April 08, 2022 This Chicago Journalism Merger Is a Breakthrough for Local News—and Funders Are Taking Note April 08, 2022/ Katherine Don Long-beleaguered and previously bankrupt, the storied Chicago Sun-Times has gotten a new lease on life by merging with a nonprofit public media company. Here’s how philanthropy helped make that happen.Read More
March 23, 2022 How This Sex Worker-Led Giving Circle Grew, Letting the Movement Lead the Way March 23, 2022/ Katherine Don When it was founded in 2018, the Sex Worker Giving Circle was the first sex worker-led fund housed at a U.S. foundation. Its growth since then underscores the benefits of giving circles for marginalized communities.Read More
March 04, 2022 CZI’s Justice Reform Spinoff Has Ambitious Goals. Here’s Where Its First Grants Are Headed March 04, 2022/ Katherine Don The Just Trust spun off from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative last year with $350 million in funding. Now that its inaugural grants have gone out, we checked in with CEO Ana Zamora about its goals and outlook.Read More
February 03, 2022 What We Learned from a Deep Dive into Violence Prevention Funding February 03, 2022/ Katherine Don IP’s State of American Philanthropy project recently published an in-depth report on giving for violence prevention, an underfunded field. The report’s author shares some of the key points from her research.Read More
January 20, 2022 “Next-Gen” Philanthropists Are Coming Into Their Own. Here’s How They Approach Giving January 20, 2022/ Katherine Don There is a massive wealth transfer underway, and the young heirs of mega-rich philanthropists often approach giving very differently than their parents. We take a closer look at how they operate.Read More
November 16, 2021 With More Donors on Board, Open Philanthropy Is Spinning Its Criminal Justice Work into a New Fund November 16, 2021/ Katherine Don Open Philanthropy, a leading funder of criminal justice reform, just announced that its program will now be an independent fund building on its work to date. The fund has already picked up some big donors. Read More
November 01, 2021 Kendeda Doubles Down on Employee Ownership, an Underused Part of the Equity Toolbox November 01, 2021/ Katherine Don Giving employees a stake in the business has been shown to not only improve outcomes for workers, but also to increase profitability and survivability. Here’s how the Kendeda Fund’s pitching the concept to the private sector.Read More
September 14, 2021 This Criminal Justice Reform Funder Is Backing Those Impacted by the System to Lead the Way September 14, 2021/ Katherine Don Criminal justice reform is a growing area of giving, offering a wide array of strategies. One billionaire couple’s philanthropy is supporting leaders who are formerly incarcerated or otherwise directly impacted by the legal system.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
July 13, 2021 Melinda French Gates Can Transform Philanthropy for Women and Girls. Here’s How She Might Do It July 13, 2021/ Katherine Don Melinda French Gates’s funding for gender equity could significantly expand in the aftermath of the divorce. If she embraces the strongest aspects of her giving and learns from past mistakes, that could make a huge impact.Read More
June 15, 2021 After an Unprecedented 2020, Criminal Justice Reform Fundraisers Forge Ahead June 15, 2021/ Katherine Don The pandemic and heightened concern about systemic racism prompted a huge surge in giving to criminal justice reform groups. We spoke with several fundraisers to learn how the past year impacted their work—and what’s next.Read More