January 31, 2024 “More Than Just a Check.” This Funder Couples Cash and Professional Support to Help Artists Thrive January 31, 2024/ Mike Scutari Creative Capital recently announced the winners of its latest round of awards, totaling $2.5 million. With a heightened focus on equity and accessibility, the funder is helping dozens of artists advance their careers.Read More
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 25, 2024 How a Philanthropic Advisor Helps Hesitant Wealthy Donors Level Up Their Giving January 25, 2024/ Mike Scutari Erinn Andrews works with wealthy, but not super-wealthy clients who want to give more thoughtfully but lack the capacity to do so. Here’s how she gets these lagging but well-intentioned donors to step up their games.Read More
January 23, 2024 A Conversation with Flozell Daniels Jr., CEO of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation January 23, 2024/ Mike Scutari Flozell Daniels Jr. heads up this North Carolina-based funder focused on economic justice and racial equity in the South. In a candid chat, he reflects on his career, philanthropy’s blind spots and more.Read More
January 18, 2024 Culture Wars On Campus Are Raging, and Megadonors Are Key Figures on the Battlefield January 18, 2024/ Mike Scutari On the heels of Harvard President Claudine Gay’s resignation, activists are pivoting to hot-button issues like dismantling DEI programs. Major donors have played a key role, and will likely continue to do so. Read More
January 11, 2024 More Than a Check: Inside a Place-Based Funder Where Donors Offer Non-Monetary Support January 11, 2024/ Mike Scutari Chicago’s Springboard Foundation Fund’s Grantee Champions are donors that provide extensive non-financial support to nonprofits. Executive Director Sejal Shah-Myers walks us through its unique operational model.Read More
January 09, 2024 How the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Is Working to Ensure Equitable Access to Care January 09, 2024/ Mike Scutari A top priority for cancer research funders is ensuring that patients receive equitable and timely access to treatment and care. We check in with a leading advocate and grantmaker to see how it’s approaching this work.Read More
January 04, 2024 What Books Are Philanthropic Leaders Reading? Here Are 11 Great Picks From IP Interviews in 2023 January 04, 2024/ Mike Scutari We’ve interviewed dozens of funding leaders, and we often ask for the last great book they read. Here, we compile their responses from conversations in 2023 into one handy and riveting list.Read More
January 02, 2024 A Conversation with Susan Mims, President and CEO of the Dogwood Health Trust January 02, 2024/ Mike Scutari The trust takes an intentionally systems-based, social-determinants-focused approach to improving health. We get Mims’ take on state of public health, challenges in the field and more.Read More
December 21, 2023 Some Funders Still Think Nonprofits Can’t Handle MacKenzie Scott’s Gifts. Nonprofits Disagree December 21, 2023/ Mike Scutari A new report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy finds that nonprofits have capably handled MacKenzie Scott’s large and unrestricted gifts. So why are surveyed funding leaders still not sold on her approach?Read More
December 20, 2023 “This is Just the Beginning.” Digging into Meow Wolf Foundation's Inaugural Round of Grants December 20, 2023/ Mike Scutari This year, Santa Fe-based arts and entertainment company Meow Wolf launched a new foundation. We get a status report from Executive Director Julie Heinrich on the heels of its first foray into grantmaking.Read More
December 14, 2023 Here’s What You Need to Know About MacKenzie Scott’s 2023 Giving December 14, 2023/ Mike Scutari In a new letter published on MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving site, she announced $2.2 billion in donations to 360 organizations in 2023. Who were the big winners? What were her top priorities? We crunched the numbers.Read More
December 13, 2023 “Literature as a Vehicle.” A Unique Book Prize Focuses on Works Addressing Racism and Diversity December 13, 2023/ Mike Scutari The Cleveland Foundation's Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards recognize books that contribute to our understanding of racism and diversity. Manager Karen R. Long walks us through the only juried American book prize of its kind.Read More
December 11, 2023 “A Massive Problem to Solve.” How Can Museums Engage Next-Generation Donors? December 11, 2023/ Mike Scutari As the largest wealth transfer in history takes place, fundraising trends don’t look so good for the arts. Sector stakeholders are trying to figure out how museums can better cultivate a rising generation of heirs.Read More
December 06, 2023 Six Questions for Molly Talbot-Metz, President and CEO of the Mary Black Foundation December 06, 2023/ Mike Scutari This legacy health funder in South Carolina received $8 million from MacKenzie Scott and will channel funds toward behavioral health. The foundation’s leader tells us about that decision and more.Read More
November 29, 2023 A Conversation with Karen Rundlet, Incoming CEO of the Institute for Nonprofit News November 29, 2023/ Mike Scutari The Knight Foundation senior director will take the helm at INN, which offers support to nearly 450 members. We check in with her about why she’s optimistic about local news, her plans for the organization, and much more.Read More
November 21, 2023 There's an Extensive New Guide to Sharing Power in Philanthropy. Will Funders Take Its Advice? November 21, 2023/ Mike Scutari A new report doubles as a comprehensive roadmap for funders looking to share power with grantees and the communities they serve. We dig into its incisive analysis and wonder if funders will actually take the leap.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
November 17, 2023 Progress on Breast Cancer Hasn’t Been Evenly Distributed. This Funder’s on the Case November 17, 2023/ Mike Scutari Tackling demographic disparities in outcomes and care has been a big priority for cancer funders lately. Susan G. Komen, a major backer of breast cancer research, care and advocacy, is no exception.Read More
November 08, 2023 What Does the Billionaire Donor Revolt at Ivy League Schools Mean for Higher Ed Philanthropy? November 08, 2023/ Mike Scutari Affluent donors have threatened to withhold support to protest school administrators’ responses to the Israel-Hamas war, among other related issues. We dig into its potential implications for the field.Read More