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News Briefing
Highlights Inside
a guide to key developments
ARTS GROUPS FACE GRIM PICTURE
A measure to gauge the health of arts groups shows
a record drop in vitality, according to Americans for
the Arts. The 2010 National Arts Index showed a
drop of 3.6 points, to 97.7, more than in the 12 years
since the index was started. Although the number of
arts organizations grew by 3,000 from 2007 to 2009,
an increasing share of them— 41 percent in 2009, up
from 36 percent the previous year—told the Internal Revenue Service that they had failed to achieve a
balanced budget.
BANK ORDERS STAFF MEMBERS TO DONATE
PART OF BONUSES
The international bank Credit Suisse will require its
American and Brazilian senior staff members to give
2. 5 percent of their 2010 bonuses to charity. It said
that for tax and administrative reasons, the charity
rule will be adopted only in the United States and
Brazil for now but could eventually be expanded.
U. OF CONN. DONOR ASKS
FOR $3-MILLION BACK
A donor to the University of
Connecticut is demanding
that the institution return
his $3-million gift. The investor Robert G. Burton
gave the money to the university for a football complex. But now he says he
has so little confidence in the management style of
the university’s athletic director that he wants his
money back and his family’s name stripped from the
buildings. The university has not said how it will respond to the demands but says it hopes to resolve the
dispute amicably.
FEED THE CHILDREN ENDS
COURT DISPUTES
Larry Jones, the founder of
the antipoverty group Feed
the Children, has dropped
his lawsuit saying he was
illegally ousted as the charity’s chief executive in 2009.
As part of the agreement,
the charity withdrew a lawsuit that accused Mr. Jones
of misusing the organization’s fund during his tenure. Mr. Jones is under investigation by the Oklahoma attorney general’s office for possible criminal misdeeds during his tenure at Feed the Children.
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CHRISTOPHER MyERS
AN ACT OF DEFIANCE
A tiny Baltimore charity refused to sign a local
United Way’s antiterrorism form and now is
getting support from across the nation. Page 26
SEIZING THE MOMENT
In the wake of the Arizona shootings, charities
are stepping up efforts to urge lawmakers and
the public to do more to help the mentally ill.
Page 25
GOLDMAN FUND TO BREAK UP
The Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, which has
disbursed almost $700-million to hundreds of organizations in its 60 years, will close at the end of
2012 and divide its assets among the foundations of
the late couple’s three children. The move comes after Mr. Goldman died in November; his wife died in
1996. The grant maker’s signature Goldman Environmental Prize will continue to be awarded.
A CHALLENGE TO STATE AID
Virginia’s Constitution prohibits state funds
from going directly to nonprofits that are not
operating under government contracts, the
state’s attorney general says. Page 26
Now Online
SOCIAL MEDIA AND GIVING
Learn how charities used social networks to
increase their online giving during the holiday
season in a new episode of our Social Good pod-cast.
DECEIVING DONORS
Find out why a state regulator took harsh action against a domestic-abuse charity that misled donors and put victims at risk of harm, in
The Watchdog blog.
FORD PLEDGES $50-MILLION FOR FILMMAKERS
The Ford Foundation plans to spend $50-million over
five years to finance production of nonfiction films
that call attention to efforts to solve social problems.
The program, called JustFilms, will collaborate with
cinematic organizations, including the Sundance
Institute—the nonprofit organizer of the Sundance
Film Festival—and support documentaries for online
as well as theatrical audiences.
KENNEDY CENTER JOINS WITH D.C. OPERA
The John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts announced last month
that it would merge its
administrative offices
with the Washington
National Opera. The
financially troubled
opera, which currently
carries a debt of $12-million, had whittled its schedule to five productions per year.
kARIN COOPER/AfP/GET Ty IMAGES/NEWSCOM
PHILANTHROPY WITH A FAMOUS NAME
Read the transcript of our discussion with Abigail Disney, the heiress and filmmaker who
oversees the Daphne Foundation.
For details, go to http://philanthropy.com/extras
Corrections
n A credit accompanying an article and photograph about the charity The World Is Just a
Book Away (The Face of Philanthropy, January
13) inaccurately rendered the name of the photographer. It was taken by Sabine Lehmann.
n A poster The Chronicle used to illustrate the
California Community Foundation’s work in the
El Monte suburb of Los Angeles (January 13) was
commissioned by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The authority
hired the artist Lois Keller to produce the poster. The Chronicle should have made clearer the
source of the artwork.
The Chronicle strives for accuracy. If you see an error,
please send a message to editor@philanthropy.com.
Opinion
Philanthropy faces a defining moment as it
deals with the realities of the new global economy, writes Sean Stannard-Stockton, a
Chronicle columnist. Page 37
Foundations need to be more thoughtful
about how they help charities struggling in the
downturn, writes the head of the Clark Foundation. Page 37
Nonprofit leaders who promote social change
need a new rulebook from the one that emerged
in the 1960s and 70s, writes a nonprofit consultant. Page 37
Measuring the outcomes of grants gets in the
way of producing real results, writes William
Schambra, a Chronicle columnist. Page 38
Nonprofits and grant makers should mobilize
to persuade lawmakers to put new curbs on
guns, writes Pablo Eisenberg, a Chronicle columnist. Page 39
MILWAUKEE ARCHDIOCESE FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY
Facing a string of lawsuits over its handling of sex
abuse by clergy members, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee has filed for bankruptcy protection. Archbishop
Jerome Listecki, who took office a year ago, said in
a video statement that the pending financial claims
arising from abuse cases “exceed our means.”
Advocates for victims contended the filing is intended
to protect top church officials from public questioning.
INSIDE
Directory of Services .............................................. Page 35
Philanthropy Careers .............................................. Page 41
Newly announced grants ....................................... Page 17
Deadlines for grants and awards .......................... Page 36
People ................................................................... Page 32
Technology............................................................... Page 27
Worth Reading ........................................................ Page 34
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