News about grants, gifts
AssetMark, Inc. has selected three financial advisors who are recipients of the company’s 2014 Community Inspiration Award. In recognition for their work on behalf of non-profit organizations in their local communities, AssetMark will donate $20,000 to each recipient’s favored charity.
The final deadline for Arch Grants, a global start up competition, is March 31st. Arch Grants provides $50,000 equity-free cash and pro bono support services to innovative startups willing to locate their business in St. Louis. For more, visit archgrants.org.
The National Museum of Animals and Society has reached their $50,000 goal and Lavinthal Family Trust matched their efforts for a total of $100,000 for the new museum space. To learn more, click here.
Robert and Allison Price, through Price Philanthropies, have donated $6 million to UC San Diego’s Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
John Hoffman held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday March 12th, for his new housing complex at 37th and Gillham Road in Kansas City. In support the new Citizens of the World Kansas City schools, he presented the CEO of the schools with a $25,000 check at the event.
Citizens of the World Charter Schools has already received a total of $2.65 million in funding from three philanthropic foundations—the Kauffman and Hall Family foundations and the Walton Family Foundation—to open two K-1 elementary schools in August 2016, adding a grade each year. For more information, please visit: www.citizensoftheworld.org.
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation has taken a strong stance at being in the forefront of funding research for new drugs. The Foundation has granted more than $100,000 directly to Dr. Yu, more than $1.2 million for a consortium of institutions working on related neuroblastoma research, and more than $53 million since 2005 to the Children’s Oncology Group for clinical trials, including the trials that led to this drug becoming available for high-risk neuroblastoma patients.
On March 7th, Artist Trust hosted its annual gala art auction, showcasing the donated work of more than 125 Washington State artists. This year’s record-breaking event raised over $500,000, which is more than a 30% increase over the previous year. Find out more at www.artisttrust.org.
Insight Enterprises, Inc., a technology provider of hardware, software and service solutions, has announced that its teammates across North America has raised approximately $200,000 for the 2015 Noble Cause campaign. The annual campaign is an opportunity for Insight to give back to local charities such as the Arizona chapter of the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the Phoenix chapter of the Boys and Girls Club, and to support the Ronald McDonald Houses in Tampa, Austin, Chicago, and Phoenix where Insight has a local presence. For more information on Insight, click here.
Commemorating the achievements of Arizonans for Children, Nathan’s Famous surprised Annie Ansell, executive director of the organization, with a Fry’s Food Stores gift card worth $1,000 towards the purchase of groceries, courtesy of Nathan’s Famous at the Ready Set Play initiative put on my Arizonans for Children and KaBOOM! To learn more about KaBOOM!, click here.
Southwest General has received a generous donation of $500,000 from the trust of longtime hospital beneficiaries, Amelia and Clara Harding. The donation from the Harding Family Charitable Trust will help support the renovation of Southwest General’s Coronary Care Unit (formerly known as The Harding Center) into an expanded Critical Care Unit—part of the hospital’s multimillion dollar, expansion project. Click here.
On March 11, 2015, Valspar announced a new five-year pledge of $36 million in paint and funding to Habitat for Humanity. The pledge includes a $2 million contribution from the Valspar Corporation Foundation. Valspar donated more than $6 million in paint and $350,000 to support Habitat’s affordable housing work in 2015, and anticipates maintaining this level of support through 2019.
Aaron’s, Inc. a lease-to-own retailer specializing in the sales and lease ownership of furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, marked the 10th anniversary of devastating Hurricane Katrina by dedicating Wednesday, March 18, as a day of service to New Orleans-area communities in need.Across New Orleans, Aaron’s is investing $260,000 in product and monetary donations and 4,000 hours of service to seven non-profit organizations. As part of this effort, Aaron’s will present the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org) with a check for $70,000 from funds raised during a Company-wide associate campaign.
News about people, groups
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) awarded one of its “Now That’s a Walking Horse” grants to the Parelli Education Institute.
Earth’s Best and Ella’s Kitchen brands that offer organic baby, toddler and kid food products, announced today a partnership with No Kid Hungry to support efforts to end childhood hunger in America.
Meals on Wheels America has released findings from a research study in which it commissioned Brown University’s Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research to conduct with funding provided by AARP Foundation. The release of this groundbreaking study commemorates the start of the organization’s 13th March for Meals – a nationwide celebration of local Meals on Wheels programs throughout the month of March.
Anne Sutherland Fuchs of Washington, Connecticut has been named to the board of directors of The Community Foundation of Northwest Connecticut, which provides philanthropic support to 20 towns in Litchfield County. For more, click the link.
AmeriCares, the Stamford-based emergency response and global health organization, has welcomed Dr. E. Anne Peterson, MD, MPH, as its new senior vice president of global programs. For more information, visit americares.org
The Herb Alpert Foundation and California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) will award the 21st Annual Herb Alpert Award in the Arts to five exceptional mid–career artists, presented at a lunch hosted by the Herb Alpert Foundation in Santa Monica on May 1st 2015. For more on the Herb Alpert Foundation, click here.
This April, the Neon Museum will host its first artist in residence, Las Vegas artist David Sanchez Burr. His work, titled citizen speak, will be built and exhibited in the Neon Museum’s North Gallery on Saturday, Apr. 18, and Sunday, Apr. 19, before being transferred to the Marjorie Barrick Museum at UNLV.
Nancy G. Brinker, Founder and Chair of Global Strategy for Susan G. Komen, has just been selected for induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
The Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy will be hosting the 2014-2015 Distinguished Speakers Series featuring Jean Case on April 30th. To learn more, click here.
ACHIEVEability has announced the appointment of Wanda Mial as its new executive director. Ms. Mial has been a national leader in the non-profit, governmental and philanthropic sectors for 25 years. For more information visit www.missionfirsthousing.org.
MedAssets has announced that Hire Heroes USA, a 501 c(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping veterans transform their military service into civilian success, has been selected as a Veteran Service Organization leader in military employment by the America’s Future Series (AFS). For more information visit http://www.hireheroesusa.org.
United Way Worldwide recently announced that Maria Mas Blet, a Miami-based philanthropist and CEO of Goldstein Schechter Koch (GSK), will become chair of the organization’s National Women’s Leadership Council.
News about opportunities, initiatives
Massachusetts Fallen Heroes, created to memorialize our fallen heroes who served in the Global War on Terrorism since 2001, is proud to announce it is now an Official Charity Partner of the Marine Corps Marathon for the upcoming 2015 season. Massachusetts Fallen Heroes has secured 100 marathon race slots for the highly anticipated 40th anniversary of the Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, Virginia on Sunday, October 25, 2015, and 25 race slots for the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon, which takes place in Fredericksburg, Virginia on Sunday, May 17, 2015. Please click here to register for the races.
Hampton University’s Department of English has selected Jeff Hobbs’ novel “The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left for the Ivy League,” as the 2015 Annual Read-In book. The Read-In will take place Wed., March 25 and Thurs., March 26. For more, click here.
In a united effort spanning the globe, cosmetics giant Mary Kay joins its independent sales force worldwide in providing makeovers for women in need through Mary Kay’s Global Day of Beauty. In celebration of International Women’s Day, local domestic violence survivors in Miami, Washington, D.C., New York and Los Angeles will receive a day of beauty and pampering.
Digital Defenders of Children, a non-profit organization dedicated to driving technology innovation to fight child sexual exploitation, released a report based on a yearlong study undertaken in partnership with Dr. Vanessa Bouché, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Texas Christian University (TCU), to better understand the ways in which traffickers leverage various technology platforms to recruit, groom, and sell domestic minor sex trafficking victims.
This morning, The V Foundation and the ACC have announced a new grassroots fundraising campaign called ‘The V Throw’ Challenge. The V Foundation and ACC invite alumni, fans and other conferences to join the fight against cancer by participating in The V Throw Challenge and making a donation to The V Foundation. For more, click here.
StreetWise Partners, a leading non-profit organization that works with low-income individuals to help them overcome employment barriers, held its annual Raising the Ante Charity Poker Tournament and Casino Event on March 11, 2015.
The Chicago Department of Public Health, in partnership with the GE Foundation, has announced an expansion of its innovative heart screening program, Keep Your Heart Healthy, to combat the leading cause of death in Chicago – heart disease.
Project Abroad is still accepting last-minute applications for their Alternative Spring Break Trips. For details on volunteering abroad, visit Projects Abroad’s web site at
www.projects-abroad.org
On Thursday, March 5, NBC4 Southern California Reporter Annette Arreola helped kickoff a new national literacy initiative entitled ‘Read to Me’ sponsored by Screen Actors Guild Foundation BookPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools) and Rise Up Foundation.
The 296 Project has announced free art workshops for service members and their families which includes the addition of two monthly workshops. Click here for more.
Smitten Ice Cream, the beloved San Francisco has partnered with five local charities; San Francisco Baykeeper, Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco, Headstand, SF-Marin Food Bank, and the San Francisco SPCA, to sprinkle joy and decadent ice cream into the lives of 2,500 Bay Area volunteers during the month of April 2015, National Volunteer Month. The campaign, called Smitten Community Rockstars, was created to thank the many volunteers that give their time and love to non-profit organizations that make their Bay Area communities so much better. Click here.
The Sunset Strip Half Marathon & 5K will take place on April 19th, 2015. The 13.1 mile course will showcase West Hollywood’s most iconic streets including La Cienega Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard, Melrose Avenue, and famed institutions on the Sunset Strip including The Roxy Theatre, The Viper Room, and Whisky a Go Go. For more information, click here.
Call for nominations for the 27th Terry McAdams Book Award put on by the Alliance for Nonprofit Management is aimed at books written about the nonprofit sector. To learn more, follow the link.
On Saturday, March 14th, Bottom Line Massachuetts held its Annual College Expo for first generation and low income students. Learn more at www.bottomline.org.
On March 15th, Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud announced her 10KSA Breast Cancer Awareness initiative at the SXSW 2015 Conference in Austin, TX. To learn more about 10KSA, click here.
The United Way in partnership with Kimberly-Clark’s U by Kotex hosted an Alternative Spring Break for 25 young women leaders from college campuses across the country. The young women traveled to Washington, D.C. to discuss human trafficking at the White House. Click here.
If you are interested in having your organization’s news announced in the next News Bits, please send announcements or press releases to news@philanthropyjournal.com.
