Emily Tow Jackson says youth charities were surprised when her family foundation offered to support their efforts to improve the juvenile-justice system.

Photograph by Arnold Adler, for The Chronicle

Carol Enseki says the Brooklyn Children's Museum is extending its capital drive because of the rocky economy.

Photograph by John Harrington, for The Chronicle

Noland MacKenzie Canter III. a Washington lawyer, worries about the IRS's new effort to crack down on charity spending.

From the issue dated May 15, 2008 About Fund Raising THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS has nonprofit groups working to feed the growing number of hungry people worldwide as well as pushing for policy changes to mitigate the problem. AMBITIOUS CAPITAL CAMPAIGNS are feeling the impact of the rocky economy as donors and companies that were expected to give big become reluctant to part with their money in uncertain times. CONGRESSIONAL INTEREST in a proposal to create a centralized database showing how much money nonprofit organizations spend on procuring donations has charity fund raisers worried. INTEREST RATES for planned gifts, issued by the Internal Revenue Service. UPDATE ON CAMPAIGNS for endowments, capital improvements, and other needs. About Managing Nonprofit Groups AN INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE OFFICIAL got nonprofit leaders' attention with an announcement that the tax agency may begin applying a decades-old test to ensure that charities are spending their money appropriately. AS HUMANITARIAN NEEDS IN IRAQ grow more critical, some international aid groups that had left the country are considering returning, while those that stayed try to adapt to the still-volatile region. THE BOARD OF A MONTANA MUSEUM was given the boot by the state's Supreme Court, which ruled that it had violated the terms of the trust that established the institution. CHARITIES THAT HAVE FAILED to file the required informational returns with the Internal Revenue Service will be given a chance to submit the missing Forms 990 without fear of losing their tax exemption. THE REVENUE AND ASSETS of nonprofit groups in the United States have grown faster than the gross domestic product, a new publication of the Urban Institute reports. SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS could — and should — get a lot more support from government in their efforts to find creative solutions to public problems, says a new report. About Gifts and Giving DAVID ROCKEFELLER has promised a gift of $100-million to Harvard University, his alma mater, the third gift of that size he has made to nonprofit institutions in recent years. THE FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: The Greatest Generations Foundation, a Denver charity, has sent more than 700 World War II veterans overseas to visit the places where they fought. RECENT GIFTS to nonprofit organizations and institutions. About Technology MORE THAN 45,000 PEOPLE voted in the Case Foundation's online contest to choose four winners of a $25,000 grant. VIEWERS' RESPONSES to news stories prompted CNN to become involved in philanthropy, a network official told participants at the Council on Foundations' annual meeting. BANK OF AMERICA has created a Web site that provides information on 70 foundations for which it serves as an agent or trustee. EBAY HAS BEGUN A CAMPAIGN to encourage users of its online auction site to make donations to one of three charities the company has chosen. TECHNOLOGY BITS: A conference on grass-roots use of the Internet will be held in June, and a Washington advocacy group has created a Web site to guide people through the federal regulatory process. About Grant Makers JUVENILE-JUSTICE ISSUES have caught the attention of a growing number of grant makers, as nonprofit organizations look for new ways to help youths in trouble with the law. STARTING OFF AS A FREE CLINIC for kids, the Juvenile Law Center, in Philadelphia, is now a national leader in its field and a winner of a $500,000 no-strings-attached award from the MacArthur foundation for its work. WITH THE HELP OF A MISSOURI CHARITY, a detention center for Washington, D.C., adolescents is trying to remake its approach to young offenders. STEVE GUNDERSON is credited by many observers with transforming the Council on Foundations from an association focused on member services to a leader of the philanthropic world. THE ECONOMY AND DIVERSITY were among the major topics of discussion at a meeting of more than 3,000 grant makers from around the world. MANY GRANT MAKERS are responding to the economic downturn by increasing their giving to groups that serve families and provide human services, a new survey by the Council on Foundations shows. MORE THAN HALF OF U.S. FOUNDATIONS expect their giving to increase this year, with grant making by the largest funds growing the most, according to a study released by the Foundation Center. RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers. About Careers in the Nonprofit World IT'S NOT RETIREMENT, just another chance to make a difference, says Allan Luks, who is leaving Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City after 18 years as its leader (Exit Interview). PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world. AWARDS: Honors for people and organizations in philanthropy. Also in This Issue OPINION: William A. Schambra wants to know why foundations give so much money to groups that accuse America of persistent racism, and Pablo Eisenberg wonders where the impulse to trade naming rights for big donations will end, now that the New York Public Library has allowed its flagship building to be named after a donor. LETTERS: on giving as a measure of confidence in U.S. charities, on the reasons a Texas medical center should be applauded, and why a Chronicle columnist raised questions about the Texas center. NEW BOOKS: How to promote charitable causes to women, a scholarly examination of volunteerism, a look at community organizing, and summaries of other publications on the founding of a humanitarian group, raising planned gifts through mail appeals, and a study on foundation expenses.