Donorschoose.org is a domestic charity that allows people to fund projects designed by US public school teachers. It is a great initiative, started by teachers but expanded with funding from several successful internet entrepreneurs, and offers donors a lot of information before they give as well as information on project implemention. The format is a […]
I would like to thank the New York Times Magzine for giving me what is sure to be a week's worth of entries by dedicating an issue to philanthropy. Today I’d like to comment on David Leonhardt's article “What Makes People Give?”. The article discusses some interesting behavioral economics research that suggests that the reasons […]
The website www.onphilanthropy.com has already published the first two segments in a five part series on philanthropy outside the US. The first went up last month, and discusses the importance of foreign-based philanthropy in a world where a great number of poor countries are experiencing high levels of economic growth. Today's installment discusses philanthropy in […]
The proliferation of social networking websites is accompanied by a lot of excitement. The possibilities of the format seem limitless. Many people (OK, maybe it is just me, but I don't think I’m all alone) find that after taking the work to put together a Facebook profile they are left with a a big, sad […]
The Financial Times got real scoop yesterday, a report on the state of philanthropy in 2033. The author of the report is Sean Stannard Stockton from Tactical Philanthropy. Sean writes about the rise of “social capital markets”, in which non-profits compete for funds much as corporations do today. In the world of 2033, donors are […]
The White House and Congress reached a compromise on the PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) renewal legislation. I wrote about the controversies in this program last week. House Democrats have been wrangling with the Administration for the next 5-year AIDS relief program. The Democrats (and most of the NGOs and HIV policy […]
The global prices of staple foods have risen 75% since 2005 – driven largely by rising oil prices. Unsurprisingly, this is a problem for poor. Among the other obvious problems, food aid agencies are also having trouble providing the necessary quantities of food. This will be a problem to watch over the next few years.
There was a good Op/Ed about social enterprises in the Guardian today. It was written by Rob Greenland, an experienced social entrepreneur with a good blog of his own, The Social Business. Rob talks about the hard realities of social business: competing in the market, charging for previously free services, surviving on grants and contracts. […]
The WSJ blogs posted yesterday about Patty Stonesifer stepping down as Gates Foundation CEO. They note that giving away $3 billion a year is a lot tougher than it sounds. That is certainly true. The post didn't give contact information for those hoping to apply. But I highly recommend giving the comments a look.
Last week the Financial Times published an article about how corporations and non-profits can work together productively. The relationship is probably always going to be an awkward one, especially for NGOs that don't want their corporate partners to make any money off the arrangement. The FT is particularly concerned with the division of intellectual property […]
The Times of India has another example of what cell phones can do for a society. Through the website IndianBloodDonors.com people can now send a text message with their urgent request for blood. This is clearly a much more direct means of communication than first finding an internet-connected computer. Getting the cell phone in the hand […]
The Economist commented this week on the recent controversies over the Gates Foundation's global health work. The most recent example of this controversy was when the head of the WHO malaria program asserted that Gates is becoming a monopoly and driving inappropriate research in malaria. Our Economist correspondent defends the Gates Foundation. In doing so, […]
The President's trip to Africa has put US HIV/AIDS assistance in the papers quite a bit. Last week the LA Times wrote this article praising the program and describing the experience before and after PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) in one Kenyan village. It's a nice article, even if it is editorially […]
Frank Giustra, the mining executive who donated $131 million to the Clinton Foundation under shady circumstances, has issued a press release defending himself from what her sees as false reports. He addresses several factual errors, but doesn't really provide any evidence to support the claims. As I see it, his arguments fit into two broad […]
Andrew Leonard, who blogs for Salon (free day pass required), commented yesterday on a new economics paper, “Does Digital Divide or Provide?: The Impact of Cell Phones on Grain Markets in Niger”. The article explains that increased access to cell phones in certain communities in Niger has had a powerful impact on grain prices. Giving […]