Clinton's summit more popular than Davos: survey

The Clinton Global Initiative has become the most popular gathering for top corporate leaders.
According to a study by the public-relations firm Weber Shandwick, the former President Bill Clinton's September gathering in New York has displaced the World Economic Forum, the latest edition of which opens Wednesday, in Davos, Switzerland, as the main event on CEO calendars.

Full text article by Michelle Nichols is available via Reuters, 1/26/10.

Mexico-US collaboration launched

The Mexican telecommunications magnate Carlos Slim Helu has committed $65-million to a new research project to identify the genomic basis of major diseases. The three-year Slim Initiative for Genomic Medicine aims to speed the development of therapies to prevent and treat cancer worldwide and type 2 diabetes among Mexicans and Latin Americans. The work will be conducted by the Carlos Slim Institute of Public Health in collaboration with Mexican health officials and the Broad Institute, which was founded in 2003 by Harvard, MIT, and the philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad to pursue medical advancements through DNA sequencing.

Full text article by Nicole Davis is available via the Broad Institute, 1/19/10.

Corporate America pledges $69 million+ in aid for Haiti

American corporations have pledged more than $69-million to post-earthquake relief in Haiti. Thirty-four companies have donated at least $1-million, according to a list compiled by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Business Civil Leadership Center. Many businesses were also supplying food, water, and technical expertise to help repair communications and other infrastructure destroyed by last week’s magnitude 7.0 quake.

Full text article is available via USA Today, 1/19/10.

Pharmaceutical executive donates $100 million to St. John's Health Center

Patrick Soon-Shiong, founder and CEO of Abraxis BioScience, and his wife, Michelle Chan, have pledged $65 million to St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica. The gift comes on top of the $35 million the couple donated to the hospital two years ago. Soon-Shiong reported that, among other things, the gift will be used to help link doctors and patients to hundreds of other hospitals as well as researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Southern California.

Full-text post by Molly Hennessy-Fiske is available via the Los Angeles Times, 10/1/09.

Annie E. Casey Foundation Official Tapped to Head National-Service Agency

President Obama announced on Friday he plans to nominate Patrick Corvington, a senior associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation and an expert on nonprofit leadership, as chief executive of the Corporation for National and Community Service. The nomination now must be approved by the Senate. The selection comes at a critical time for the corporation, which manages AmeriCorps and other national-service and volunteer programs.

Full-text post by Suzanne Perry is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 10/5/09.

In China, Philanthropy as a New Measuring Stick

Jack Ma, chief executive of the Alibaba Group, and other board members took to the earthquake-ravaged regions of Sichuan province in late March 2009, donating supplies to villagers and school children. With $11 billion of the 2008 philanthropic donations in China going to relief efforts in the earthquake aftermath, the Alibaba Group is contributing the initial $5 million to start making modest loans to farmers and other small-business people in Sichuan and Inner Mongolia, two of the poorest provinces in China. Alibaba’s donation is the latest example of a change in attitude by corporations in China toward philanthropy.

Full-text post by Julie Makinen is available via The New York Times, 9/22/09.

The Power of the Purse

The New York Times Magazine discusses an exploration of the growth of women philanthropists that are using their money specifically and strategically to advance the interests of women. The article notes how women have always given generously, but, as opposed to the tradition giving to the opera, or the museum, or “their dead husband’s alma mater,” they are now funding women. The thoery? Empowered women are the key to strong families, and strong families are the key to strong communities.

Full-text post By Lisa Belkin is available via The New York Time Magazine, 8/18/09.

What CEOs Can Learn From Paul Newman

Paul Newman donated 100% of post-tax profits and royalties from the Newman's Own company to charities world-wide -- more than $250 million to date. He was also passionate about the Hole in the Wall Camps he helped found for children with life-threatening illnesses, and he was deeply involved with a variety of other innovative nonprofit organizations including his most recent undertaking, the Safe Water Network. Newman's vision was to see companies change the way they conducted business and learn from the Newman's Own model of giving back.

Full-text article by John C. Whitehead and Peter L. Malkin is available via the Wall Street Journal, 10.2.08.

Change Afoot for Wachovia Philanthropy

As Wachovia prepares to become part of Citigroup, the Charlotte-based bank's philanthropic-services division and charitable giving face changes.

Full-text article by Ret Boney is available via the Philanthropy Journal, 9.30.08.

Smart Solution for Corporate Philanthropists

When Ted Turner pledged 11 years ago to give $1bn to the United Nations to cover the unpaid dues of the US, there was an unexpected hitch.

Under UN rules, the US could not abrogate its debt, and there was no mechanism for individuals to make donations to the UN. So Mr Turner, who had founded the cable television television channel CNN and sold it to Time Warner, created a foundation to make the donation. The idea was that the funds would be channelled into UN causes – poverty, maternal and child health, and protecting world heritage.

Full-text article by Deborah Brewster is available via the Financial Times, 9.30.08. [Subscription required.]

A Skilled Approach To Philanthropy

In today's global business environment, companies are faced with more than just increasing shareholder value, raising productivity and innovating new products but also their corporate philanthropic role.

Commentary by Lisa Hamilton is available via Forbes.com, 2.20.08.

Toxic Clean Up Philanthropy

SEATTLE, WA -- Communities that struggle with big, dirty industries also benefit from corporate philanthropy. The money usually comes from the industries themselves or companies that contract with the industry. Philanthropy experts say the motive for giving is more than generosity. An example would be Hanford contractor Battelle, which recently announced a $1 million gift to help pay for a new museum in the Tri-Cities. KPLU's Anna King reports on how corporate philanthropy is not unusual for this community, a community built around one of the largest superfund sites in the country.

Listen to Anna King's report via NPR.com, 2.19.08.