George Soros’s Open Society Refocuses to Fight Authoritarianism Globally

Plus, Sonal Shah is tapped to lead the Asian American Foundation ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( [logo] Was this newsletter forwarded to you? [Please sign up to receive your own copy.]( You’ll support our journalism and ensure that you continue to receive our emails. [Read this newsletter on the web](. FOUNDATION LEADERSHIP [Soros’s Open Society Returns More Focus to Fight Authoritarianism Around the Globe]( By Alex Daniels [image] The transition will lead to cuts in grant-making programs that focus on scholarship, migration, and the future of work. It will also involve elimination of 200 jobs at Open Society. ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( TRANSITIONS [Sonal Shah Tapped to Lead the Asian American Foundation]( By M.J. Prest [image] Also, PepsiCo has hired a new president of its corporate foundation, and two co-CEOs will lead Schwarzman Philanthropies. Paid for and Created by Regions Bank [A Mission of Impact]( Reassessing long-term investment strategy along with an increased focus on nonprofit sustainability, learn how Regions Bank is helping nonprofits recover, rethink and reposition themselves for a more stable future. Nonprofit News From Elsewhere The Biden administration's proposed tax hikes would give the wealthy more incentive to make charitable donations, a Biden aide told nonprofit leaders last week. Biden's plan would nearly double the capital-gains tax rate for those who earn more than $1 million annually and would likely send those taxpayers looking for more deductions. The aide's admission was implicit acknowledgment that the wealthy will look for ways around the tax hike. Some organizations are already pointing out to potential donors the increased value of gifts under the proposal, and one scholar said the enhanced tax break could give wealthy donors an excuse to give more to charities and leave less for their heirs. ([New York Times]( Bill Gates's objections to lifting patent protections for Covid vaccines raise questions about his foundation's hold on intellectual property and the resulting implications for global public health. For example, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation owns a stake in a company that has agreed to supply 405 million doses of a Covid vaccine it is developing for the European Commission, "a deal that seems to raise new questions about Gates’s role in perpetuating vaccine apartheid," given the relative scarcity of the vaccines in poorer countries. The foundation has said in the past that it uses its stakes in companies and intellectual property protections to channel innovation into solving public health issues in the developing world, but critics say these arrangements highlight the built-in conflict of interest among Bill Gates's roles as philanthropist, businessman, investor, lobbyist, and adviser to policymakers. ([Nation]( More News - The Gates Divorce Is About More Than a Marriage ([Atlantic]( - Chicago Suburb Set to Pay Reparations, but Not All Are on Board ([Associated Press]( - Millennial Philanthropy May Forever Change Finance ([Financial Times]( — subscription) - Judge Blasts San Antonio-Based Nonprofits as 'Dangerous, Unsafe' for Foster Children ([San Antonio Express-News]( - Covid and George Floyd Spur $250 Million Joyce Foundation Pledge ([Crain's Chicago Business]( Arts and Culture - Frank Gehry's Surprisingly Subtle $233 Million Makeover of Philadelphia Museum of Art Revealed ([Art Newspaper]( - Nadella Family Donates $15 Million to Seattle Children's Hospital ([KING 5]( - D.C. Ballet School Executive Admits Embezzling $1.5 Million ([Daily Beast]( How to Inspire Loyalty Among Major Donors [Join our webinar]( — America’s wealthiest donors gave a total of $24.7 billion last year to help charities address Covid-19 and racial injustice, while nonprofits that tackle hunger, homelessness, and other issues related to poverty received far more from philanthropists than ever before. But attracting gifts from big donors is competitive in the best of times, and the events of the past year upended nearly everything about major-gift fundraising. How can your nonprofit cultivate wealthy supporters — and secure large gifts — during times like these? Join us Thursday, May 20, at 2 p.m. to learn from savvy big-gift fundraisers about what is working — and what is not — in the new normal. Earl Granger III, head of development at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and Princess Gamble, fundraising executive at the Smithsonian Institution, will share fresh and creative ways to connect with high-net-worth donors, convey impact, and deepen ties despite social distancing. Both experts will draw on years of big-gift fundraising experience. In previous roles, Gamble helped lead the National Museum of African American History and Culture's $350 million capital campaign, and Granger successfully led a $1 billion campaign at William & Mary. [Register today]( and then join us on May 20 to learn from two fundraising leaders. Editor's Picks CORONAVIRUS RELIEF [Donors Race to Aid India During Covid Surge]( By Alex Daniels [image] The catastrophic wave of Covid-19 in India has prompted donors to send millions of dollars to the country, which Tuesday crossed the grim mark of more than 20 million cases of the killer disease. PHILANTHROPY TODAY [They Came Through in a Crisis. Will 2020’s New Donors Keep Giving?]( By The Chronicle of Philanthropy Plus, Rockefeller heirs launch a campaign to block oil and gas development, and a global response to gender inequality is needed as women and girls lose ground in the pandemic (opinion) RESEARCH [New Report Says Charities Lost $300 Billion in 5 Years in Part Because Donors Stashed Money in Advised Funds]( By Michael Theis New research from a critic of donor-advised funds is based on tax records that show just how much charities received over five years. OPINION [A Key to Diversity in Nonprofit Boardrooms: Mobilize Donors to Force Change]( By Carolyn T. Adams and Vicki W. Kramer Institutional investors have forced corporate boards to change. Now it’s time for wealthy trustees to take the same approach at the biggest and most powerful institutions. INDIVIDUAL GIVING [Rockefeller Heirs Launch Campaign to Block Oil and Gas Development]( By Dan Parks [image] After putting in $30 million of their own into the fund, the Rockefeller descendants want to raise $100 million to cut off the supply of fossil fuels by supporting legal challenges and protest activities. Job announcement Assistant Director, Digital Communications and Analytics at Pomona College.[Visit jobs.philanthropy.com]( for more details. ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( Paid for and Created by GolfStatus.org [Nonprofits Use Technology to Leverage Golf Fundraisers amid Pandemic]( Building and expanding donor databases for future asks, learn how GolfStatus.org’s event management technology is positioning nonprofits to advance their existing partnerships and garnering additional corporate support. 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]( Job Opportunities [Development Director, Institutional Giving]( Greenpeace USA [Assistant Manager, Major Gifts]( John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts [Director of External Affairs]( E.L. Haynes Public Charter School [Assistant Director, Digital Communications and Analytics]( Pomona College [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