May 03, 2023 Two Years In, Climate Justice Pledge Sees Results on the Ground, But Still Too Many Holdouts May 03, 2023/ Michael Kavate A campaign asking funders to support more BIPOC-led climate action is seeing real impacts among participating funders and the groups they’re backing. The amount pledged is growing, but progress remains hard fought.Read More
April 24, 2023 Spring Reading for a Cleaner Planet: Five New Resources on Climate Philanthropy April 24, 2023/ Michael Kavate With spring in the air, here’s some recently released reading material on climate giving, with an emphasis on how funders can clean up their act when it comes to their investments.Read More
February 14, 2023 Frontline 360° Is Helping Grassroots Groups Land Federal Dollars — and Building a Movement February 14, 2023/ Laurie Mazur, Guest Contributor With backing from several major funders, this partnership is helping community-based environmental and climate groups secure government funding. It’s also helping such groups link up and build power. Read More
December 19, 2022 Climate Justice Pledge Keeps Winning New Commitments, but Many Funders Still Silent December 19, 2022/ Michael Kavate The Climate Funders Justice Pledge has helped shift $60 million in new commitments to BIPOC-led climate groups since early 2021. Still, despite its intentionally low bar, many top grantmakers have yet to sign on.Read More
August 26, 2022 With Backing from Kresge, Operation Restoration Gives Formerly Incarcerated Women a Leg Up August 26, 2022/ Martha Ramirez Upon their release, formerly incarcerated women face steep barriers. Founded by a restorative justice leader who served time herself, Operation Restoration channels philanthropic resources to provide assistance.Read More
July 14, 2022 An Alternative Model for the Restaurant Industry Blooms with the Help of Philanthropy July 14, 2022/ Sarah Henry The restaurant business is known for slim profits, hard work and low pay. Through a partnership with a foundation and a funding collaborative, Oakland Bloom is one of many organizations seeking a better way.Read More
June 30, 2022 Six Questions for Bill Moses, Managing Director of the Kresge Foundation’s Education Program June 30, 2022/ Mike Scutari Bill Moses oversees the Kresge Foundation’s higher ed grantmaking, which supports historically underrepresented students. We checked in with him to discuss his career trajectory, the sector’s biggest challenges, and more.Read More
May 25, 2022 Can Philanthropy Give Underdog Cities a Leg Up as They Compete for Federal Funding? May 25, 2022/ Philip Rojc A collaboration backed by Bloomberg, Ford and more will help smaller cities access more than $1 trillion in federal infrastructure funding. It’s one way philanthropy can magnify its impact by influencing where public money goes.Read More
May 05, 2022 How Eight Grantmakers Fund Civic Engagement and Democracy on College Campuses May 05, 2022/ Mike Scutari Giving for civic engagement on campus is a small but increasingly important component of the higher ed funding ecosystem. Here’s a list of eight key grantmakers and how they approach that work.Read More
April 05, 2022 “Make Their Voices Heard.” Behind a Funder’s Efforts to Boost College Student Civic Engagement April 05, 2022/ Mike Scutari The Kresge Foundation recently announced a new round of grants supporting college student civic engagement. Kresge’s William Moses explains why this work is so important for democracy—and higher education.Read More
March 31, 2022 Five Things to Know About the Skillman Foundation, “Fierce Champions of Detroit’s Children” March 31, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen At 60 years old, this Detroit-based funder is a stalwart supporter of K-12 education in the region. Now, the laser-focused foundation has a new leader—and big ambitions for the future. Here’s what you need to know.Read More
March 30, 2022 How the Justice40 Accelerator Builds Community Groups’ Capacity to Receive Federal Funding March 30, 2022/ Laurie Mazur, Guest Contributor President Biden’s Justice40 initiative aims to support frontline communities, but those communities may lack the capacity to apply for funds. Philanthropy is helping to close the gap.Read More
February 24, 2022 Lots of Climate Funders Back One of Real Estate’s Most Influential Professional Networks. What Gives? February 24, 2022/ Michael Kavate Why do so many climate funders back the Urban Land Institute, a major professional network for the emissions-heavy real estate sector? We take a look at this intriguing corner of philanthropy.Read More
February 23, 2022 IP Briefing: What's Going on With Philanthropy for Visual Arts? February 23, 2022/ IP Staff Public funding for the arts has been dwindling for decades, so most arts nonprofits rely on a mix of earned income and philanthropy. Major donors play an outsized role in this area, often creating tensions within institutions.Read More
February 10, 2022 Funder Spotlight: All About the Kresge Foundation’s Environment Program February 10, 2022/ Michael Kavate The Kresge Foundation is one of the top environmental funders in the country—and one of the most focused on equity. We take a look at what it supports through its environment program and why.Read More
January 25, 2022 How Detroit Funders Teamed Up to Help Families Access the Child Tax Credit January 25, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen The expanded Child Tax Credit has substantially reduced child poverty, but many low-income families are not able to access the funds. Four philanthropies in Detroit created a unique campaign to help.Read More
January 05, 2022 Fresh Take: How Kresge Supports Community Projects That Integrate Food and Art January 05, 2022/ Sarah Henry Food and art are intrinsic parts of neighborhood life, but philanthropic grantmaking rarely recognizes their interconnectedness. Yet that’s exactly what the Kresge Foundation did with its equity-oriented FreshLo program.Read More
December 02, 2021 How Philanthropy Can Ensure the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework’s Success December 02, 2021/ Rip Rapson, Guest Contributor The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill promises sweeping improvements to our water systems, transportation and more. Kresge President Rip Rapson explains why philanthropy has a crucial role to play in delivering on that promise.Read More
October 12, 2021 A Historic Detroit College Was Near the End. Here's How Kresge Rallied to Give It New Life October 12, 2021/ Connie Matthiessen Back in 2016, Detroit’s historic Marygrove College was close to shutting its doors. Here’s how the Kresge Foundation mustered local support to reimagine the institution as an innovative education hub.Read More
August 17, 2021 Funder Spotlight: How the Kresge Foundation Approaches Higher Ed August 17, 2021/ Mike Scutari Kresge works to increase college access and success, advance economic mobility and strengthen urban communities, with a focus on equity. Here’s what you need to know about the foundation’s education funding.Read More