… [Read more...] about The Implications of the Fearless Fund Lawsuit for Downtown Revitalization
Housing and Cities
“We Know Exactly How Housing Works.” How a New Public-Private Partnership Tackles Homelessness
Housing Former Foster Youth in LA: Checking in with Daniel Heimpel
Good ideas seem to bubble up from different corners of the globe around the same time. Take the development of the field of philosophy during the Axial Age, the invention of the airplane in the early 20th century, or, in the worlds of philanthropy … [Read more...] about Housing Former Foster Youth in LA: Checking in with Daniel Heimpel
“Homelessness Is Solvable.” Why Funders Are Flocking to This Housing Nonprofit
Community Solutions, a New York-based, national nonprofit founded by Rosanne Haggerty in 2011, has a bold goal: to put an end to homelessness. Or at least make it “rare and brief.” As its website proclaims, “Homelessness is solvable. This is not a … [Read more...] about “Homelessness Is Solvable.” Why Funders Are Flocking to This Housing Nonprofit
Amazon Doubles Down on Its Housing Giving. Good Strategy or More of the Same?
There are few firms to compete with Amazon for sheer ubiquity. Like it or not, Amazon’s everywhere, and that poses a distinct challenge for its corporate philanthropy. How and where should the company give for greatest visibility and effect when its … [Read more...] about Amazon Doubles Down on Its Housing Giving. Good Strategy or More of the Same?
Google Gets Behind Guaranteed Income to Relieve Homelessness on Its Home Turf
There is growing momentum behind the concept of guaranteed income — that is, programs that provide recurring direct cash payments to ease poverty. Pilots have been rolled out around the country — more than 150 to date — and preliminary analyses show … [Read more...] about Google Gets Behind Guaranteed Income to Relieve Homelessness on Its Home Turf
With a New Arts Initiative, Gilbert Family Foundation Expands its Philanthropic Footprint in Detroit
Despite their reputation for national and global giving, billionaire megadonors do, in fact, funnel considerable support to organizations closer to home. Their place-based giving often centers on the usual suspects of big cultural institutions or “ed … [Read more...] about With a New Arts Initiative, Gilbert Family Foundation Expands its Philanthropic Footprint in Detroit
This Public-Private Partnership Is Using Arts and Culture as a Catalyst for Racial Justice in Oakland
Cities are centers of tremendous wealth, but also deep inequality. As the world rapidly urbanizes, with more than half of the global population now living in cities, more philanthropic funders are working to develop what Susan S. Fainstein calls “the … [Read more...] about This Public-Private Partnership Is Using Arts and Culture as a Catalyst for Racial Justice in Oakland
A Foundation-Backed Initiative Looks to Boost Public Health, One City at a Time
Where you live has a major impact on your health: Factors like pollution, poor housing, and lack of access to health care and nutritious food undermine health and lower life expectancy. For a funder like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which … [Read more...] about A Foundation-Backed Initiative Looks to Boost Public Health, One City at a Time
Inside a Community Foundation’s First Moves to Close Its Region’s Racial Home Ownership Gap
Normally, a one-year, $200,000 grant might not merit much notice. But for the 10 Black families in the Richmond, Virginia, area who will be the initial recipients in a new Economic Mobility and Black Homeownership Pilot Program, the assistance they … [Read more...] about Inside a Community Foundation’s First Moves to Close Its Region’s Racial Home Ownership Gap
Small Grants Yield Big Cash: A Foundation Helped Unlock Millions in Public Funds for Homeless Youth
This is not a news flash: Los Angeles is experiencing a massive homelessness crisis. A lesser-known fact: A large percentage of people “sleeping rough” under the freeway overpasses and in city parks were in the foster care system, often not that … [Read more...] about Small Grants Yield Big Cash: A Foundation Helped Unlock Millions in Public Funds for Homeless Youth
Where’s the Bezos Day One Fund’s Latest Homelessness Support Going?
Jeff Bezos is one of the wealthiest people on the planet and his philanthropy draws a lot of attention. Though overshadowed in recent years by the giving of his ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, Bezos remains one of the top billionaire philanthropists. His … [Read more...] about Where’s the Bezos Day One Fund’s Latest Homelessness Support Going?
The Robin Hood of the West: Inside the Antipoverty Work of Tipping Point Community
Last year, we did a deep dive on the Robin Hood Foundation, founded in 1988 by Wall Street titan Paul Tudor Jones with the ambitious mission to eliminate poverty in New York City. Gotham’s largest antipoverty charity is very much a byproduct of New … [Read more...] about The Robin Hood of the West: Inside the Antipoverty Work of Tipping Point Community
With a Power-Building Approach to Housing in California, a Pooled Fund Evolves and Expands
Despite new legislation and continued promises of action, a full 28% of all people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. live in California. For years, the proposed solution has been to build more housing, but one pooled fund is taking a different … [Read more...] about With a Power-Building Approach to Housing in California, a Pooled Fund Evolves and Expands
With Housing a Growing Global Concern, Habitat for Humanity Targets Informal Settlements
Habitat for Humanity is probably best known for its U.S. volunteer force, which has been building and improving housing since the 1970s, but today, it ranks among the top 10 largest charities headquartered in the U.S., with an ever-growing scope. In … [Read more...] about With Housing a Growing Global Concern, Habitat for Humanity Targets Informal Settlements
Here’s What You Need to Know About MacKenzie Scott’s 2023 Giving
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on December 14, 2023. On December 6, an inconspicuous blog post titled “(Giving Update)” appeared on MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving site. “Excited to call attention to these 360 outstanding … [Read more...] about Here’s What You Need to Know About MacKenzie Scott’s 2023 Giving
Tim Berry on JPMorgan Chase’s Philanthropy, Advocacy, and Efforts to Revitalize Cities
To say that Tim Berry has a lot on his plate at JPMorgan Chase would be an understatement. Berry is global head of corporate responsibility for JPMorgan Chase & Co., overseeing the firm’s government relations, sustainability and philanthropic … [Read more...] about Tim Berry on JPMorgan Chase’s Philanthropy, Advocacy, and Efforts to Revitalize Cities
How This Omaha Foundation Embraced Community-Led, Participatory Grantmaking
When Anne Meysenburg, director of community investment at Omaha Community Foundation (OCF) first read the proposal from the nonprofit Descendants of DeWitty back in 2016, she assumed the committee members of the foundation’s African American Unity … [Read more...] about How This Omaha Foundation Embraced Community-Led, Participatory Grantmaking
This Chicago-Based Initiative Is Combining Grants and Investments to Cultivate Black Ownership
Black Lives Matter activist Kimberly Jones had this response to critics of property damage done in the wake of George Floyd’s murder: “When they say, ‘Why do you burn down your own neighborhood?’ It’s not ours! We don’t own anything!”Today, a unique … [Read more...] about This Chicago-Based Initiative Is Combining Grants and Investments to Cultivate Black Ownership
Who Is Funding Efforts to Support the Nation’s 1 Million Homeless Students?
As kids across the country are settling into the new school year, having worked through the usual mix of nerves and excitement, many of them are still struggling with the relentless challenges that come with being a student who is also homeless. Just … [Read more...] about Who Is Funding Efforts to Support the Nation’s 1 Million Homeless Students?
Eight Questions with Hyphen on Philanthropy’s $4 Trillion Opportunity
Hyphen was built for this moment. The nonprofit intermediary, launched two years ago, is on a mission to ensure philanthropy makes the most of a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve lives in the United States, which the group’s founder and … [Read more...] about Eight Questions with Hyphen on Philanthropy’s $4 Trillion Opportunity
Philanthropy Helps Tap Gentrifiers’ Social Connections in Philly Poverty Alleviation Project
Gentrification has an understandably bad rap, but in Philadelphia, the Samuel S. Fels Fund and a handful of other philanthropies are modeling how anti-poverty funders can respond to and work within the context of gentrifying neighborhoods — for the … [Read more...] about Philanthropy Helps Tap Gentrifiers’ Social Connections in Philly Poverty Alleviation Project
A Foster Youth Activist Calls on Philanthropy to Invest Endowment Dollars in Affordable Housing
Journalist turned philanthropy expert Daniel Heimpel wants to end the foster-care-to-homeless pipeline in Los Angeles County, and he has a plan to get philanthropy to pay for it — using its endowment dollars. I met Heimpel in the historic West Adams … [Read more...] about A Foster Youth Activist Calls on Philanthropy to Invest Endowment Dollars in Affordable Housing
Is the Cleveland Foundation’s New Headquarters the Future of Place-Based Philanthropy?
Five years ago, Cleveland Foundation President and CEO Ronn Richard, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Lillian Kuri and other stakeholders began thinking about moving the institution out of the city’s Playhouse District, where it … [Read more...] about Is the Cleveland Foundation’s New Headquarters the Future of Place-Based Philanthropy?
It’s Time for Philanthropy to Put Communities in Charge of Their Own Housing and Futures
Housing insecurity is a national crisis. In big cities, suburbs and rural areas, on the coasts and in the heartland, rents are skyrocketing, homeownership is out of reach, and a lost job or a landlord’s whim can push families into homelessness.In … [Read more...] about It’s Time for Philanthropy to Put Communities in Charge of Their Own Housing and Futures
A San Diego Family Aims to Strengthen Community on Both Sides of the Border
San Diego native Malin Burnham has done a lot in his 95 years. He’s a veteran real estate mogul, champion sailor, published author and a philanthropist who has given away upward of $100 million. And he’s still active in business, heading to the … [Read more...] about A San Diego Family Aims to Strengthen Community on Both Sides of the Border
Here Are Some of the Leading Funders Tackling the U.S. Affordable Housing Crisis
The U.S. is experiencing an affordable housing crisis. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 40% of renter households — or 19 million people — are cost-burdened, meaning that they spend more than 30% of their income on housing and utility … [Read more...] about Here Are Some of the Leading Funders Tackling the U.S. Affordable Housing Crisis
Nonprofit Homeless Response Staff Struggle to Afford Housing. Will Funders Respond?
Michael Centeno’s is the kind of personal success story that any funder would be proud to feature in its press materials. Formerly homeless himself, Centeno works as an intensive case manager at Housing Works in Los Angeles, helping housing-insecure … [Read more...] about Nonprofit Homeless Response Staff Struggle to Afford Housing. Will Funders Respond?
How Funders Need to Change to Spark a Revolution in Accessible, Affordable, Inclusive Housing
The social sector has an opportunity to play a crucial role in addressing the growing affordable housing crisis across the U.S. — particularly as a catalyst for ensuring that solutions prioritize equity for people with disabilities, the largest … [Read more...] about How Funders Need to Change to Spark a Revolution in Accessible, Affordable, Inclusive Housing
How Philanthropy Is Pushing for an Age-Friendly New Jersey
Dateline: Hoboken, New Jersey. On a clear day, you can see Manhattan. Actually, even in the driving rain, Manhattan is visible from Hoboken. New Jersey is tied to New York in myriad ways, including physical proximity, a shared commuter population, … [Read more...] about How Philanthropy Is Pushing for an Age-Friendly New Jersey
