Not-for-profit news from other countries
Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates will share a near-unprecedented fortune in broadly diversified assets including farmland, luxury hotels, nuclear startups, and car dealerships. The question now is how these assets will be shared and whether more money will be used for the Gates Foundation or other endeavors. Aside from the foundation, Bill Gates has his Gates Ventures, which invest in clean energy and healthcare innovation, while Melinda French has Gates Pivotal Ventures, which focus on social justice and opportunity for women and girls. (New York Times)
Donors have used the privacy of donor-recommended funds to anonymously donate millions to a charity founded by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to thwart state disclosure requirements. Since its inception in 2014, the Los Angeles Mayors’ Fund has raised more than $ 60 million from corporations, philanthropy, and individuals. Garcetti has requested at least some of these gifts, and California law requires that donations of $ 5,000 or more made on behalf of a politician be publicly disclosed. However, at least $ 3.8 million in gifts have been recommended by donors, leaving no trace of their original source. Given that some donors might do business with the state or deal with state regulators, ethics watchdogs say disclosure is key. (Los Angeles times)
Charity resellers struggle under a mountain of unusable items – garbage – that people donate. Goodwill’s New Hampshire stores pay more than $ 1 million each year to dispose of donated items that people cannot throw away themselves, such as broken furniture, dirty household items, and broken plastic bins. The stores in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont threw away £ 13 million of trash in 2020. Even so, Goodwill is cautious about discouraging donations and so is doing “a little media tour” to educate the public about what not to donate. (NPR)
Give
- After a high point in the Obama administration, philanthropies no longer drive education policy (Chalkbeat)
- The LA Times owner pledges $ 213 million for Covid-19 vaccine vaccination in South Africa (Los Angeles Times).
- The Most Effective Donation Options For India (Vox)
opinion
- Tom Cotton wants to tax university foundations to pay for apprenticeships. It’s a political master class. (Washington Post)
- Let’s declare this to be the Summer of Play (Bloomberg CityLab)
More news
- Lawsuit seeking to impose the “death penalty” on the NRA explains (Vox)
- Non-profit organizations, activists and ex-spies allegedly planned to discredit Trump’s “enemies” in the government (New York Times)
- Trudeau Resolved In WE Charity Scandal But Former Treasury Secretary Broke Conflict Law, Says Ethics Watchdog (CBC)
Innovation in the Nonprofit World
- Opinion: Non-Profit Versus For-For-Profit News: A Conversation With Steven Waldman (Seattle Times)
- The Philharmonic grows in a shipping container in Brooklyn (New York Times)
- They Go One by One, Door by Door – How a Hospital’s Promoteras Fill Gaps in Services (Daily Pilot)
- Return to the live audience: How 4 companies got back on stage (punch line)
- This mom strives to change the world, one hug at a time (New York Times)