their own public acts.
[...]
An entire industry has sprung up around the recruitment of celebrities to good works. Even an old-line philanthropy like the Red Cross employs a “director of celebrity outreach.” Oxfam has a celebrity wrangler in Los Angeles, Lyndsay Cruz, on the lookout for stars who can raise the charity’s profile with younger people. [...] The stars themselves have their own retainers to fend off the celebrity recruiters and to screen and sift charitable opportunities; publicists say their major clients get dozens of requests every week.
But booking a celebrity isn’t always easy. “Unless you are a major established nonprofit, you are better off spending your time proving you are a great business that provides great service than trying to align your organization with a celebrity,” said Jackie Martin, founder of JS Martin Associates, a Houston consulting firm, in an article in the Houston Chronicle.
Join the conversation: Should a charity use celebrities to advance its cause?
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Welcome, New MCF Member!
March 13, 2008
United Way of Olmsted County (Rochester, Minn.) focuses on meeting basic needs, promoting health, building skills for self-sufficiency, nurturing children and youth, and advancing technology solutions. In each of these areas, the community programs and community partnership initiatives are creating lasting changes with clear measures of progress and a clear vision of the success.
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Dinner Cruise at the COF Conference
March 12, 2008
Join your grantmaking colleagues from Minnesota and the U.S. for a dinner cruise during the national Council on Foundations’ conference, Philanthropy’s Vision: A Leadership Summit. The cruise will take place on Monday, May 5, and replaces the traditional Minnesota Dinner event.
Update: Registration is now closed.
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When a Corporate Donation Raises Protests
March 12, 2008An article in today’s New York Times discusses the Columbus (Ohio) Children’s Hospital’s controversial decision to rename its ER after Abercrombie & Fitch, because the company donated $10 million:
The 15 organizations and 80 individuals that compose the coalition [of children’s advocates] contend that naming the new center after Abercrombie & Fitch — known for provocative advertising and revealing clothing — sends a grievously wrong message.
“It is troubling that a children’s hospital would name its emergency room after a company that routinely relies on highly sexualized marketing to target teens and preteens,” the members of the coalition wrote in a letter that was sent on Tuesday to the hospital’s office in Columbus, Ohio.
[...]
“Two years ago, Abercrombie & Fitch made a very significant philanthropic gift,” [Jon M. Fitzgerald, hospital president] said. “In honor of that gift, we chose to offer recognition of their tremendous support of our organization.”
Join the discussion: What do you think? Should the hospital have accepted the donation? Does the company’s reputation matter, or is it just about the gift?
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Foundations Awarded $66M to LGBTQ Issues in 2006
March 11, 2008
According to a new report from Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues, U.S. foundations gave more than $65 million to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) organizations and projects in 2006, a 24 percent increase from 2005. But despite the increase, grantmaking to LGBTQ issues remains less than 0.1 percent of all foundation giving.
Nonprofits and the Economy
March 7, 2008OnPhilanthropy.com recently featured an article about how the economy is affecting nonprofits:
It is nearly impossible these days to avoid thinking — and worrying — about the country’s recent economic struggles. The subprime mortgage crisis is a top news event, while presidential candidates pepper their speeches with solutions to turning the economy around once elected. The possibility of a significant and protracted economic downturn has created a cross-industry sense of panic, one that has not escaped the nonprofit sector.
More stories:
- Bracing for Tough Times
Chronicle of Philanthropy, 2/7/08 - Recession-Proof Philanthropy
Chronicle of Philanthropy chat transcript, 2/19/08 - Job Hunting in a Tight Market
Chronicle of Philanthropy chat transcript, 2/26/08
Join the discussion: How has your nonprofit felt the effects? How are you planning to react?
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