News about grants, gifts
Virginia Tech received a $5 million gift from electrical engineering alumnus Joe May.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will spend $158 million on addressing the issue of poverty in the United States over the next four years.
Ten nonprofits that are positively impacting the lives of American youth through video games received grants from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) Foundation. The 2018 ESA Foundation grantees are After-School All-Stars, Becker College, Brown University’s Bootstrap, Extra Life, Girlstart, Global Game Jam, Global Kids Inc., iCivics, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Scholastic’s Alliance for Young Artists & Writers Inc.
Alex Kentsis, Ph.D., M.D., cancer biologist and pediatric oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is this year’s recipient of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation Robert J. Arceci Innovation Award. Dr. Kentsis will receive $250,000 a year for three years, with no research restrictions except to report on his results every six months.
33 nonprofits across Greater Boston earned a 10-year Sustaining Grant from Cummings Foundation. The organizations will share $10 million, receiving annual installments of between $20,000 and $50,000 each.
The Dr Pepper Snapple Group/Keep America Beautiful Park Recycling Bin Grant Program is funding 34 grants with a total distribution of 936 new recycling bins in public parks across the country in 2018.
The Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty received their largest single grant award of $250,000 from the H.F. Lenfest Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation.
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools will award more than $1 million in cash prizes to outstanding public high school skilled trades teachers and programs, doubling the amount awarded for last year’s Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence.
Over three dozen Jewish camps across the United States and Canada will be able to ensure the best possible experience for more campers thanks to newly announced matching grant programs from JCamp 180, a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.
Cognizant launched Cognizant U.S. Foundation with an initial $100 million in funding. The Foundation’s inaugural grant of $1.5 million was presented by Cognizant executives to Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont at an event in Charlotte on May 1st.
The inaugural FORE 24 Foundation Golf Tournament raised over $24,000 to make an immediate impact on cancer this year.
News about people, groups
Subaru of America, Inc. and the Center for Pet Safety issued recommendations for safe pet travel in SUVs.
Jon Parrish Peede was sworn in as the 11th chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities at a ceremony at the White House on May 3.
Janis Bowdler was named the new President of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation. Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase in 2013, Janis spent two decades advancing economic opportunity for families at risk of being left out of growing global prosperity.
Sony Pictures Entertainment, ABC’s The Good Doctor, Netflix’s Atypical, and several filmmakers were honored for their contributions to autism awareness “From Spectrum to Screen” by the Autism Society of America at the 2nd Annual AutFest International Film Festival, held at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills.
Squatty Potty partnered with Ella’s Hope for Autism in celebrating Autism Awareness month to promote awareness, understanding and acceptance of the tens of thousands living with Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD.
Composers Stacy Garrop, Robin Holcomb, and Andrea Reinkemeyer will each receive orchestral commissions of $15,000 as part of the League of American Orchestras’ 2017 Women Composers Readings and Commissions program, which is administered by American Composers Orchestra and supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.
The Land Trust Alliance appointed Executive Vice President Wendy Jackson to serve on two Interior Department advisory bodies.
After a decade of leading Human Rights First, Elisa Massimino will be stepping down from her post as President and CEO on July 1st.
Thanks to a successful matching challenge from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council has reached the completion of its five-year, $18 million Campaign for Girls in Arizona. As a result, the Council can now provide a wider range of educational and empowering experiences to more than 21,000 girls in over 90 Arizona communities.
Brown Arts Initiative (BAI) at Brown University is hosting internationally renowned Nigerian multimedia artist Jelili Atiku, Brown’s first Artist Protection Fund Fellow. Atiku is serving as an assistant professor in the University’s Department of Africana Studies and a BAI artist-in-residence through 2018.
The J. Paul Getty Trust appointed Lisa Lapin as Vice President of Communications. Lapin is currently the Vice President for University Communications at Stanford University.
Orange County United Way elected five new members to its board of directors on April 25th.
News about opportunities, initiatives
Dave Attell will join comedians Bill Burr, Jeff Ross & Friends and special guests to perform at the Bob Woodruff Foundation’s Stand Up for Heroes benefit, honoring post-9/11 impacted veterans, service members and their families, on Thursday, May 17th at The Masonic in San Francisco.
Michelson Found Animals Foundation launched the fifth annual Saving Pets Challenge. Hundreds of animal welfare organizations from across the country are registered to compete for grant money to fund life-saving programs for pets in their communities.
Like Neighbors launched its first annual 5,000 Meals program, which will run through May 31st. The program offers an easy, affordable way for participants nationwide to show support and appreciation for service members, veterans and their families in the Washington, DC area by either gifting or donating fresh, chef-prepared meals during National Military Appreciation Month.
The Barr Foundation launched ArtsAmplified, a new investment in 15 accomplished arts organizations across Massachusetts. The $30 million, six-year initiative will provide funding to help each participating organization advance an ambitious project with significance to its future.
In collaboration with open innovation platform OpenIDEO, Minneapolis-based GHR Foundation is launching the second annual BridgeBuilder Challenge. The top iterative ideas will each receive a share of $1 million and benefit from ongoing collaboration among the cohort and GHR’s global development experts.
Red Sneakers for Oakley designated May 20th as International Red Sneakers Day. They invite the world to participate and ask that everyone put on their red sneakers to bring worldwide attention to the growing affliction of food allergies.
RAISE 2018 will take place September 24th-25th in Chicago. Early registration is now open for this national fundraising conference presented by OneCause. RAISE 2018 is accepting speaker proposals through June 1st.
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