The oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens has created a new charitable foundation.

KickStart International

KickStart International sells these water pumps to farmers in Africa.

Chris Hildreth, for The Chronicle

Claudia Horwitz runs and participates in silent retreats for social activists.

Items relevant to more than one category may appear more than once in this summary. From the issue dated January 11, 2007 Charities and Business BUSINESS VENTURES are no longer so much a way to generate income, many charities have come to believe, as they are a means of furthering charities' social goals. A HONEY VENTURE that provided former inmates in Chicago with transitional jobs wasn't breaking even or training many clients, so it went back to the drawing board; it will now sell honey-based personal-care products. A DOG-CARE SERVICE is one of several businesses set up by Hope Services, in California, to create more job opportunities for the mentally disabled people it aids. IDEAL AUTO has yet to turn a profit for the Wisconsin social-services group that started it, but the "socially conscious" used-car dealership has given some 230 low-income people access to affordable cars. FOR KICKSTART INTERNATIONAL, a Kenya charity that makes and sells devices that poor Africans use to start small businesses, social enterprise is the core of, not just a supplement to, its mission. A BANGKOK RESTAURANT that is decorated with condoms, and hands them out with the bill, is part of a Thai charity's efforts to halt the spread of AIDS and curb the country's population growth. START SMALL, and other words of advice for charity leaders looking to complement their group's work with a money-making business. AN ORGANIC DAIRY FARM operated by a San Francisco charity offers rehabilitation and an environment free of chemicals to homeless men battling addictions to drugs and alcohol. PRESERVATION GREENSBORO, in North Carolina, rescues and refurbishes architectural artifacts, sells them, and uses the money for grants to help local homeowners restore historic properties. SEARCHING FOR A BUSINESS with good wages and high demand for clients in need of jobs and training, the Doe Fund, a New York charity, settled on pest control, and has seen dozens of its trainees go on to full-time jobs. About Gifts and Giving THE LIST OF WEALTHY AMERICANS who made the largest donations of 2006, compiled by The Chronicle, is dominated by people who made their fortunes in finance or real estate. DISASTER RELIEF following the 2004 tsunamis attracted more than $3-billion in donations, a new study has found. BABY BOOMERS' GIVING PLANS for 2006 outstripped those of other age groups, according to a survey by the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund. AMERICAN BUSINESSES are edging up in the public's estimation of their "corporate citizenship," a survey has found, but most people still think they could do more. MORE THAN 8 IN 10 AMERICANS gave to charity last year, but the amount they donated fell some from the previous year, according to a poll conducted for The Wall Street Journal Online. ARENA STAGE, in Washington, has received $35-million to help renovate its facilities; other recent gifts to nonprofit organizations and institutions. THE FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: Texas A&M University trains residents of poor Latino communities to help their neighbors gain access to health care and social services. About Fund Raising "THE GROSS CLINIC," the Thomas Eakins masterpiece that was due to be sold to out-of-towners by Philadelphia's Thomas Jefferson University, will remain in the city, thanks to a last-minute fund-raising 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 NONPROFIT EMPLOYEES make up more than 7 percent of the U.S. work force and together earn more than workers in several other industries, says a new report. VOLUNTEERISM, especially among older Americans, has grown sharply in the past three decades, reports the Corporation for National and Community Service. SILENT RETREATS have become a popular way for charity workers to recharge their internal batteries, and some foundations are supporting groups that provide them. THE RED CROSS'S CHARTER would be changed for the first time in 50 years under a legislative proposal. MOST CHARITIES have instituted major changes in their governance practices, according to a recent survey, largely in response to public demands for greater openness. FOR THE 2006 TAX YEAR, charities with assets of $10-million or more will be required to file their federal informational tax forms online (Tax Watch). THE MACDOWELL COLONY, a century-old artists program in New Hampshire, has gone to court to contest the loss of its state tax exemption after local officials declared it did not qualify as a charity (Tax Watch). AFTER TWO DECADES AT CITY YEAR, Alan Khazei, one of the charity's two founders, has left his job as director to find other ways to promote the idea of national service (Exit Interview). A PERIPATETIC CAREER as a teacher, librarian, caseworker, and administrator led a one-time military wife and former mayor of Colorado Springs to the top spot at the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado (Entry Level). REPORTS ON CHARITIES by the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance. About Grant Makers GRANT MAKERS still prefer to support specific programs rather than pay for charities' operating costs, says a report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy. T. BOONE PICKENS, the Texas oil billionaire, has started his own philanthropic foundation with $135-million. RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers. Also in This Issue OPINION: Leslie Lenkowsky looks at the mixed blessing of mega-gifts, and Michael Watson urges charities to seek out minority leaders. LETTERS: on the impact of the estate tax, women at the helm of development organizations, and Greenpeace's donors, BOOKS: A guide to "creative philanthropy," a handbook for new nonprofit leaders, and an insider's look at how grant proposals are reviewed, plus summaries of recent publications on volunteerism, California grant making, education, and building a fund-raising effort. PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world. AWARDS: Honors for organizations and people in philanthropy. PRESS CLIPPINGS: Fast Company confers its Social Capitalist Awards; SmartMoney gauges the impact of giving to churches; Red Herring reports on businesses that keep tabs on the charities they support; and Newsweek checks out Oprah Winfrey's new school.