Rockefeller's $100-Million Pledge

The Rockefeller Foundation has pledged $100-million over five years to help impoverished nations build better health-care systems.

Full-text article by Ian Wilhelm is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 7.1.09.

News-Media Organizations Meet to Plan Nonprofit Investigative Network

In a column that appeared on PoynterOnline, a former newspaper executive analyzes the prospects for foundation-supported journalism as more than two-dozen news-media organizations meet this week to discuss forming a national nonprofit investigative network.

Full-text article by David Westphal is available via PoynterOnline, 6.29.09.

Steering Clear of Hedge Funds, Small Universities' Endowments Are Losing Less

Small universities’ endowments did significantly better in the just-ended fiscal year than their larger, higher-profile peers, which plunged more deeply into alternative investments such as hedge funds.

Full-text article by Craig Karmin is available via The Wall Street Journal, 7.1.09.

Donor pledges $6M to Marian University

Marian University has received a $6 million pledge – the largest gift in the institution’s history – from a former trustee.

Full-text article by Kathleen McLaughlin is available via the Indianapolis Business Journal, 6.29.09.

2 New Surveys Confirm Charity Leaders' Perceptions: Recession's Impact Runs Deep

Two surveys of charity officials released today show that 80 percent to 90 percent of nonprofit groups are under financial stress, The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports.

Corporate Grant Making: The Chronicle's Annual Survey Predicts Decrease in 2009

Many of the largest U.S. companies plan to decrease their charitable donations in 2009, or at least keep them level with last year’s, according to the latest Chronicle survey of corporate giving. Subscribers to The Chronicle have access to a searchable database with information on giving from many of the nation’s biggest companies.

Grandkids, Grandparents Have Grand Time at UNT

One of many programs spreading through US colleges, a University of North Texas (Denton, TX) program – in which grandchildren between 7 and 12 and their grandparents attend classes, sleep in a dormitory and attend a "graduation" luncheon – was a first for Texas. About 85 people signed up.

Full-text article by David Flick is available via The Dallas Morning News, 6.27.09.