5.8.17 US Nonprofit News

May 8, 2017 | News, Philanthropy Journal

The Smithsonian's Archives of American Art receives $575,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, Blackbaud releases Sustainers in Focus Part 2: Proven Practices for Success report, Public Interest Registry and Nonprofit Tech for Good invite individuals who have donated to a nonprofit within the last 12 months to take the 2017 Global Trends in Giving Survey, and more.

News about grants, gifts

The Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art received a $575,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to support a three-year African American Collecting Initiative. While the Archives has collected the papers and oral histories of important figures in African American art from its founding in 1954, the grant will advance the process of building and strengthening the collection.  

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Council on Foundations awarded the 2017 HUD Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships to The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates FoundationCapital One FoundationCommunity Foundation of the LowcountryThe JP Morgan Chase FoundationThe Kresge FoundationMayor’s Fund for Los AngelesThe New Hampshire Charitable FoundationNusenda Foundation, and The Skillman Foundation

JPMorgan Chase & Co. will make a $6 million commitment to expand young people’s access to economic opportunity in the South Bronx as part of its $75 million New Skills for Youth initiative.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation made a $51 million, five-year commitment to strengthen Battle Creek Public Schools.

Since partnering with American Forest in 2013, LightStream, the online lending division of SunTrust Bank, has planted a tree with every funded loan. To date, LightStream has contributed 1,000 acres of trees to reforest, restore and protect wilderness ecosystems. Future donations to American Forests will be in support of their “Wildlands for Wildlife” initiative to foster natural habitats across the United States.

The Lenfest Institute for Journalism has raised $26.5 million in major gifts from both national and regional funders to support innovations in local journalism. Based upon this broad support, founder H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest also committed an additional $40 million in a matching gift campaign to further advance the development of sustainable business models for journalism.

Thanks to a $9,000 grant from Keysight Technologies Foundation, the Space Foundation will offer 60 partial scholarships for underrepresented youth to attend one Explore Space Experience weekly session.

Brown Arts Initiative awarded grants totaling $81,000 to support public presentation, artists-in-residencies, and projects in the arts at Brown University. Grants were awarded to 19 faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and professional staff in support of artistic production, presentation, and research.

The Audre Lord Project raised over $30,000 at their 20th year anniversary celebration Erotic as Power on March 30.

Theatre Communications Group received renewed and increased support of $375,000 from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for Round 6 of Global Connections. Over its first five rounds, the Global Connections program has awarded $671,880 through 94 grants to artists and companies in 39 U.S. states to collaborate with their colleagues in 53 different countries.

Fifteen cities across the United States will receive more than $1.7 million for sustainability efforts as diverse as supporting urban agriculture and reforestation, providing green jobs for low-income workers, and ensuring all residents benefit from their community’s environmental progress through funding from the Funders’ Network Partners for Places matching grants program.

News about people, groups

United HomeCare received the Bronze Medal under the corporate category at Miami Today’s 2017 Gold Medal Award ceremony.

The Center for Democracy & Technology named Alan Davidson, Edward W. Felten, and Philippa (Pippa) Scarlett to its Board of Directors.

Blackbaud released their new report, Sustainers in Focus Part 2: Proven Practices for Success, featuring research-backed best practices for marketing, promoting, soliciting and fulfilling a sustained giving program. Released by the Blackbaud Institute for Philanthropic Impact, this second installment of the Sustainers in Focus series shares strategies that have been proven to produce significant results for social good organizations.

The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation will sponsor The Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit 2017. This year’s event, The Summit, Thriving Together, is produced by The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking, and will be held on May 5 at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark.

Vodafone Americas Foundation named eight finalists for this year’s Wireless Innovation Project. A panel of judges will select three winners, to be showcased during the Social Innovation Summit 2017 in Chicago, IL on June 6-8. The first place winner will be awarded $300,000, second place $200,000, and third place $100,000, paid over a period of three years, to continue developing their projects.

Grantmakers In Aging released New Frontiers for Funding: An Introduction to Grantmaking in Rural Aging, which provides a broad survey of the challenges rural communities face, particularly as their populations get older; examples of approaches that are working; and insights from experienced funders and nonprofits on the unique possibilities that rural projects offer.

The Mission Continues appointed Gen. Ray Odierno, a retired four-star U.S. Army general who served as the 38th Chief of Staff of the Army, to its Board of Directors.

News about opportunities, initiatives

AHEAD With Horses Inc. will hold their 36th Annual Children’s Demonstration and Fun Day on Saturday, June 10, 2017 in Shadow Hills, CA. Award-winning actress, humanitarian and global ambassador for Global Citizen Foundation, Saye Yabandeh, will be in attendance to hand out medals and help children in the arena. 

The Northside Center for Child Development Annual Gala will take place on Monday, May 8th  at The Pierre Hotel in New York City.

The Alliance for Justice’s annual Justice First! Luncheon will take place on May 17 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.. Mary E. McClymont, President and CEO of Public Welfare Foundation will be honored at the event, and Senator Al Franken, (D-MN) will be the keynote speaker.

The Public Interest Registry and Nonprofit Tech for Good invite individuals who have donated to a nonprofit within the last 12 months to take the 2017 Global Trends in Giving Survey. The goal of the survey is to gain a better understanding of how donors worldwide prefer to give and engage with nonprofits, NGOs, and charities worldwide. The data will be released on September 4, 2017 in the inaugural edition of the Global Trends in Giving Report at givingreport.ngo.

On Friday, May 12th, more than 300 high school jazz musicians, band directors and parents will be joined by world-renowned musician and Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis, musicians and community members in United We Swing, a “Second Line” Parade  from Columbus Circle Park to Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, in celebration and support of arts programs and arts education nationwide. RSVP for the United We Swing Parade at jazz.org/unitedweswing, or follow along on social media at #UnitedWeSwing.

HarperCollins Publishers launched their #WhyIRead social media and giving campaign to highlight the importance of literacy, as well as to commemorate the company’s 200th anniversary. The company will also donate $200,000 to a collection of literacy-related charities selected by its employees, and made possible by a grant from News Corp, the parent company of HarperCollins. The charities include: First BookNational Coalition Against CensorshipRoom to ReadUnited Through Reading, and We Need Diverse Books.


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

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