March 09, 2023 Salesforce Stumbles, but Its Equity-Focused Philanthropy Marches On March 09, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen The tech giant has hit rocky terrain of late, but the company’s philanthropy continues to move millions. Its Catalyst Fund is supporting Black-led nonprofits promoting leadership and job skills for young people of color. Read More
February 16, 2023 A Family Foundation Tapping a Fast Food Fortune Just Got a Lot Richer. Here’s What to Expect February 16, 2023/ Ade Adeniji The foundation of Peter Buck and his wife Carmen, both deceased, recently inherited a 50% stake in Subway, which could be worth billions. Here’s what we know about the family’s philanthropy and interests. Read More
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
December 07, 2022 Backed by a Billionaire Couple, a Chicago Nonprofit Takes a Community-Led Approach to Youth Equity December 07, 2022/ Ade Adeniji Funded by Mark and Kimbra Walter, Chicago Beyond draws upon the work of veteran principal Liz Dozier. The group is investing millions in community-led initiatives, while challenging top-down dynamics in K-12 philanthropy.Read More
December 07, 2022 To Advance Health Equity, a Big Hospital Gift Targets the Earliest Childhood Experiences December 07, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen Real estate investor John Schreiber and his wife Kathleen are long-time Chicago philanthropists. A recent $25 million gift underscores a more recent priority for the couple: early childhood, including conditions before birth.Read More
November 30, 2022 To Combat an "Urgent Threat," a Donor Couple Makes a Big Commitment to News Literacy November 30, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen Billionaire couple Melanie and Richard Lundquist are throwing their support behind the News Literacy Project to arm students and the public against mis- and disinformation.Read More
November 22, 2022 A Restaurant Giant Steps Up for Students — One Classroom at a Time November 22, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen Andrew and Peggy Cherng, the college sweethearts who started Panda Express, have directed millions toward education and healthcare for low-income children and youth through the company’s foundation, Panda Cares.Read More
November 17, 2022 Will Jeff Bezos Disrupt Philanthropy Like He Disrupted Retail? It's Doubtful November 17, 2022/ Philip Rojc Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez announced this week they will give most of the Amazon founder’s fortune away. Staggering dollar amounts aside, we can likely expect a fairly conventional philanthropic project. Read More
November 15, 2022 MacKenzie Scott’s Far-Reaching Giving Continues to Grow. What Impact Is She Having? November 15, 2022/ Philip Rojc Another update from America’s most exciting mega-donor shows an ever-evolving set of focus areas, which now include charter schools and lots of global giving. One question we still have: How does it all fit together?Read More
November 09, 2022 A Tech-Focused Family Foundation Takes a Cerebral Approach to Education Funding November 09, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen The Siegel Family Endowment’s inquiry-driven approach to education philanthropy reflects its founder’s scientific roots. Here’s how the foundation makes its decisions and what it funds.Read More
October 25, 2022 “Game-Changing” Gifts from MacKenzie Scott Boost Educators’ Ambitions — and Hopes for the Future October 25, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen We’ve seen a flurry of new gifts from MacKenzie Scott lately, including some big K-12 donations. Two recent education grantees say the recognition and affirmation are almost as valuable as the dollars.Read More
October 17, 2022 How Philanthropy Can Combat a “Ferocious” Wave of Book Bans October 17, 2022/ Simone Ellin As book bans in schools become a key front in the culture wars, organizations like PEN America are betting that Americans’ faith in free speech will prove stronger. Do funders have their backs?Read More
October 13, 2022 This Hedge Fund Billionaire’s Foundation Is a Black Box. Here's What We Know About His Giving October 13, 2022/ Michael Kavate Stephen and Susan Mandel send 99.9% of their foundation giving to a donor-advised fund. But a trail of online acknowledgements paint a portrait of what they support — including many education and environment grantees.Read More
October 11, 2022 Billionaire Education Philanthropist Barbara Dalio Isn't Giving Up on Disengaged Students October 11, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen In an invisible crisis, an alarming number of students disengage from and ultimately drop out of school. Dalio Education is working to identify these students in Connecticut and help them get back on track before it’s too late.Read More
September 26, 2022 “Our Focus Is on the Children.” A Software Giant Ups Its Commitment to Public Schools September 26, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen Salesforce’s latest round of education funding zeroes in on mental health and resilient schools. It’s praiseworthy support, but begs the question: why is so much private backing for public schools even necessary?Read More
September 26, 2022 To Make Education Philanthropy More Equitable, Pay Attention to Who’s Getting Funded September 26, 2022/ Michelle Molitor, Guest Contributor Drawing on a survey of over 200 grantseekers in education, guest contributor Michelle Molitor discusses prevailing structural inequities in grantmaking and what funders can do to shift that status quo.Read More
September 19, 2022 Celine Coggins Reflects on Her Time at the Helm of Grantmakers for Education September 19, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen After four years at Grantmakers for Education, Executive Director Celine Coggins is moving on. We talked to Coggins about changes she has seen in education philanthropy, changes she’d like to see, and her plans for the future.Read More
September 06, 2022 Despite the Fanfare, Ed Philanthropy’s Investment in Racial Justice Falls Short September 06, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen Recent analysis by the Schott Foundation and Candid found that education philanthropy continues to “drastically underfund” K-12 racial justice work, even as a backlash against anti-racist education engulfs schools.Read More
August 23, 2022 Seven Problems That Have Defied Philanthropy August 23, 2022/ Philip Rojc There are certain issues where philanthropy has tried to make a dent and failed. Others are seemingly so intractable that funders have mostly shied away. Here are some key areas where the sector has struggled to move the needle.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