January 12, 2023

Mental Health Professionals Are in High Demand. Who’s Funding Workforce Development?

January 12, 2023/ Paul Karon

As mental health programs expand, the nation is facing a growing shortage of professionals to work in settings from schools to hospitals. A few major players are engaged, but there’s a huge opportunity here for more funders.

October 21, 2022

Climate Philanthropy Has a New Power Couple in Steve and Connie Ballmer

October 21, 2022/ Michael Kavate

A $217 million commitment from the Ballmer Group marks the mega-donors’ first foray into climate giving. With the couple’s son Sam Ballmer taking the lead, big grants are already starting to flow.

March 03, 2022

Where a Huge Mental Health Gift from the Ballmers Is Headed—and What It Means for the Field

March 03, 2022/ Paul Karon

The Ballmer Group's $425 million grant establishes a new children's mental health institute, building on the funder's strategy of connecting universities with community programs. It’s also a bellwether for mental health giving.

January 13, 2022

What We Know About the Ballmers’ Ed Funding: Charters, Community Schools, Early Ed and More

January 13, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen

The Ballmer Group is a longtime funder of efforts to improve economic mobility, including support for K-12 and early childhood. It’s also been sharing more details about its grantees lately. Here’s what we know.

December 01, 2021

Quiet But Extensive: What New Data on the Ballmers' Anti-Poverty Grantmaking Tells Us

December 01, 2021/ Philip Rojc

A new grants database offers further insights into the giving of billionaire couple Steve and Connie Ballmer, who have moved hundreds of millions to a wide variety of anti-poverty efforts. But are they still playing it too safe?

June 08, 2021

The Pandemic Within the Pandemic: 3 Things to Know About a Big Investment in Behavioral Health

June 08, 2021/ Paul Karon

The Ballmer Group's landmark $38 million commitment aims to expand the pipeline of training for behavioral health practitioners in Washington State. We take a look at how giving seeks to address growing mental health concerns.

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.

September 04, 2018

The Bigger Picture: Behind Millions in Grants to Drive Policy and Systems Change on Education

September 04, 2018/ Caitlin Reilly

In another sign that education funders are looking beyond narrow school-level reforms, StriveTogether—with backing from the Ballmer Group—is deploying $20 million to back efforts to shift public policy and systems.

August 28, 2018

Parents as Teachers: Another Way Funders Seek to Bolster Early Childhood Learning

August 28, 2018/ Caitlin Reilly

The Ballmer Group is among a growing number of grantmakers looking to reach kids before they start school. One strategy is helping parents do a better job of fostering their children’s development.

August 16, 2018

Targeting Support: Behind a Big Impact Investment by the Ballmer Group

August 16, 2018/ Ade Adeniji

As the Ballmer Group pumps millions into nonprofits working to lift children out of poverty, it also has its eye on using new technology to drive faster progress in this tough area.

July 26, 2018

Millions to Improve Job Skills From a Top Funder May Help Workers Move Up. But How Far?

July 26, 2018/ Caitlin Reilly

Steve and Connie Ballmer are among the big funders who are putting new money into workforce development. But what can this approach achieve in the face of large-scale structural inequities that hurt workers?

May 23, 2018

The Ballmer Express: Where's This Anti-Poverty Funder Heading Now?

May 23, 2018/ Caitlin Reilly

The Ballmer Group is one of the most interesting acts to follow in philanthropy right now. Its latest pair of eight-figure gifts underscores its commitment to capacity building and offers more clues about its strategy.

January 18, 2018

Why Aren’t There More Big Health Gifts Like This One?

January 18, 2018/ David Callahan

Even as new wealth flows for medical research and name-brand hospitals, basic care for low-income communities tends to fall through the cracks. We explore this disparity in the context of a big grant in L.A.

July 31, 2017

Why the New Mega-Givers Are Big Believers in General Support

July 31, 2017/ David Callahan

The Ballmer Group is just the latest player in philanthropy that believes in providing big chunks of unrestricted funding. Why do the newer donors operate so differently from legacy foundations?

July 05, 2017

Start Locally, Expand Nationally: What's Next for Ballmer Anti-Poverty Giving?

July 05, 2017/ David Callahan

The emergence of Steve and Connie Ballmer as major givers is one of the more intriguing stories in philanthropy right now. New twists and turns keep coming—including important news last week.

May 16, 2017

Boring? Hardly. Why At Least Some Funders Care About Government Budgets

May 16, 2017/ Philip Rojc and David Callahan

Work on budgetary issues has never drawn a lot of funding. Now, though, some new donors are putting millions behind efforts to create better, more reliable fiscal data and analysis.

April 26, 2017

Just the Facts, Please: Steve Ballmer's Interesting Project on Government Spending

April 26, 2017/ Philip Rojc

When a couple has $30 billion and is ramping up their philanthropy, we pay attention. Steve Ballmer's new project has an intuitive interface and a simple mission: the facts.

May 30, 2014

What Will Steve Ballmer's Clipper Deal Mean for His Philanthropy?

May 30, 2014/ David Callahan

Hey, wait a minute, Ballmer: You're not supposed to blow your big fortune and all your new free time buying basketball teams. You're supposed to start a bold second career as a philanthropist. After all, that $20 billion pile of yours could make a real dent in any problem you jump on.