January 29, 2024 The Dollar Amounts Are Historic, But Here’s Why We’re Really Bullish About Two Recent HBCU Gifts January 29, 2024/ Mike Scutari Spelman College and the UNCF received $100 million apiece in recent weeks. We dig into the common ingredients in each donation, and why they’re an encouraging sign for the HBCU field as a whole. Read More
January 04, 2024 Ed Donors Take Note: Scholarships Have to Amount to More Than Just Feel-Good Stories January 04, 2024/ Mike Nylund, Guest Contributor According to guest author Mike Nylund, scholarships as they’re currently awarded tend to exacerbate inequities in higher ed. His argument: Donors should adopt a sharp focus on students with clear financial need.Read More
November 20, 2023 A Closer Look at the Philanthropy of First Wave Tech Billionaire John Morgridge and His Family November 20, 2023/ Mike Scutari The former Cisco CEO hails from the generation of givers who made their fortunes in tech’s first wave. We dig into his family’s grantmaking and meet the heirs who’ll carry that philanthropy forward.Read More
October 23, 2023 Big Giving, Low Profile: Digging into the Philanthropy of the Billionaire Chan Family October 23, 2023/ Mike Scutari While they have a penchant for higher ed mega-gifts, billionaire businessmen Ronnie and Gerald Chan keep things fairly low key with their Morningside Foundation. Here’s a look at the family’s backstory and the brothers’ priorities.Read More
September 13, 2023 Why This Major Antipoverty Funder Is Ramping Up Its Investment in HBCUs September 13, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Against the backdrop of rising funder interest and a controversial Supreme Court decision, the big-donor funding collaborative Blue Meridian Partners is tripling its investment in the HBCU Transformation Project.Read More
August 10, 2023 The Wealthy Donors Behind the Assault on Affirmative Action August 10, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen The campaign against affirmative action isn’t a lonely crusade by a committed activist and a band of disgruntled students; it’s an organized effort bankrolled by a powerful network of conservative funders.Read More
July 31, 2023 HBCU Moves: Seven Questions for Mildred Whittier, Spelman College Alumna and Fundraiser July 31, 2023/ Ade Adeniji Mildred Whittier helped launch Women for Golden Futures, a fundraising effort to support her alma mater Spelman College. We heard from her about the initiative, her history with Spelman, and how HBCUs can pull in more funding.Read More
June 26, 2023 This Megadonor Couple’s Latest Gift to a Favored University Follows Past Criticism June 26, 2023/ Paul Karon Henry and Susan Samueli are continuing their tradition of big giving to UC Irvine. But their support for the school hasn’t always been free of controversy, highlighting concerns over megadonor influence in higher ed.Read More
June 02, 2023 Jim and Marilyn Simons Just Doubled a Public University's Endowment. More Mega Gifts to Come? June 02, 2023/ Paul Karon The megadonor couple just committed $500 million to Stony Brook University in New York. Is this a sign of more huge gifts down the road? And can other states learn from New York’s higher ed endowment matching program?Read More
May 30, 2023 Universities Get Big Bucks, Climate Does Not. But Recent Gifts Show Growing Crossover May 30, 2023/ Michael Kavate Does a series of recent awards for climate-related university projects suggest a promising fundraising trend amid a planetary crisis, or is this just a case of more of the same?Read More
May 19, 2023 With Its First Major Grant, a New Foundation Tackles Rural Healthcare Access May 19, 2023/ Martha Ramirez After selling her company and starting the Barr-Campbell Family Foundation, a UC Berkeley alum awarded the university $10 million to launch an ambitious master’s degree program focused on rural healthcare.Read More
January 06, 2023 Remembering Barbara Walters’ Philanthropy, and What to Expect Next January 06, 2023/ Ade Adeniji An iconic journalist and TV personality, Barbara Walters was also an active philanthropist. Here’s an overview of what she supported and some details on her giving vehicle, the Dena Charitable Trust.Read More
November 17, 2022 Why a California Health Foundation is Backing Graduate Education Loans for Dreamers November 17, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen For young adults brought to the U.S. when they were children, paying for college can be prohibitively expensive. That’s especially true for graduate school, so Cal Wellness is backing a unique fund that provides financial aid.Read More
October 14, 2022 With a Higher Ed Partnership, a New Foundation Is Spotlighting Indigenous History and Culture October 14, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen The Gochman Family Foundation is a new grantmaker founded in 2021. Here’s a look at how it’s joining forces with the Open Society Foundations to launch new Indigenous arts and history programs at Bard College.Read More
July 15, 2022 Six Funders Who Are Prioritizing Diversity in STEM Higher Ed July 15, 2022/ IP Staff Much of the philanthropic funding for higher education in STEM still fails to address disparities in those fields. Here are a few of the grantmakers we’re tracking who have been funding DEI in STEM higher ed.Read More
March 25, 2022 This Funder You’ve Never Heard of Is Giving Away Millions in SoCal March 25, 2022/ Alyssa Ochs The Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Family Foundation maintains a low public profile, doesn’t have a website and quietly gives to local causes. Here are a few things Los Angeles grantseekers should know.Read More
February 23, 2022 How Mellon Is Weaving Together Humanities and Social Justice With New Higher Ed Grants February 23, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen As the liberal arts stalwart leans into social justice, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Humanities for All Times initiative is supporting projects that link humanities skills to social justice pursuits at 12 colleges around the country.Read More
January 31, 2022 What We Learned from a Deep Dive into Higher Ed Giving January 31, 2022/ Mike Scutari We recently published an in-depth paper looking at giving to higher education institutions as part of IP’s State of American Philanthropy project. Author Mike Scutari walks through some key takeaways.Read More
January 24, 2022 A Look at This Jewish University’s New $613 Million Fundraising Campaign January 24, 2022/ Simone Ellin New York-based Yeshiva University is looking to expand via an ambitious new fundraising campaign with a goal inspired by the Torah. We look at what the university has planned, and some headwinds it faces.Read More
December 21, 2021 An Award for Scholars Backing Movements Inside and Outside the Academy Walls December 21, 2021/ Connie Matthiessen Through its Freedom Scholars initiative, the Marguerite Casey Foundation recognizes academics whose work both supports and channels activist movements pushing for social justice.Read More