May 24, 2023 “Rockstar Successful.” Why Early Ed Funders Are Backing This Unique Approach to Training Educators May 24, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen One thing holding back the American early childhood education system is a serious teacher shortage. EDvance is making the required education more accessible, drawing support from the Heising-Simons Foundation and others.Read More
May 17, 2023 “This is How We're Supposed to Care for Each Other.” Direct Giving Initiative Tackles Poverty in Flint May 17, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation is supporting a plan to provide direct cash payments to expectant mothers and their newborns in Flint, Michigan. Organizers are asking other funders to step up and back the program.Read More
May 11, 2023 An Audacious Effort to Transform the Foster Care System Gets a Big Funding Boost May 11, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Think of Us has a bold mission: to transform the foster care system from the ground up. The organization’s approach, which elevates those with lived experience, landed a major haul from The Audacious Project and others. Read More
May 03, 2023 This Los Angeles-Based Foundation Is Giving Children With Disabilities a Welcome Boost May 03, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen The S. Mark Taper Foundation may not be widely known in the world of philanthropy, but it is making a big difference in the lives of low-income children with disabilities, a neglected cause.Read More
April 19, 2023 Who’s Providing Funding for Women and Girls’ Mental Health? April 19, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Philanthropic funding specifically addressing women and girls’ mental health remains vanishingly small. Some funders have been paying attention, though, and the organization Mindful Philanthropy wants to grow their ranks.Read More
April 13, 2023 What It Looks Like When a Multigenerational Family Foundation Makes All Voices Equal April 13, 2023/ Ade Adeniji When David and Georgia Welles launched the family’s Cricket Island Foundation, they prioritized family participation across generations. That continues today, and has led the funder to its current focus on youth organizing. Read More
March 21, 2023 “Miami Is Our City.” How Two Generations of the Billionaire Pérez Family Give March 21, 2023/ Ade Adeniji Real estate billionaire Jorge Pérez, along with his wife Darlene and their children, are prominent philanthropists in the Sunshine State. Here’s how the family gives, and how the second generation is stepping up.Read More
March 15, 2023 This Foundation Keeps a Huge Extended Family United While Helping Other Families Thrive March 15, 2023/ Wendy Paris From the very start, the secret to the William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation’s success has been an unwavering emphasis on family — both engaging its own far-reaching family tree, and moving money to help others. Read More
March 02, 2023 Funding for Fathers: A Chicago-based Family Foundation Shines a Light on Fatherhood March 02, 2023/ Wendy Paris Despite a growing body of evidence that men and boys are struggling, particularly in communities of color, there’s not much funding out there in support of fathers. Here’s a rare example of a big, multi-year donation. Read More
February 07, 2023 Why This Donor Couple in the Northwest is Giving Big to a Unique Youth Mentorship Program February 07, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Gary and Christine Rood prioritize health and children, and their giving has grown significantly in recent years. The couple’s latest move sent $33 million to Friends of the Children, which has landed some big gifts lately.Read More
January 11, 2023 Meet 8 Wealthy Donors of Color from the Real Estate Industry January 11, 2023/ Ade Adeniji As we continue to map out the expanding landscape of America’s wealthy donors of color, we’ve identified some of the top real estate givers, including Wayne Jordan, Dennis Wong and more.Read More
December 20, 2022 With a Broad Agenda and A-List Backers, Sandy Hook Promise Is a Fundraising Powerhouse December 20, 2022/ Susan Barnett, Guest Contributor Sandy Hook Promise recently held a high-profile benefit in remembrance of the elementary school shooting 10 years ago. The event underscored the group’s success, both in attracting major donors and getting results.Read More
December 19, 2022 Is Tutoring the Answer to COVID Learning Loss? These Funders Want to Find Out December 19, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen Pandemic-related learning loss threatens to widen the achievement gap. Arnold Ventures and other funders are backing an ambitious research project to determine if and how high-intensity tutoring can help.Read More
December 15, 2022 The U.S. Is in a Mental Health Crisis, but Funding Is Still Scarce. This Group Hopes to Change That December 15, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen Mindful Philanthropy, which was founded by a group of mental health foundations, is pushing funders to boost support for an urgent — and still vastly underfunded — issue.Read More
December 07, 2022 Backed by a Billionaire Couple, a Chicago Nonprofit Takes a Community-Led Approach to Youth Equity December 07, 2022/ Ade Adeniji Funded by Mark and Kimbra Walter, Chicago Beyond draws upon the work of veteran principal Liz Dozier. The group is investing millions in community-led initiatives, while challenging top-down dynamics in K-12 philanthropy.Read More
December 07, 2022 To Advance Health Equity, a Big Hospital Gift Targets the Earliest Childhood Experiences December 07, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen Real estate investor John Schreiber and his wife Kathleen are long-time Chicago philanthropists. A recent $25 million gift underscores a more recent priority for the couple: early childhood, including conditions before birth.Read More
November 22, 2022 The Obama Foundation Is Picking up Steam. Who’s on Board and Where Is Funding Headed So Far? November 22, 2022/ Ade Adeniji The Obama Foundation is in the process of raising $1.6 billion — and starting to roll out some big programs. Here, we outline who’s backing the foundation, who’s running the show, and what it’s funding so far.Read More
November 22, 2022 A Restaurant Giant Steps Up for Students — One Classroom at a Time November 22, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen Andrew and Peggy Cherng, the college sweethearts who started Panda Express, have directed millions toward education and healthcare for low-income children and youth through the company’s foundation, Panda Cares.Read More
November 10, 2022 The Intergenerational Philanthropy of the Eisner Foundation November 10, 2022/ Wendy Paris For the Eisners, philanthropy is a family tradition that goes back generations. Their foundation is also one of the few that focuses on intergenerational programming that benefits both youth and seniors. Read More
November 07, 2022 A New Alliance Channels Asia's Growing Philanthropic Heft November 07, 2022/ Liz Longley Top grantmakers from Asia and the U.S. have joined forces on a new Philanthropy Asia Alliance, and are already backing six on-the-ground projects. The alliance highlights Singapore’s role as a hub for Asian philanthropy.Read More