$125 Million in Gifts to Fund Genomic Research

Plus, the Natural Resources Defense Council’s president talks about working to save the environment and taking on the Trump administration (podcast) [Philanthropy Today] Was this newsletter forwarded to you? [Please sign up]( to receive your own copy. Major Gifts [Financiers Jim Simons and Russell Carson Join Forces to Give $125 Million for Genomic Research]( By Maria Di Mento The gift to the New York Genome Center will support work in genomic sequencing and computational analysis as well as research into a variety of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases and cancers. PREMIUM ADVERTISEMENT More Big Gifts See all gifts of [$1 million or more]( in the Chronicle’s database Transitions [Goldman Sachs Partner Will Now Run Its Corporate Foundation]( By M.J. Prest Also, the Chicago Foundation for Women chooses its next CEO, and the Hewlett Foundation hires a Gates Foundation senior adviser to direct its global development and population program. Opinion [I’m a Morehouse Grad, and the $40 Million Loan Pledge Doesn’t Deserve So Much Criticism]( [Image]( STEVE SCHAEFER/ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION/AP IMAGES By Nashid Sharrief My Higher Self and Habitat for Humanity International It’s fair to question why college students have so much debt, but while we all work to change systems of inequity, philanthropic gestures can change lives today. Podcast [The Natural Resources Defense Council’s Work to Save the Environment — and Take on the Trump Administration]( Rhea Suh, president, says the current administration has made deregulation of the environment its pet project. Paid for and Created by Luminate [Unconventional approaches for challenging times]( Tackling long-term systemic issues, Luminate continues to seek out and collaborate with partners globally to drive change. Engaging with policy makers and becoming more operational, they continue to protect the core elements of healthy democracies. Nonprofit News From Elsewhere The U. of Virginia’s Darden School of Business has received $68 million from investor and alumnus Frank Sands Sr. Part of the gift was matched, bringing the total to $82 million. The money will support a new lifelong learning program, professorships, a conference center, and renovations to Alumni Hall. ([Daily Progress]( U.S. News & World Report has stripped the U. of Oklahoma of its ranking, citing incorrect information provided about alumni giving. The university said it had supplied incorrect data since 1999. A university spokeswoman said the inflated numbers had been submitted intentionally and that a law firm is investigating. Alumni giving counts for 5 percent of the methodology in the "Best Colleges" ranking. The university has also been removed from the best-value colleges, top public universities, and best colleges for veterans lists. ([Inside HigherEd]( Plus, see a Chronicle article about an [increase in alumni giving in recent years](. Students and their chaperones who took a field trip to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts say they were racially profiled by the museum’s staff, closely shadowed by security guards, and told before a tour “no food, no drink, no watermelon.” ([Boston Globe]( Several days later, the museum apologized in an open letter, saying that the students “encountered a range of challenging and unacceptable experiences that made them feel unwelcome.” ([Washington Post]( Over all, the incident highlights [longstanding stigmas]( one columnist writes. Leonard Leo is a conservative activist who has launched a behind-the-scenes campaign to remake the nation’s courts. In recent years, he has helped conservative nonprofits raise $250 million from mostly undisclosed donors to promote conservative judges and causes. ([Washington Post]( More News and Opinion - Knight Foundation Gives $1.7 Million to PBS NewsHour for Arts Coverage ([ArtNews]( - A Philly Nonprofit That Works With Kids Was Banned From Twitter Due to the Ages of the Children ([Billy Penn]( - Rep. Elijah Cummings Denies That Wife’s Charity Poses Conflict of Interest, Tax Violation ([Washington Examiner]( - Eli Broad Looks Back at the Evolution of L.A.'s Most Important Arts Hub ([Los Angeles Times]( Innovations - $6.7 Million Is Raised During 24-hour ‘Omaha Gives’ Charity Drive ([Omaha World-Herald]( Plus, see more in the Chronicle about [24-hour charity drives]( such as [Amplify Austin](. - Free Rent for Lucky Startups Brings New Tastes to Food Halls ([Wall Street Journal]( — subscription) - This NYC Theater Set Ticket Prices at $35 and Sold a Million of Them ([Fast Company]( - This Ballet Class Is for Children With Disabilities. But It's Really Just About Dancing ([Cincinnati Enquirer]( What Everyone Else Is Reading [Billionaire Robert Smith Pushes Plan to Boost Minority Students’ Access to Internships]( His pledge to wipe out the student debt of 400 Morehouse graduates drew big headlines, but he has even bigger goals to help minority students, including a plan to help thousands nationwide get their first crucial work experience. [Alexa Prompts Users to Donate to Red Nose Day]( Amazon’s smart speaker is offering to help people make a voice-activated gift to the campaign against childhood poverty. PREMIUM [A Fundraising Glossary for Nonfundraisers]( Do people in your organization need help understanding what the development department is talking about? Here’s a list of common terms to help them speak your language. PREMIUM [Philanthropy Must Stop Sleepwalking as Nation Faces One Outrage After Another (Opinion)]( For too long, philanthropy’s anger has been diluted, blunted, and bludgeoned by a relentless barrage on our sense of basic humanity and civic well-being — fueled by race-, gender-, LGBTQ-, and immigrant-centric attacks flying under the guise of patriotism. PREMIUM [Listen Up, Grant Makers: Radio Is a Hot Way to Advance Knowledge and Culture (Opinion)]( More Americans are listening to the medium than watching television — and they are tuning into in-depth investigations and a vast range of music. Save 20% on Our Next Webinar Learn How to Get Grants to Measure Impact Many charities find themselves in a Catch-22: Donors want to know whether charities are making a difference — but don’t want to pay for the systems (or people) needed to gather and analyze meaningful data. You'll learn how to overcome this challenge in our next webinar. Hear from: Jeannie Annan, senior director of research and evaluation at the International Rescue Committee, who will show you how to secure support to cover the full cost of monitoring and evaluation. Annan also will provide examples of how IRC communicates to donors the cost of assessing its results. Joseph Pyle, president of the Scattergood Foundation, a behavioral health grant maker in Philadelphia who will explain what he looks for when assessing nonprofits’ evaluation efforts and deciding to support them. He’ll also offer tips for talking to donors about the need for such funding and outline pitfalls to avoid when making your case for support. [Sign up today]( to join the Chronicle's Alex Daniels and our two expert guests on June 20 at 2 p.m. — and save 20 percent. Next Newsletter Will Arrive in Your Inbox Tuesday We’ll be off on Monday for Memorial Day, but we’ll keep our site updated whenever important news breaks. Job Opportunities Find your next job in the Chronicle's jobs section, where employers have posted hundreds of the best career opportunities in the nonprofit world. Here are a few: [Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Foster Family & Adoption Agency]( EXTRAORDINARY FAMILIES [Senior Development Manager, Health and Agricutlure]( National 4-H Council [Executive Director of Development - Medicine Initiatives]( UAMS [Search the Chronicle's jobs database](. Subscribe to the Chronicle Get insight into critical issues and the actionable analysis you need with a subscription to the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Get instant access to in-depth articles, fundraising resources, and much more. [Subscribe Today]( [The Chronicle of Philanthropy]( [Stop receiving]( this email. [Sign up]( for other newsletters. [View]( our privacy policy. © 2019 [The Chronicle of Philanthropy]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037