March 10, 2023 These Health Research Funders Are Facing Down the Next Pandemic Threat — Whatever It May Be March 10, 2023/ Paul Karon The Gates Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation and Open Philanthropy are collaborating under a partnership called Pandemic Antiviral Discovery, funding research to develop treatments that may be needed for future pandemics.Read More
March 06, 2023 This Small but Mighty Research Hub Is Expanding. Here’s Who’s Helping Make That Happen March 06, 2023/ Paul Karon Since 1963, Salk Institute scientists have been advancing our knowledge of cancer, aging, infectious disease and more. With a new seven-year, $750 million fundraising goal, the aim is to grow both its facilities and research ranks.Read More
February 22, 2023 This Fund Has Backed Native American Students for 50 Years. Despite Strides, It Faces Huge, Unmet Need February 22, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Native Forward, the largest organization supporting Native American scholars in the U.S., is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Even after a gift from MacKenzie Scott doubled its budget, it is able to fund just 14% of applicants.Read More
September 27, 2022 Philanthropy Made a Flurry of Commitments During the UN Meeting. Here’s Where the Money is Headed September 27, 2022/ Liz Longley Philanthropy was more active than usual in last week’s United Nations General Assembly, as the secretary general called for a “rescue mission” to get Sustainable Development Goals on track. Here’s a rundown of the big pledges.Read More
March 10, 2022 Why Gates Is Building Up Local Immunology Capacity to Study COVID in the Global South March 10, 2022/ Paul Karon A Gates Foundation program is funding the development of local laboratory sites throughout the Global South to improve our understanding and response to new COVID variants and other epidemic threats.Read More
February 16, 2022 A Universal Flu Vaccine Could Save Millions of Lives. Private and Public Funders Hope to Make it a Reality February 16, 2022/ Paul Karon A universal flu vaccine could be a game-changer for global health and prevent future catastrophic pandemics. Several private funders are teaming up with government agencies to accelerate progress.Read More
January 26, 2022 A Billionaire, a Baroness and Bridgespan: What We Know—and Don’t Know—About Gates’ New Board January 26, 2022/ Philip Rojc It’s finally happened. The Gates Foundation has four new trustees, three of whom are newcomers. Here’s a bit about each of them, and what this new arrangement may tell us about the world’s largest foundation.Read More
January 20, 2022 MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates and the Case for Walking Away January 20, 2022/ Philip Rojc MacKenzie Scott and Melinda French Gates have partnered once already, and seem to be influencing each other’s giving. We hypothesize about what a more extensive team-up could accomplish, and what it would take to get there.Read More
July 08, 2021 Gates Foundation Drama Continues: Melinda Could Exit, New Trustees Are on the Way July 08, 2021/ Michael Kavate Adding to a summer of turmoil at the Gates Foundation, the grantmaker announced Melinda may leave in two years if she or Bill find they cannot work together. The foundation also plans to add new trustees, a big governance shift.Read More
March 04, 2021 How Bill and Melinda Gates Seek to Reverse Declines in the Ranks of Small Donors March 04, 2021/ Holly Hall Over the past two decades, growing inequality has contributed to declining numbers of “everyday donors.” Decidedly non-everyday donors Bill and Melinda Gates have made it a priority to counter this trend. Read More
March 25, 2020 Bug in the System: A Look at Giving by Top Tech Companies to Fight COVID-19 March 25, 2020/ Liz Longley With its close linkages to China and a big presence in Seattle, the tech sector was hit early by the coronavirus. Here’s a rundown of cash and in-kind donations made since then by Silicon Valley companies to respond to the pandemic.Read More
January 08, 2020 The People's Philanthropy: Giving Circles Organize, With Help From a Big Funder January 08, 2020/ Julia Travers Networks of giving circles across the U.S. are joining up to launch a five-year infrastructure initiative. With anchor funding from the Gates Foundation, they seek to promote, strengthen, scale and sustain a collective giving movement. Read More
September 24, 2019 Billionaires vs. Poverty: Behind a Push to Use Data to Boost Economic Opportunity in Cities September 24, 2019/ Caitlin Reilly Some of the nation’s wealthiest philanthropists have lately swung behind new work to make city economies more equitable and inclusive. We look at a data-driven initiative that is attracting big grant money.Read More
March 27, 2019 Inflection Point: Taking Stock of Philanthropy and the Charter School Movement March 27, 2019/ Caitlin Reilly Conversations with top backers of the charter school movement reveal that while some foundations are doubling down on these schools, others are pulling back or rethinking their strategies. We take a deep dive into a funding landscape in flux. Read More
January 11, 2019 The Gates Foundation’s Latest Move to Help Teachers Become More Effective January 11, 2019/ Caitlin Reilly With the foundation more than a year into its education strategy reboot, we’re keeping a close eye on how its new priorities are playing out. One focus: making teachers’ professional development opportunities more aligned with high-quality curricula with proven track records. Read More
December 20, 2018 Promising Results: With an Infusion of Funding, a Teacher Prep Outfit Is Scaling Up December 20, 2018/ Caitlin Reilly Despite big setbacks, the Gates Foundation hasn’t given up its quest to improve teaching, backing diverse work in this space in the past few years. Most recently, it teamed up with other K-12 funders to expand the reach of a center at Texas Tech.Read More
October 05, 2018 Behind a New Institute for Economic Mobility: Powerful Data and Billionaire Donors October 05, 2018/ Caitlin Reilly The Gates Foundation and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative have both been ramping up anti-poverty work. Now, they’re teaming up to back a policy shop founded by one of the hottest scholars in this space: Raj Chetty.Read More
September 18, 2018 Is This the End of Polio? Rotary Hangs in to Eradicate the Disease Once and For All September 18, 2018/ Alice Dickow Philanthropy can stick with a cause over decades without having to worry about the patience of voters or shareholders running thin. A case in point: the long slog against polio. Rotary recently gave another $100 million for eradication. Read More
September 03, 2018 "Local Context." The New Gates K-12 Strategy is Coming Into Sharper Focus September 03, 2018/ Caitlin Reilly Nearly a half-billion dollars in grants will go out the door as part of the Gates Foundation’s new initiative to support school networks. We look at what kinds of groups are winning support as the money starts to flow. Read More
November 24, 2017 In Seattle and Beyond: Current Grantmaking Trends in Washington November 24, 2017/ Alyssa Ochs There’s a lot of interesting stuff happening in the world of philanthropy in Washington State, with annual giving on the rise and some new funders arriving on the scene. Read More