Electrifying Poetry Reading at Biden Inaugural Brings Attention to Small Charity

Plus, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has picked a new president, and the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation CEO is departing for a role in the Biden administration ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( [logo] [Read this newsletter on the web](. INAUGURATION [Electrifying Poetry Reading at Biden Inaugural Brings Attention — and Donations — to a Small Charity]( By Eden Stiffman [image] It wasn’t long ago that Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old National Youth Poet Laureate, took part in programs run by WriteGirl, a Los Angeles group that promotes creativity and self-expression to empower girls. ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( TRANSITIONS [Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Picks New President]( By M.J. Prest [image] Also, the Strada Education Network has named the new president of Strada Impact, and the CEO of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation is departing for a role at USDA under the Biden-Harris administration. A paid message from DonorPerfect Your Nonprofit Crowdfunding Kit includes creative campaign ideas, communication templates, recommended tools, and more. [Read it now!]( Nonprofit News From Elsewhere Three states are considering proposals to prohibit government agencies from collecting or disclosing information about nonprofit donors. Under the bills in Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee, agencies could not require tax-exempt groups to report the names of their donors, and the agencies could not release whatever identifying donor information they might have. At least 15 pieces of legislation dealing with donor disclosure are pending in various state houses. The Supreme Court will weigh in on the issue in its current term as it takes up a California requirement that nonprofits there disclose their major donors to the attorney general. ([Ballotpedia]( Arts institutions in great numbers are hiring professionals to help them diversify their collections, management, work forces, and outreach, but that is just the beginning of the work ahead. The new hires insist that to go beyond window dressing, institutions must enlist every staff member in the effort, and changes must reach from top — making diversity officials top-level executives — to bottom — offering paid internships to people of color. They are also demanding measurable goals and accountability, including withholding pay raises for high-ranking people when the goals are not met. ([New York Times]( The $3.9 billion California Endowment will raise $300 million on the bond market this year and plow it into addressing health-care inequities in the state. Given the stark differences in care and outcomes for vulnerable populations that the pandemic has revealed, the endowment wants to support "those organizations who are fighting the battles of systems change and policy change and structural change," endowment president and chief executive officer Robert Ross said. The bond sale is the first time the endowment has issued debt since 2003, and it joins a handful of other major philanthropies, including the Ford, Rockefeller, and Bush foundations, in taking advantage of historically low interest rates. ([Bloomberg]( More News - Biden Plans Executive Action to Expand Food Stamps and Speed Stimulus Checks ([New York Times]( - Elon Musk Says He Will Donate $100 Million to Whoever Invents the Best Carbon-Capture Technology ([CNBC]( - With the Emerson Collective, Laurene Powell Jobs Is Becoming a Force in American Media. What Is She Trying to Achieve? ([Columbia Journalism Review]( - Mutual Aid Networks Find Roots in Communities of Color ([Associated Press]( - Beau Biden Foundation to Deny Lobbyist Donations, Make Major Donors Public ([Hill]( - The National Park Foundation Has Helped Restore Access to 10,000 Miles of Trails ([Thrillist]( - The NRA Wants to ‘Dump’ Its Regulators via Bankruptcy. Will It Succeed? ([New York Times]( Inspiration and Innovation - This L.A. Project Shows That Homeless Housing Can Be Done Quickly and Cheaply ([Los Angeles Times]( - The Street Vendors Who Are Fighting Hunger ([Grub Street]( - Do Museums Need a Shopping Network for Art Donations? ([New York Times]( - The Charity Reuniting Syrian Refugees With the Pets They Had to Leave Behind ([Vice]( Subscribe to the Chronicle The Chronicle of Philanthropy is dedicated to helping nonprofits care for their clients and staff, manage financial setbacks, and stay connected with donors. Please consider subscribing, so that we may continue to provide essential news, resources, and analysis to the nonprofit world. [Subscribe Today]( Editor's Picks GOVERNMENT AND REGULATION [Nonprofit Advocates See Hope for Legislation on Tax Deductions and More]( By Dan Parks and Michael Theis [image] Nonprofit advocates are optimistic that the Biden administration and new leaders in the Senate will extend a law allowing all taxpayers to itemize their charitable deductions, and perhaps other policy changes helpful to nonprofits. OPINION [Philanthropy’s Inauguration March: What the Real Work of Protecting Democracy Demands Now]( By Joe Goldman [image] Not since Watergate has our nation faced such a significant opportunity — or, indeed, an imperative — to remake our system of government. The next few years will be a make-or-break moment that will shape how the American people regard their democracy. OPINION [Rebuilding Our Nation’s Historically Racist Public Infrastructure Should Be a Top Philanthropic Priority]( By Katrina Badger, Samantha Graff, and Ang Hadwin Covid-19 has exposed infrastructure inequities in everything from broadband to transportation to clean air and water. It’s time we did something about it. OPINION [Charity Navigator’s New “Impact Score” Tells Us Little About a Nonprofit’s True Value]( By Liz Dozier and Lisa Pilar Cowan [image] Attempts to quantify success based primarily on return on financial investment, ignore the complexities of nonprofits’ work and their impact on the communities they serve. OPINION [To Advance Racial Equity, Foundation Boards Need to Take an Active Role]( By James Canales and Barbara Hostetter [image] A philanthropist and chief executive explain how they transformed a family philanthropy’s governance system so it helped accelerate a commitment to fighting racism. Job announcement Director of Development at DC Volunteer Lawyers Project. [Visit jobs.philanthropy.com]( for more details. ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( Paid for and Created by CCS Fundraising [CCS Survey Shows Improved Fundraising Trends and Evolved Donor Engagement Tactics]( Gain insights into fundraising outcomes, impacts, and evolving donor engagement tactics via CCS Fundraising’s newly released third-edition report, Fundraising Impact of COVID-19, highlighting results that indicate improved virtual solicitations. How to Win Grants for Advancing Racial Equity Grant makers are pouring unprecedented sums into racial-equity work in response to the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. Many nonprofits have elevated their efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion within their organizations and communities. How can your nonprofit attract support for its racial-equity efforts? Join the Chronicle of Philanthropy and our expert guests for the webinar, [How to Win Grants for Advancing Racial Equity]( on Thursday, February 11, at 2 PM ET. [Register today]( to secure your spot and get the early-bird discount. This session qualifies for 1.25 CFRE credits. Job Opportunities [Associate Director of Bilateral Relations, Disability Rights Fund - Remote possible]( Disability Rights Fund/Disability Rights Advocacy Fund [Chief Advancement Officer]( Providence Animal Center [Grants Writer (Grants Manager)]( FPWA [Director of Development, Pro Bono Legal Services Industry]( DC Volunteer Lawyers Project [Search the Chronicle's jobs database]( to view the latest jobs in philanthropy. What did you think of today’s newsletter? [Strongly disliked]( // [It was OK]( // [Loved it](. [logo]( This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2021 [The Chronicle of Philanthropy]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037