2023 Will Be a Tough Fundraising Year After Stunning Decline in 2022

Plus, donors who rescinded a $60 million pledge have a change of heart and commit $26.5 million. Also, why grant makers should reject shiny new things (opinion) ADVERTISEMENT [Philanthropy Today Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. You can now follow The Chronicle on [Apple News]( [Flipboard]( and [Google News](. GIVING [Fundraising in 2022 Was Among the Worst Ever, ‘Giving USA’ Found]( By Rasheeda Childress and Emily Haynes [STORY IMAGE]( International aid was the only cause that raised enough to beat inflation, as individual donors contributed 13 percent less than 2021. Plus, see the [Giving USA data]( in four charts. ADVERTISEMENT GIFTS ROUNDUP [Donors Who Rescinded $60 Million Pledge Have a Change of Heart and Commit $26.5 Million]( By Maria Di Mento [STORY IMAGE]( Plus, MacKenzie Scott gave $5 million to a nonprofit focused on improving the educational experiences of neurodiverse youths, and two universities and a chiropractic college all received big gifts. OPINION [Why Grant Makers Should Reject Shiny New Things]( By Lisa Pilar Cowan [STORY IMAGE]( Social change takes a lot of time. Too often, foundation officials get bored and forget that. Webinars [Take Your Grant Proposal Writing to the Next Level]( [STORY IMAGE]( Learn from the founder of a firm that has raised more than $300 million in public and private grants for nonprofits nationwide and from a fundraising executive who has attracted more than $130 million in institutional giving. You’ll get detailed advice on how to convey impact, tell your story in compelling ways, and make a persuasive case for support. Sharpen your next proposal and position your organization competitively: Join us on July 20 at 2 p.m. Eastern, or watch on demand. [Register today.]( SPONSOR CONTENT | The James Irvine Foundation [An Organization On A Mission to Achieve Equality in the Workplace]( VIRTUAL FORUMS & BRIEFINGS [How to Use Data to Hit Organizational Goals and Foster Growth]( [STORY IMAGE]( Savvy leaders understand data is an asset and a tool, and they know data-driven decision-making can help nonprofits expand, attract greater support, and operate more efficiently. How are some leaders ensuring data is captured in consistent, reliable ways and using it to guide smart decision-making? How do they motivate staff to prioritize and protect data? Get answers by joining us on Wednesday, June 28, at 2 p.m. Eastern for a discussion among leaders who are harnessing data to hit strategic goals. [Register today.]( SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to nonprofit news and analysis. Nonprofit News From Elsewhere Online The recent shutdown of a vanguard Los Angeles theater stage is part of a national crisis for regional theater companies. The announcement by L.A.’s Center Theatre Group last week that it would pause programming on the stage that had once launched Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America” echoed layoffs and cutbacks in Dallas, New York City, San Francisco, Portland, Ore., and other cities. At Center, corporate and individual contributions are down about 20 percent from pre-pandemic levels, while ticket sales have slumped by about 30 percent. Industry watchers say the abandonment of downtowns in the era of remote work and streaming have hit regional theaters hard, just as stage companies begin to hire people of color or LGBTQ people as leaders in significant numbers. “Slave Play” playwright Jeremy O. Harris said the current moment is the result of decades of misplaced spending priorities, unsound financing models, and programming that lacked innovation. ([Los Angeles Times]( Plus: Center Theatre Group in Crisis: Inside the Mark Taper Forum’s Closure and the Upheaval In L.A. Arts ([Los Angeles Times]( Also: How the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Financial Troubles Became So Serious ([Oregon Public Broadcasting](. Background from the Chronicle: [Race, Shakespeare, and a Theater’s Fight to Survive]( More News - Power Companies Spend Millions to Fight Maine’s Proposed Nonprofit Utility ([Guardian]( - With Pandemic Aid Ending, Vt.’s Homeless Are Forced From Hotels ([New York Times]( - Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott Donates $2 Million to Neighborhood Villages for Quality Affordable Child Care ([Boston Globe]( - For Women Ex-Prisoners, Food Insecurity Can Trigger Catastrophe. Activists Want More Aid ([Los Angeles Times]( - L.A. County Opens Its $1,000-a-Month Aid Program to Former Foster Youth. Here’s How to Apply ([Los Angeles Times]( - David Frey, Philanthropist and Retired Banker Who Helped Transform Grand Rapids, Dies at 81 ([MLive]( Arts and Culture - Here’s Why the Indian Cultures Hall at Denver Museum of Nature & Science Had to Come Down ([Denver Post]( - San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum Executive Director to Step Down ([San Francisco Chronicle]( - Why Climate Activists Are Still Throwing Food and Paint at Famous Artworks ([Wall Street Journal]( — subscription) Note: In the links in this section, we flag articles that only subscribers can access. But because some journalism outlets offer a limited number of free articles, readers may encounter barriers with other articles we highlight in this roundup. SPONSOR CONTENT | Amazon Business [How to Prepare For Your Best Fiscal Year Yet]( Discover how your organization can maximize budgets and never miss out on hidden unspent funds. Editor's Picks CORPORATE GIVING [Apple Doubles to $200 Million Its Support for Racial Equity]( By Kay Dervishi [STORY IMAGE]( Half the money is in the form of philanthropy grants; the other half in investments focused on equity. BIG GIFTS [Melinda French Gates Effort Aims to Accelerate Women’s Power and Influence]( By Maria Di Mento [STORY IMAGE]( Pivotal Ventures, Gates’s limited-liability company, has committed up to $20 million to match gifts made by members of three donor networks. Sudnya Shroff (pictured here) says the money doubled her philanthropy’s power. BIG DONORS [A $1 Billion Mystery Donor Who Did ‘Trust-Based Philanthropy’ Long Before MacKenzie Scott]( By Drew Lindsay [STORY IMAGE]( Why grantees of Diana Blank’s Kendeda Fund say she put on a “master class” during her 30 years of big giving. OPINION [To Encourage Ideological Diversity on College Campuses, Donors Need to Think Bigger]( By Thomas Gift and Julie Norman [STORY IMAGE]( Rather than writing big checks to their alma maters, philanthropists should use their money to build new universities that embrace nonconformity and divergent political perspectives. OPINION [No One Is Right in the Debate for and Against Philanthropic Pluralism]( By Shamil Idriss and Rachel Kleinfeld [STORY IMAGE]( Both sides in the heated discussion over philanthropic bridge-building make worthwhile arguments but miss a critical point: Collaborative dialogue and action turn adversaries into allies and have historically yielded meaningful progress toward social justice. RECOMMENDED WEBINAR [Join our next webinar]( — Learn from two experts: the founder of a firm that has raised more than $300 million in public and private grants for nonprofits nationwide as well as from a fundraising executive who has raised more than $130 million from institutions. They'll offer detailed advice on writing successful grant proposals, vital steps to take before approaching a grant maker, and how to convey impact in ways that resonate with program officers. You’ll get tips on how to tell the story of your work and its impact, demonstrate need, and make a persuasive case for support. Don’t miss this chance to sharpen your next grant proposal and position your organization competitively. Join us live on July 20, at 2 p.m. Eastern, or on demand. 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