Charities Rush to Get Bottled Water to Jackson, Miss., but More Help Is Needed

Plus, the Akonadi Foundation has tapped its next president, and a White House aide will lead Share Our Strength ADVERTISEMENT [Philanthropy Today Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. PUBLIC HEALTH [Nonprofits and Foundations Rush to Bring Drinking Water to Jackson, Miss., but Cash Donations Are Slow]( By Kay Dervishi and Eden Stiffman [STORY IMAGE]( Bottled water is a short-term fix. Residents also need food, cleaning supplies, and a long-term plan. ADVERTISEMENT TRANSITIONS [Akonadi Foundation Taps Next President; White House Aide to Lead Share Our Strength]( By M.J. Prest [STORY IMAGE]( Also, GiveDirectly names Rory Stewart as CEO to succeed its co-founder, and Talia Rivera has been tapped as first full-time executive director of the Fund for a Safer Future. Webinars [Cultivating Major Donors: What’s Working Now]( [STORY IMAGE]( As fewer Americans give to charities, nonprofits are relying on big donors more than ever. Join us on demand, or live Thursday, September 15, to learn from our expert guests about the best approaches to secure gifts in 2022. They’ll explain how they’ve adapted and why, which donors to focus on and how to increase their giving, tips for handling economic uncertainty, and the most effective ways to communicate need. The early-bird rate ends September 8. [Sign up today.]( [How to Navigate Corporate Giving in 2022]( [STORY IMAGE]( Many companies boosted giving and adjusted their grant-making practices and priorities in response to the health and racial-justice crises. Join us on demand, or live Thursday, September 29, to learn which changes continued in 2022, how to best appeal to corporate grant makers now, and tips for cultivating potential new partners. The early-bird rate ends September 22. Save your spot. [Sign up today.]( NONPROFIT NEWS FROM ELSEWHERE There’s no reason to believe that Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan’s 2020 donation for local elections administrators broke federal rules, the Federal Elections Commission has determined. In a complaint that echoed the claims of some conservatives, a Texas lawyer had told the commission that the $350 million gift appeared “to be designed with the intent to tilt the 2020 federal elections toward one political party.” Zuckerberg and Chan gave the money to the nonpartisan Center for Tech and Civic Life to distribute to local officials trying to run elections in the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic. “These funds will serve all sorts of communities throughout the country — urban, rural, and suburban,” the couple said in a statement at the time. The commission, which is evenly split between Democratic and Republican members and often deadlocks, voted unanimously to dismiss the complaint. ([NBC News]( A major effort to transform African agriculture, funded largely by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has failed and has even harmed some of the farmers it was meant to help, critics say. The foundation has poured $1 billion into AGRA, formerly known as the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa. But on the occasion of an agriculture summit in Rwanda, some activists, farmers, and religious leaders are urging it to adopt new methods. They say it “poisons soils with chemicals and encourages farmers to go into debt by buying expensive seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides.” Even a recent evaluation of the program funded by its donors, which also includes the Rockefeller Foundation, said it had not achieved its chief goals to increase farm incomes and food security for Africans since its founding in 2006. AGRA’s president, Agnes Kalibata, said the alliance eschews a one-size-fits-all approach and works with farmers to tailor its work. She said the effort has been hampered by climate change and it is working on strategies to help farmers adapt. ([Seattle Times]( More News - Judge Approves $2.46 Billion Boy Scouts Reorganization Plan ([Associated Press]( - Queen Elizabeth II Was Associated With More Than 600 Charities During Her Reign ([Independent]( - Teddy Bears and Racial Justice: How St. Louis Became a Laboratory for Social Work ([New York Times]( - The Environmental Movement Faces Burnout. This Woman Wants to Repair That ([Atmos]( - “A Candy Store For Teachers": Nonprofit Creates Free School Supply Shop For Educators ([CBS News Minnesota]( - Win an Income-Tax Trifecta With Charitable Donations ([Wall Street Journal]( — subscription) Big Gifts - ‘Mind-Boggling’: How a Donation From Draftkings’ CEO Led to a New School for Afghan Refugees ([Boston Globe]( - Gilbert Philanthropy Commits $10 Million to Grow Startups in Detroit ([Crain’s Detroit Business]( - How Portland-Based Nonprofit Friends of the Children Won a $44 Million Gift From MacKenzie Scott ([Oregon Live]( - Virtual research institute battles Long COVID with backing from Ethereum co-creator Vitalik Buterin ([Tech Crunch]( Opinion - Philanthropic Foundations Will Feel the Squeeze in a Bear Market — Especially When They Have Been Making Ill-Advised or Politically Driven Investment Decisions ([City Journal]( SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to nonprofit news and analysis. EDITOR'S PICKS DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION [As Attacks Proliferate, Philanthropy Sends More Money to Groups That Serve Transgender People]( By Kay Dervishi [STORY IMAGE]( Leaders say growing interest from grant makers is helpful but that they need more to build strong, effective, and enduring organizations. OPINION [What the Walton Foundation Learned About Crisis Grant Making During the Pandemic]( By Caryl M. Stern [STORY IMAGE]( When historians reflect on what life was like in March 2020, I believe they’ll record it as a moment of collective trauma — when everything certain became uncertain, when the anchors of our daily lives became unmoored. OPINION [Here’s One Way to Help Grantees Deal With Inflation: Give Them More Money]( By Adam Simon and Steven Laufer [STORY IMAGE]( During periods of high inflation, foundations need to recognize that the benefits of long-term grants are undermined by rising costs. They should respond by increasing payments to nonprofits they support, many of whom are struggling to meet program goals due to higher expenses for travel, staff, and other necessities. VOLUNTEERISM [Why and How Charities Should Revive a Declining but Vital Resource ... Volunteers]( By Ben Gose [STORY IMAGE]( Some volunteer programs lapsed during the pandemic; others adapted and thrived. Both cases illustrate how valuable volunteers can be. Plus, see everything from [our new issue]( posted today. OPINION [Investing in Better School Counseling Will Help Struggling Students Recover From Multiple Crises]( By Mandy Savitz-Romer, Tara P. Nicola, and Graham Weber [STORY IMAGE]( As the school year begins, students need increased support to thrive in an era marked by school shootings, the pandemic, and racial violence. To address these challenges, philanthropy should help strengthen the long-neglected field of school counseling. ADVERTISEMENT RECOMMENDED WEBINAR [How to Attract — and Keep — Top Fundraisers] [Join Our Next Webinar]( — As fewer Americans give to charities, nonprofits are relying on big donors more than ever. Join us on demand, or live on Thursday, September 15, at 2 p.m. Eastern to learn from a veteran major-gift officer and a fundraiser at an academic medical center about the approaches they are using to secure gifts in 2022. They'll offer insights into: - How they've adapted and why - Which donors to focus on and how to increase their giving - Tips for handling economic uncertainty - The most effective ways to communicate need. The early-bird rate ends September 8. Don't miss this chance to gain valuable insights you can apply to your year-end strategy. 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