February 08, 2023 Foundations May Be Backsliding on COVID-Era Flexibility. Are Grantees Getting Fed Up? February 08, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe A new survey from Technology Association of Grantmakers suggests some funders who relaxed restrictions in 2020 are reverting to old practices. That raises tough questions about the grantee-funder relationship going forward. Read More
January 04, 2023 Literary Arts Groups Weathered a Pandemic, but Finances Remain Just as Precarious January 04, 2023/ Mike Scutari A new report based on data from 410 literary arts nonprofits that applied to Mellon Foundation-funded Literary Arts Emergency Fund provides a concerning snapshot of the state of the field. We explore some key takeaways.Read More
August 25, 2022 “Our Next National Health Disaster.” Boosting Research into Long COVID and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome August 25, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen The Open Medicine Foundation supports research into Long COVID, ME/CFS, and other complex, chronic conditions, but research dollars are few and the fallout of these conditions is devastating.Read More
August 25, 2022 Nonprofit Survey Holds Lessons for Funders Looking to Curb Persistent Racial Disparities in Giving August 25, 2022/ Dawn Wolfe Nonprofit Finance Fund’s 2022 State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey found that racial disparities in funding continued into 2020 and 2021. Responses from participating nonprofits offer promising advice for funders. Read More
August 24, 2022 Though Giving Remained Strong Amid Crisis, COVID, Inflation and Other Woes Gutted Many Nonprofits August 24, 2022/ Holly Hall Record levels of charitable giving allowed most nonprofits to persevere during the pandemic, but the layered challenges of recent years have proven too much for many, especially smaller groups and service providers.Read More
August 23, 2022 Funding Better Assessment Can Help Kids Recover from COVID-Era Learning Loss August 23, 2022/ John Overdeck, Guest Contributor The pandemic disrupted learning and widened preexisting achievement gaps. In this guest post, John Overdeck of the Overdeck Family Foundation explains how funding next-generation learning assessments can help.Read More
June 07, 2022 Mixed Results: Assessing Philanthropy’s Year Two Response to the Pandemic June 07, 2022/ Mike Scutari A new report found that funders dialed back COVID-related support in 2021, although total grantmaking increased over the previous year. Two years into the pandemic, most of this support still takes the form of restricted funding.Read More
May 18, 2022 A Private-Public Partnership Takes a “Test-and-Treat” Approach to Curbing COVID-19 Globally May 18, 2022/ Paul Karon A collaboration of Open Society Foundations, the Clinton Health Access Initiative and other global health organizations and companies aims to augment vaccination efforts with the use of COVID antiviral medicines.Read More
April 27, 2022 California Foundations Look to Ensure Billions in Government Aid Are Allocated Equitably April 27, 2022/ Martha Ramirez With California on the verge of receiving billions in public funding, a new initiative is looking to make sure this investment is distributed equitably to nonprofit organizations and underserved communities in the state.Read More
March 29, 2022 How Northern California Charities Have Grappled With the Pandemic, Other Fundraising Challenges March 29, 2022/ Holly Hall Northern California’s charities face a set of unique challenges, made all the more difficult by the ongoing pandemic. We spoke with several fundraisers in the region to see how they have fared in tough times. Read More
March 14, 2022 Here’s How the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles Supported the City During COVID March 14, 2022/ Martha Ramirez The Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles is an unorthodox funder, perched between philanthropy and city government. A new report from the fund makes a case for its effectiveness in providing immediate relief.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
March 08, 2022 “Unprecedented Change” or More of the Same? Reports Assess Funders’ 2020 Response March 08, 2022/ Mike Scutari Two new reports unpack philanthropy’s 2020 response to calls for racial justice and the COVID pandemic. While both studies cite positive developments, progress, as always, is in the eye of the beholder.Read More
February 28, 2022 How the World's Largest Medical Philanthropy Has Responded to COVID-19 So Far February 28, 2022/ Paul Karon UK-based Wellcome has played a key role in the global response to COVID by organizing international partnerships, funding research and working for equity—with more support on the way.Read More
February 23, 2022 What Has Fundraising for Global Health Been Like During the Pandemic? February 23, 2022/ Sandra Lundgren COVID-19 has raised the profile of global health issues, but fundraisers still report familiar challenges. We check in with four nonprofits in the field to find out how they’ve adapted and what’s on the horizon.Read More
February 04, 2022 How Philanthropy Is Backing a COVID Recovery Fund for L.A.'s Most Vulnerable Students February 04, 2022/ Martha Ramirez The L.A. Education Recovery Fund was founded to help the Los Angeles students who’ve been most impacted by the pandemic. Here’s who’s backing this public-private partnership effort, and what it’s supporting so far.Read More
February 02, 2022 Cardi B Has Given Big in Times of Crisis. What Might We Expect From Her Future Philanthropy? February 02, 2022/ Ade Adeniji Iconic rapper Cardi B is building a philanthropic track record, including stepping up during the pandemic and supporting victims of the Bronx fire earlier this year. Here’s what we know and what to expect going forward.Read More
January 31, 2022 This Public Health Funder Fears COVID Falsehoods May Topple the Last Pillar of Democracy January 31, 2022/ Paul Karon The CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation fears democracy itself could be a casualty when misinformation erodes the public’s basic belief in science and medicine. It’s even worse when those falsehoods come from doctors.Read More
January 25, 2022 A New, Patent-Free Vaccine May Help End the Pandemic. Philanthropy Made It Possible January 25, 2022/ Paul Karon A handful of funders heard that researchers in Texas needed money to finish developing a low-cost COVID vaccine. Now, it's poised for mass distribution in India and other under-vaccinated countries worldwide.Read More
December 21, 2021 As Omicron Spreads, Who Is Funding Global Vaccine Equity? What Challenges Are They Up Against? December 21, 2021/ Paul Karon Even as philanthropic and public health organizations work to boost supplies of COVID vaccines in low-income countries, funders of COVID vaccine equity face an uphill battle. Read More