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
November 30, 2022 Amid a Flurry of State Laws and Court Battles, New Funders Wade Into Pro-Democracy Litigation November 30, 2022/ Laurie Udesky Voters stood up to threats against democracy in the midterms, but the fight continues, including ongoing legal battles. Here are three funders who decided to back litigation in defense of free and fair elections.Read More
November 03, 2022 In the Climate Fight, Who’s Funding the Eco-Right? More Big Names Than You Might Expect November 03, 2022/ Michael Kavate There’s a relatively small list of conservative groups calling for climate action, and they have not drawn a lot of funding. But they do count some big, perhaps surprising names among their backers. Here’s a list.Read More
October 12, 2022 Outcomes and Accountability: How Arnold Ventures Is Working to Reform a “Broken” Higher Ed System October 12, 2022/ Mike Scutari President Biden’s loan forgiveness plan will make a dent in the student debt crisis, but it won’t solve it. Kelly McManus explains some of the policy solutions Arnold Ventures is pursuing in its expanding higher ed program.Read More
May 31, 2022 How This Star-Studded Justice Reform Outfit Rakes in Big-Donor Support May 31, 2022/ Ade Adeniji REFORM Alliance and its all-star board have notched a number of big wins on the ground. We catch up with donors Michael Novogratz and Laura Arnold about why they back the justice reform organization.Read More
May 25, 2022 "An Epidemic Within the Pandemic." How Eight Funders Back Gun Violence Prevention May 25, 2022/ Philip Rojc In this article that originally ran in 2021, in the wake of two mass shootings, IP’s Philip Rojc looked at key funders of gun violence prevention. We are republishing in response to yesterday’s devastating school shooting.Read More
May 17, 2022 IP Briefing: What's Going on with Philanthropy in the Southwest? May 17, 2022/ IP Staff Philanthropy in the Southwest is dynamic and varied, with oil-rich families, recent transplants, and community foundations all playing their part. Our latest briefing offers a rundown, with plenty of links to past coverage.Read More
February 02, 2022 IP Briefing: What's Going on With Philanthropy for Criminal Justice Reform? February 02, 2022/ IP Staff Giving to organizations working on criminal justice reform has soared in recent years, expanding the work of existing organizations and seeding the creation of new groups. But fundraisers are wondering how long this trend will last.Read More
August 19, 2021 With All Eyes on COVID Vaccination Rates, Funders Nationwide Battle Hesitancy and Inequity August 19, 2021/ Katherine Don The Delta variant surge has underscored the urgent need for higher vaccination rates in the U.S. Across the country, foundations are working with governments and community groups to overcome vaccine hesitancy and inequities.Read More
April 09, 2021 Laura and John Arnold Join the Latest Effort to Spur Giving by the Ultra-Rich April 09, 2021/ Michael Kavate Campaigns encouraging the super-rich to give more have proliferated recently. The Arnolds are the first billionaires to sign onto the latest, which asks billionaires to commit to giving 5% of their wealth to philanthropic causes each year.Read More
March 25, 2021 Funders Are Backing a Push to Clear Criminal Records. For Many Involved, It’s Personal March 25, 2021/ Dawn Wolfe Stigmas around criminal convictions cause lasting personal and financial pain for individuals—and cost the economy billions. Funders are supporting an effort to wipe records clean. Some staff have a personal connection to the cause.Read More
September 09, 2020 How Philanthropy Could Embrace More High-Risk, High-Reward Projects September 09, 2020/ Stuart Buck, Guest Contributor Social change demands high-risk, high-reward work, but philanthropy is all too often risk-averse. Guest contributor Stuart Buck of Arnold Ventures offers a model that encourages funders to take bigger bets.Read More
August 25, 2020 Fault Lines: How a Leading Criminal Justice Funder Is Navigating a Historic Moment August 25, 2020/ Philip Rojc Facing the COVID-19 outbreak, Arnold Ventures promised to double down on a reform agenda in its criminal justice giving. What does that look like in the midst of a reinvigorated racial justice movement and calls for systemic change?Read More
August 20, 2020 How the RAND Corporation Became One of Philanthropy’s Most Important Partners August 20, 2020/ Mike Scutari Having reinvented itself after the Cold War, the RAND Corporation now has the ears of the country’s biggest foundations. We dig into its fascinating evolution, a $400 million fundraising campaign, and a new racial equity initiative.Read More
May 14, 2020 A New Normal? Amid COVID-19, Criminal Justice Reform Funders Dare to Hope May 14, 2020/ Philip Rojc Housing 2.3 million in close quarters, the corrections system has been a deadly incubator for the virus. Funders are rushing to provide protective gear and bail people out, while looking ahead to a status quo of less incarceration.Read More
January 22, 2020 Backed by Millions in Grants, a New Prison Reform Initiative Gains Steam January 22, 2020/ L.S. Hall Despite the vast costs of incarceration, state prisons remain some of the nation’s least transparent institutions. A growing push by a top funder and leading policy groups aims to change that and find ways to improve these systems. Read More
November 07, 2019 Mothership: What ProPublica—and Its Funders—Can Do For Local Journalism November 07, 2019/ Mike Scutari A well-funded new partnership with the Texas Tribune signals ProPublica's plan to support robust investigative journalism at the state level. We dig into this collaborative model and the extent to which it can be scaled nationally.Read More
September 28, 2019 Grants to Reform Probation and Parole Aim to Tackle a Top Driver of Mass Incarceration September 28, 2019/ L.S. Hall Many of the inmates in U.S. prisons have returned because their parole or probation was revoked, often for minor infractions. Arnold Ventures is zeroing in on this issue as part of its expanding criminal justice push. Who’s getting funding? Read More
August 27, 2019 Who's Behind This New Effort to Reform Parole and Probation? August 27, 2019/ Philip Rojc Around 4.5 million Americans are on probation or parole—over twice the number of adults incarcerated. Here’s who’s backing a new initiative to organize reform-minded local officials toward a leaner, less punitive model of community supervision.Read More
August 12, 2019 New Funder-Backed Alliance Advocates for Criminal Justice Reform August 12, 2019/ L.S. Hall It’s not often you find the Ford Foundation and Koch Industries on the same side of an issue. But criminal justice is one such issue, and both are backing a new policy group focused on advancing reform, along with other prominent funders. Read More