Local philanthropy/nonprofit stories from the past week:
- From Cargill, $13 Million For Poor
Minneapolis Star Tribune: Awash in swelling profits, Cargill has unveiled its largest single gift to charity, a $13 million pledge to the international humanitarian group CARE to help some of the world’s poorest people. - Homeless Youth Network Ditches ‘Strip2Clothe’ Campaign
Minneapolis Star Tribune: A national organization for homeless youth has agreed to cut ties with an edgy Web campaign that encourages participants to post striptease videos of themselves to raise clothing for young people on the streets after member charities protested that it sent the wrong message.
> Earlier Strib story: Striptease Clothing Drive Enrages Local Charities - Poignant Narratives
Minneapolis Star Tribune: Paintings, drawings and sculpture by McKnight grant winners are showcased at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. - Initiative Helping Towns Grow
Mankato Free Press: Mapleton and Fairmont are among the newest communities to receive Town Meeting Initiative grants from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. SMIF’s Elise Davis says, “We take communities through coaching and training, and then we award a grant that enables them to create a project or a number of projects.” - Grads Face New Realities in Tight Job Market
Minneapolis Star Tribune: This year, as the economy hit a downturn and employers cut jobs instead of creating them, a record number of graduates applied to programs that try to change the world — something experts believe is a top priority for today’s youth. - Solar Panels a ‘Sunny’ Deal for Perham Woman
Perham Enterprise Bulletin: This winter, Betty Dockter anticipates a 12 to 25 percent reduction in the amount of heat she will be paying for to keep her house warm. It was through West Central Initiative that Dockter first heard about the possibility of installing solar thermal panels.
National philanthropy/nonprofit stories from the past week:
- Scam Highlights Abuses in Charitable Write-Offs
Wall Street Journal: While most contributors play by the rules, law-enforcement officials say some don’t — and are robbing the U.S. Treasury Department of large amounts of revenue. - Charities Crushed Under Soaring Demand
U.S. News and World Report: The ailing economy, plagued by the foreclosure crisis and rampaging gas and food prices, is exacting a toll not only on the needy but on those who help them. - The Gains of Philanthropy
Letter to the New York Times from the national Council on Foundations’ president/CEO, Steve Gunderson, in reaction to last week’s Dog Eat Your Taxes? opinion piece - New Foundation Tackles U.S. Federal Debt
Christian Science Monitor: Owing $52.7 trillion, Americans should not wait for a crisis, says founder Peter Peterson. - Billionaire Warren Buffett Gives Stock To Charity
Associated Press: Five charitable foundations received more than $2.05 billion total in keeping with his plan to give away the bulk of his fortune.
