Is padding your endowment an ethical use of unrestricted funds? My first response: “You’re kidding, right?”

Tom Ahern

June 28, 2020 | How tos

Our gifts were solicited as unrestricted gifts and matched dollar-for-dollar by the foundation. A board member recommends that we split the funds raised ($100,000) between the general operating fund and the endowment, which is managed by the community foundation. Is it ethical/legal to take funds solicited as unrestricted and without a donor’s explicit direction, deposit them (or percentage of) into an endowment?

Please give to the Galveston College Emergency StudentScholarship Fund

Galveston College

June 22, 2020 | Giving Around Texas

The days of summer are, for many community college students, another opportunity to complete or accelerate their education.   Galveston College students are very grateful for the financial support through the college’s Emergency Student Scholarship (ESS) Fund. Private donors contributed to the stability of the ESS Fund, which provides monetary relief to students for unexpected circumstances that may significantly interfere with their ability to attend… Read more »

A letter from Louis Dorfman regarding IEAS Important News and Changes

International Exotic Animal Sanctuary

June 22, 2020 | Leadership

This year has been an unprecedented and challenging year for the whole world and the organizations affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic and its effects on beings, human and animals. We at the sanctuary have been less effected than many organizations; our main issues have been the loss of most of our interns (who returned to their home quarantine) and the loss of some of our… Read more »

Giving USA 2020: Charitable giving showed solid growth, climbing to $449.64 billion in 2019, one of the highest years for giving on record

Giving USA

June 22, 2020 | Press Releases

American individuals, bequests, foundations and corporations gave an estimated $449.64 billion to U.S. charities in 2019, placing it among the highest years ever for charitable giving, according to findings in Giving USA 2020: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2019, released today. Total charitable giving rose 4.2% measured in current dollars (2.4% adjusted for inflation) over the revised total of $431.43 billion… Read more »

Lessons From Animals

Harvey Mackay

June 22, 2020 | How tos

In the Upper Midwest, a sure sign of spring and fall is when geese fly overhead, often honking loudly.  I recently discovered the reason. Turns out that Professor Margaret Kuhn’s research revealed that in order to fly long distances, geese rotate their leaders, and they only pick the ones that can handle turbulence.  The other birds honk, not from discomfort, but to encourage their… Read more »

Upcoming Summer Events at Cibolo Nature Center

Cibolo Nature Center & Farm

June 22, 2020 | News

    Upcoming Events & Updates   MOONDANCE CONCERT SERIES IS BACK Your favorite outdoor concerts are back and start July 11 with the Blake Torrey Band. We are limiting capacity—get your tickets online to ensure your spot! Tickets & Info THIRST FOR NATURE: FIREFLIES First event sold out in minutes. 2nd event added June 25 with limited capacity. Register Here FARMERS MARKET EVERY SATURDAY Explore… Read more »

It’s time for transformation – Join us at this year’s Children’sSummit

Children at Risk

June 22, 2020 | Events

THE TEXAS FAMILY LEADERSHIP COUNCIL PRESENTS….   Save the date for this year’s virtual Children’s Summit!   WHEN: June 26th from 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM WHERE: Zoom Webinar COST: $45   The Children’s Summit is an annual event hosted by CHILDREN AT RISK that focuses on the major issues faced by children each year. The last few months have brought unprecedented change to… Read more »

You can give a homeless child a bright start this academic year

SAMMinistries

June 22, 2020 | News

  Do you remember the excitement of starting a new school year?    You can give a homeless child a bright start this academic year.   On the first day of school, every child should be able to put on a crisp new outfit, slide their feet into shoes that fit, and grab a backpack stocked with the supplies they need to start their… Read more »

Up to $1M in global research to advance gender equity

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

June 22, 2020 | Grants Available

This year in the United States, we celebrate a landmark of the women’s suffrage movement—the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. And just this week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.  Yet gender inequities remain a barrier to good health and well-being. Across the globe, nations and communities… Read more »

RWJF Culture of Health Prize

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

June 22, 2020 | Grants Available

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is seeking proposals from non- or for-profit organizations, colleges or universities or other public entities for the leadership and management of the RWJF Culture of Health Prize. Applicants must be: dedicated to equity and have a strong knowledge of how things like jobs, housing, and education impact health and opportunity in local communities; experienced in directing a competitive multi-phased… Read more »

Prologue re: indents Your donor-base’s bottom line… Are your charity’s toes touching reality bottom?

Tom Ahern

June 20, 2020 | How tos

Do you know, for instance, that research persistently finds that TYPICAL donors are older than NGO insiders (board, staff) presume. OK, dear fundraiser, if you’re younger than 55, can let’s conduct a quick reality check. Go to the restroom. Look in the mirror. Your donors don’t look like you. Reality check over. 2012 TRUTH (and sure, things have changed since 2012; just prove it… Read more »

In the Time of Coronavirus: Can nonprofits and foundations use their endowments as a resource for recovery?

Jeff Williams - Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy

June 20, 2020 | How tos

In the wake of COVID-19, there has been a lot of discussion — especially in the blogosphere — about foundations “digging deep” both by increasing annual spending and potentially spending down endowment assets. To some voices in philanthropy — including the Ford Foundation’s Hillary Pennington (Bell, 2020), Benjamin Soskis (2020) of HistPhil and the Urban Institute, and the Libra Foundation’s (2020) Crystal Hayling — the magnitude of the crisis demands considering all financial resources. Over 300 donors and grantmakers have now signed a joint letter asking Congress to temporarily raise minimum foundation payout levels and set a payout requirement for the first time for Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) to respond to the unprecedented need among nonprofits (Daniels, 2020).

COVID-19 Response Fund Grows by $1 million to $6.3 million

San Antonio Area Foundation

June 12, 2020 | Funders and Foundations

More than 160 nonprofits already awarded in less than two months. Two major gifts have maintained the viability and growth of the COVID-19 Response Fund, bringing funds donated to help San Antonians to $6.3 million. The H. E. Butt Foundation pledged an additional $500,000, bringing their total commitment to $1 million. Additionally, The Humana Foundation joined the effort with a $300,000 gift. Additional donations… Read more »

Influencing Young America To Act – Special Report – June 2020

Cause and Social Influence

June 12, 2020 | News

Influencing Young America To Act – Special Report – June 2020 The Influencing Young America to Act Special Report reveals the actions young Americans are taking to address racial inequality, discrimination and social injustice for Black people in America in this unique moment.  On June 6, The New York Times summarized the state of the country after George Floyd, a Black male, died while… Read more »

Tale of Two Crises: Billionaires Gain as Workers Feel Pandemic Pain

Americans for Tax Fairness

June 12, 2020 | News

Nation’s Billionaire’s See Net Worth Jump $434B in First Two Months of Pandemic America’s billionaires bound far ahead financially even as the rest of America was locked down during the first two months of the coronavirus pandemic, a new report by Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF) and the Institute for Policy Studies – Program on Inequality (IPS) shows. Between March 18—the rough start date… Read more »

Learning from COVID-19: Five Self-Care Approaches for the Nonprofit Sector

Mandy Sharp Eizinger of the The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University

June 12, 2020 | Strong Communities

COVID-19 is the global pandemic of the generation. Operating under crisis is often the norm for nonprofit organizations, and COVID-19 is revealing the complexity of global crises and their bearing on self-care for individuals in the sector. As parts of the world enter recovery and rebuilding in this new reality, the continued challenge will be to redefine post-coronavirus self-care for millions of professional helpers… Read more »

Alpha Home June Newsletter

Alpha Home

June 12, 2020 | News

June Newsletter   From the CEO     As we prepare for the summer months, it is important to reflect on where we’ve been. Focusing on the positives and operating in faith have certainly carried us through the challenges that COVID-19 brought with it.   Our retention rates are higher, we’ve engaged with more rural clients, and our outpatient client participation has increased.  … Read more »

Gulf Coast Bird Observatory June 2020 E-News

Gulf Coast Bird Observatory

June 12, 2020 | News

A Note from Our Director   Thank you for your great support during these crazy times! My last call for support during this Covid19 pandemic was answered by your kind donations and online sales. Thank you, and I hope you are well and staying safe!    We are back to work at our Lake Jackson headquarters, but it will remain closed to visitors for now. We have… Read more »

Texans Care for Children and the Texas Education Grantmakers Advocacy Consortium (TEGAC) are pleased to announce the Texas Early Childhood English Learner Initiative!

Texans Care for Children and the Texas Education Grantmakers Advocacy Consortium

June 12, 2020 | Press Releases

Drawing on our experience working on early childhood education policy, we are partnering with a variety of stakeholders to develop a coordinated, bipartisan, and collaborative effort to strengthen Texas early childhood systems — including child care, Head Start, pre-k, and kindergarten through third grade — for English Learner (EL) children. The Initiative recognizes that English Learners are key to the success of education efforts… Read more »

2020-21 Community Sabbatical Research Leave Grants

Humanities Institute - University of Texas at Austin

June 12, 2020 | Grants Available

Deadline Extended for 2020-21 Community Sabbatical Research Leave Grants Extended Application Deadline: Friday, June 26, 2020 The Humanities Institute at the University of Texas at Austin is proud to continue the groundbreaking program that supports ongoing research and intellectual work in the Austin non-profit community: The Community Sabbatical Research Leave Program. This year we are particularly interested in proposals for research on how nonprofits… Read more »