foundations

Philanthropy
Remembering Louis Booker Wright, Defender of America’s Privately Supported Research Libraries
It has been nearly 40 years since Louis Booker Wright was laid to rest. As a scholar, Wright was well-known for his research into Elizabethan England, William Shakespeare, and early U.S.
by Neil Hrab on September 2, 2022

Foundation Watch
Congressional Questions About Politicized Philanthropy Almost Half a Century Ago
Citing the Ford Foundation and some of its grantmaking specifically, President Richard Nixon’s pugilistically populist advisor Patrick J. Buchanan told a Senate Watergate Committee hearing in 1973 that “tax exempt multimillions have…
by Michael E. Hartmann on July 26, 2022

Philanthropy
Thomas Piketty Proposes Specific Tax Scale for Nonprofit Endowments
Piketty’s new book A Brief History of Equality further explores the origins of wealth disparity and offers various specific policy proposals that he believes would mitigate it, including an annual wealth tax…
by Michael E. Hartmann on July 14, 2022

Foundation Watch
Foundations Should Disclose Investments and De-Politicize Giving
An increasing number of private foundations are inserting sociopolitical considerations into their investment portfolios, just as many already do in their grantmaking. Those that choose to do so should be…
by Robert Stilson on March 7, 2022

Philanthropy
“Intermediate Sanctions” Against Abuses of Tax Exemption, 25 Years After Their Enactment
A little more than 25 years ago, on July 30, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed into law what was called the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. The law included new “intermediate…
by Michael E. Hartmann on October 1, 2021

Foundation Watch
The Rhode Island Community Foundation at the Century Mark
The Rhode Island Community Foundation, which turned 100 years old last year, is a massive hub of activity in a tiny state. The problem is its grant-making focuses…
by Kevin Mooney on February 5, 2017

Green Watch
Rallying Believers to Pax Gaia: If you’re pro-God, you must be Green, suggests Yale’s Forum on Religion and Ecology
Mother Earth; Grim and Tucker; and a scene from a YouTube video featuring Thomas Berry. Green Watch July 2016 — Rallying Believers to Pax Gaia If you're pro-God, you must be…
by Dr. Steven J. Allen on July 1, 2016