Philanthropy Today - Philanthropy.com

These are items on other Web sites that are of interest to the nonprofit world. The Chronicle has no control over their content or availability. To reach the Philanthropy Today staff, send an e-mail message to daily.news@philanthropy.com

Compiled by Noelle Barton, Caroline Bermudez, Maria Di Mento, Candie Jones, Heather Joslyn, and Cassie Moore.

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October 13, 2008

From the Chronicle: Grant Makers Urged to Respond to Financial Crisis

An association of the country’s largest grant makers is urging its 2,000 members and other foundations to support charities that are struggling due to the down economy and assist cities where the financial crisis has sapped philanthropic resources, The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports.

Job-Skills Program for Young Women Receives $20-Million

A program that will teach job skills to young women in developing countries in Africa and the Middle East has received $20-million, reports The Washington Post.

The World Bank, the Nike Foundation, and several European governments have created the Adolescent Girls Initiative to improve young women’s access to credit and help them find stable employment.

“Our greatest resource overall in breaking the cycle of poverty is the adolescent girl,” said Mark Parker, Nike’s chief executive. “We’re building a bridge between relevant training and real jobs that helps accelerate the economy.” The company has given $3-million to the program.

Despite the financial crisis, Goldman Sachs said it would not break its commitment to spend $100-million over five years to provide business education to 10,000 young women in developing countries.

Colleges Hurt by Sliding Economy

The current economic crisis is forcing colleges to delay construction projects and fund-raising campaigns, thereby scaling down their short-term goals, reports the Associated Press.

Because credit markets remain frozen, colleges cannot borrow as cheaply as before, and due to falling home prices, parents cannot use home equity as a resource to pay tuition bills.

“We don’t want to forget our aspirations,” said Thomas Ross, president of Davidson College, in North Carolina. “The minute you stop planning for the future and thinking big and having aspirations, that’s the time when you suffer the most.”

British Charities May Lose Money in Icelandic Financial Crisis

British charities seeking emergency payouts after depositing millions of dollars in failed Icelandic banks had their requests denied by Britain’s treasury department, reports the Financial Times.

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations estimates that British charities could lose up to $205-million in the economic crisis facing Iceland. The council says that it has so far identified seven charities with more than $51-million at risk

Gates Foundation Accused of Exerting Too Much Power in World Agriculture

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation plays a very significant role in supporting agricultural efforts in the developing world, but some critics contend that the grant maker holds too much power, reports The New York Times.

The foundation seeks to make agricultural markets work better. Working with the Rockefeller Foundation, the Gates fund has given $264-million to the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, and also $100-million to the Program for Africa’s Seed Systems, which seeks to develop seeds and establish a network of retail agricultural dealers to market them.

Not everyone welcomes the large-scale efforts of the Gates foundation.

Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System, said it is not entirely clear what the fund is doing and that it lacks accountability. He said, “It seemed so up in the air. And of course while a public institution would have to be clear, they do not, and it’s hard not to feel that what we’re seeing is a foundation playing God in Africa.”

Gates foundation officials deny advancing a particular agenda. Mark Suzman, the foundation’s global development and advocacy director, said, “One of our goals is to get donors to rethink their commitment to agriculture in Africa — and African governments as well.”

(Read The Chronicle’s interview with the head of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa.)

Senator Challenges Colleges to Spend Their Endowments

Sen. Charles Grassley, Republican of Iowa, wrote an opinion article in the Los Angeles Times to
urge colleges and universities to justify their federal tax exemptions by spending more from their endowments and providing more tuition assistance to the needy.

He writes that colleges do not pay federal income taxes on their operating income or investment returns from their endowments and that federal tax subsidies for colleges and their students add up to $17-billion per year.

Senator Grassley hopes that colleges will monitor themselves. He writes, “I told the experts I gathered in Washington last month that I’m looking for self-correction. I want to see voluntary action on college affordability before I legislate a mandatory endowment payout. Some of them took that to mean they’re off the hook. They’re not. Legislation is a possibility, either from me or someone else. If universities want to stave that off, they need to offer more ways they can make education more affordable and fewer reasons why they can’t.”

Opinion: Foundation Chief Urges Government to Do More to Help Homeowners

Luis Ubiñas, president of the Ford Foundation, outlines four priorities that the government should undertake to ensure that Americans can keep their homes, in an opinion article for Forbes.

Mr. Ubiñas urges policy makers to reject the idea that helping homeowners is tantamount to assisting deadbeats; end predatory lending practices; move quickly to use vacated properties; and ensure that all Americans have access to fair and responsible financial services.

Mr. Ubiñas writes, “Over the last decade, innovative partnerships between the public and private sectors have proved that low- and moderate-income Americans can be reliable borrowers and responsible homeowners. Turning back the clock on this progress is the exact wrong way to respond to today’s mortgage crisis. We know that responsible lending to these communities works. Now, more than ever, we need the commitment to ensure it continues. “

Plus: Read an opinion piece from the new issue of The Chronicle about the lessons nonprofit leaders should learn from the foreclosure problems and other economic challenges facing the United States.

Prospecting: Hard Times Should Prompt Fund Raisers to Step Up Direct Mail

Charities that have eschewed direct-mail appeals in the past should consider incorporating them into their year-end solicitation efforts, says a fund-raising expert quoted in Prospecting, The Chronicle’s column of news and tips on seeking donations.

Plus: A company that sells gift cards is trying to help charities benefit from the large number of cards that never get redeemed for goods or services.

Give and Take: Getting Attention for Global Challenges

How can charities gain attention for the world’s humanitarian crises? A new survey points out the lack of understanding the public has about key disasters around the globe — and is among the latest topics discussed in Give and Take, The Chronicle’s roundup of the best blog posts about the nonprofit world.

Plus: Reviews of the new book, Philanthrocapitalism, are summarized in another post.

Online Discussion Tomorrow: Year-End Appeals in Uncertain Times

Many charities are entering the most crucial months of the fund-raising year at the same time that many donors are dealing with the most uncertain economic circumstances of their lifetimes.

What should you say to donors who have been shaken by the financial crisis? How can you figure out which supporters are most inclined to give to your cause? How should you adjust your budget expectations?

Join our live online discussion on Tuesday, October 14, to discuss these questions with Bruce Flessner, a fund-raising consultant, and other experts.

The Chronicle’s online discussions are free and open to everyone. People who ask questions in advance have a better chance of getting answers.