Items relevant to more than one category may appear more than once in this summary. From the issue dated August 17, 2006 Philanthropy and Katrina NOW THAT MOST of the immediate relief needs for Hurricane Katrina survivors have been met, charities are about to undertake a far more challenging task: helping people along the Gulf Coast rebuild their lives. NEARLY $3.3-BILLION has been raised by the largest U.S. charities in response to Hurricane Katrina, a Chronicle survey has found, some $2.7-billion of which has already been spent on recovery. ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST, the hurricane still dominates everyday life, and housing is by far the biggest concern. VOLUNTEERS sponsored by churches and other religious organizations have been critical to the recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast. EVEN AS THE RECOVERY CONTINUES following Katrina, another hurricane season has arrived and government agencies and nonprofit groups are scrambling to improve their disaster preparedness. AFRICAN-AMERICAN GROUPS are working to ensure that the racial inequities uncovered by last year's storms are not perpetuated in the rebuilding. A FORMER DEPARTMENT STORE in downtown New Orleans has been converted to house charities displaced by Hurricane Katrina. HOUSTON, which took in more people displaced by Katrina than any other city, is still working to accommodate them, as many continue to look for homes and jobs. FOUNDATIONS HAVE SPENT some $577-million on hurricane relief, according to a Foundation Center survey, but most have now ended their grant making for post-Katrina efforts, worrying charity leaders. DISASTER PLANS already in place at many Gulf Coast charities proved no match for Katrina's fierceness, providing painful lessons for nonprofit managers. NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVISTS managed to force the closing of a nearby New Orleans landfill, the latest development in a long-running debate about how to dispose of the debris from the hurricane. HOUSING FOR RELIEF WORKERS in the Gulf Coast is scarce, and expensive, forcing many to live four to a room or on cots lined up in a gymnasium. SCHOOL LIBRARIES, a lower priority among philanthropists than public libraries, which serve a broader population, are struggling to rebuild collections destroyed by the storm. About Giving and Grant Making CASH GIFTS BY CORPORATIONS rose sharply in 2005, increasing a median of 10 percent at 82 large companies surveyed by The Chronicle. "ON YOUR SIDE," Nationwide's advertising slogan, is now also the name of the insurance company's employee-volunteer program, aimed at benefiting the causes workers care about. WAL-MART'S GIVING in response to Hurricane Katrina was extraordinary, though some critics said it had a lot to do with burnishing the company's tarnished image. THE CHAIRMAN OF NIKE, Philip Knight, plans to give the Stanford University business school $105-million for a new campus. AMERICANS GAVE nearly $37-billion in noncash donations to charity in 2003, much of it in corporate stock, the Internal Revenue Service reported. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY has received $15-million for a new campus center; other recent gifts to nonprofit organizations and institutions. RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers. THE FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: The Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation channels money to parents of dying children so that they can put as much time and energy as possible into caring for their youngsters. About Fund Raising WITH WAR CONTINUING in the Middle East, many humanitarian-aid groups have sharply increased their fund-raising goals. SIX ORGANIZATIONS that had been denied permission to raise money through the federal government's annual charity drive will now be allowed to participate in this year's campaign. UPDATE ON CAMPAIGNS for endowments, capital improvements, and other needs. INTEREST RATES for planned gifts, issued by the Internal Revenue Service. About Managing Nonprofit Groups CONGRESS HAS PASSED LEGISLATION containing provisions aimed at encouraging charitable donations and curbing tax-law abuse. AT THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY, the goal of the new chief diversity officer includes more than just changing the face of the staff (New on the Job). JAY HEIN, head of an Indianapolis think tank that focuses on local solutions to poverty and crime, will take over as the third director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. HOTLINE: How new charities should set executive pay, what an English major can do in the nonprofit world, and answers to other questions from Chronicle readers are answered in our bimonthly advice column. Also in This Issue OPINION: A year after Hurricane Katrina, Trent Stamp says the real story is how much good charities did in the wake of the disastrous storm, and Tony Pipa recognizes the critical role played by small local groups; Harvey Dale and Jill Horwitz question the efforts by Michigan lawmakers to capture more of the Ford Foundation's grant money for the state. LETTERS: suggesting how Warren Buffett's gift to the Gates Foundation should be spent, challenging the Chronicle's description of a building project in New Orleans, and arguing whether self-regulation is the key to curbing nonprofit abuses. PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world.