Nonprofits Still Feel a Crunch Despite Easing Inflation

Plus, George Soros’s Open Society Foundations is laying off 40 percent of staff under his son’s new leadership. Also, basketball star Charles Barkley plans to give $5 million for black student aid at Auburn U. ADVERTISEMENT [Philanthropy Today Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. ECONOMIC OUTLOOK [Inflation Is Easing, but Nonprofits Still Feel a Crunch]( By Sara Herschander [STORY IMAGE]( Nonprofits are still struggling to recruit workers and are being hit with higher-than-normal prices, despite signs that inflation is easing and the labor market is cooling down. ADVERTISEMENT EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP [George Soros’s Open Society Foundations to Lay Off 40 Percent of Staff Under Son’s New Leadership]( By Thalia Beaty, Associated Press [STORY IMAGE]( The organization employs about 800 staff members and maintains offices in more than 20 countries. GIFTS ROUNDUP [Basketball Star Charles Barkley Plans to Give $5 Million for Black Student Aid at Auburn U.]( By M.J. Prest and Maria Di Mento [STORY IMAGE]( Also, the University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute has received another $75 million from the Huntsman family, and Steven and Alexandra Cohen have given $35 million to help children and teens experiencing mental-health crises. 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 | Amazon Business [Preparing for a Stress-Free Fiscal Year]( VIRTUAL EVENT [Tomorrow: Digitally Transformed Nonprofits]( [STORY IMAGE]( Join nonprofit leaders tomorrow, July 11 at 2 p.m. Eastern as they share actionable advice and real-world examples of how to use technology to transform operations, create new opportunities, and improve processes to ensure the stability and sustainability of your organization. We’ll offer advice for big and small nonprofits. Don’t miss this free event and the chance to learn from your peers how to apply tech solutions to stay competitive. [Register now.]( SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to nonprofit news and analysis. Nonprofit News From Elsewhere Online The Smithsonian’s pick to lead its planned women’s history museum has backed out months after reports surfaced of her tumultuous tenure as director of a small museum in New York City. Nancy Yao’s announcement last week that she was withdrawing for family reasons came as the Smithsonian was looking into allegations of mismanagement and retaliation leveled by some of her former employees at the Museum of Chinese in America. Within the last few years, that museum has settled three wrongful-termination lawsuits brought by people who said they were fired for having reported accusations of sexual harassment on behalf of less-senior staff. Yao has called those settlements “nuisance agreements” and said budget woes were behind the firings. Her MOCA tenure was controversial in other ways, but Yao was also a prodigious fundraiser. The Smithsonian has launched another search for a founding director of the women’s history museum. ([Washington Post]( As Color of Change weathers budget cuts and its third round of layoffs since the spring, insiders charge that its leaders have spent lavishly while its board stayed mum. Launched in 2006, the civil-rights organization was buoyed by the donations that poured in after the murder of George Floyd. In the first six months of 2020, it received more than $30 million in donations to its two nonprofit arms. But even as giving slumped, the board approved $43 million budgets for each of the past two years on annual cash receipts of about $26 million, documents show. For a time in 2021, Color of Change spent “$1.52 for each dollar raised” and “spent more than a million dollars more than it brought in each month during the second half of 2022,” reports show. At the same time, citing security concerns, the organization was paying for a luxury high-rise apartment for its president, Rashad Robinson, who in 2019 earned more than the president of the NAACP. Other expenses included $25,000 per episode of a podcast that attracted relatively few listeners and $14,000 monthly to rent a production facility in Hollywood that is now on hiatus, according to documents and current and former staffers. Executives said the organization is on sound financial footing and that it has “instituted new systems to proactively address emerging financial challenges.” ([Insider]( More News - Donors Are War-Weary, So Ukrainian Soldiers Get Creative for Funds ([New York Times]( - Where Clarence Thomas Entered an Elite Circle and Opened a Door to the Supreme Court ([New York Times]( Affirmative-Action Ruling - Employers Benefited From Affirmative Action. It’s Time to Step Up. ([New York Times]( - Harvard’s Legacy Preferences Hurt the Less Well-Off but Aid What Really Matters to the University: Its Endowment. ([Wall Street Journal]( — subscription) - Activists Spurred by Affirmative Action Ruling Challenge Legacy Admissions at Harvard ([Associated Press]( - Charles Barkley Changes His Will After Affirmative Action Ruling ([Daily Beast](. Plus: That’s Some Gift to Students, Charles Barkley. $5 Million When You’re Dead ([Arizona Republic]( — subscription) Foreign and Disaster Aid - A Bill Gates-Tied Mosquito Project Is Not Responsible for Recent U.S. Malaria Cases ([Associated Press]( - A New Kind of Disaster Aid: Pay People Cash Before Disaster Strikes ([New York Times]( Opinion - America Faces a Mental Health Crisis. Philanthropy Can Help Solve It ([Dallas Morning News]( - The Attack on Nonprofit Free Speech Continues ([National Review]( Theater in Crisis - The Theatergoing Habit Is Broken. How Do Venues Get People Back in Seats? ([Los Angeles Times]( - ‘I Really Don’t Think We Would Survive’: San Diego Civic Theatre Users Fear a Future Without Broadway Shows, Ballet, and Opera ([San Diego Union-Tribune]( - Theater Is in Freefall, and the Pandemic Isn’t the Only Thing to Blame ([Washington Post]( - The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Brought Lasting Changes to Vt.’s Theater Companies ([VTDigger]( 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 | The James Irvine Foundation [Shifting the Balance of Power at Work]( On a mission to give workers the stage to speak without fear or intimidation. EDITOR'S PICKS GOVERNMENT AND REGULATION [Supreme Court’s Ruling Striking Down Race-Conscious College Admissions Could Have Sweeping Impact on Nonprofits and Philanthropy]( By Alex Daniels [STORY IMAGE]( Legal experts say foundations and nonprofits could face challenges as a result of the court’s ruling today. But the decision did not go as far as some affirmative-action supporters had feared. RESEARCH AND DATA [Wealthier Should Give to Charity, Say People Who Stopped Donating, New Poll Finds]( By Sara Herschander [STORY IMAGE]( Many Americans also said they couldn’t afford to give, and young people said they weren’t giving because nobody asked them to. GRANT MAKING [Many Foundations Are Taking a Step Back After 2 Years of Steep Increases in Grants Budgets]( By Alex Daniels [STORY IMAGE]( More than a quarter of grant makers plan to give less this year than they did in 2022. OPINION [Why I Stopped Donating to Your Organization]( By Theodore Wagenaar [STORY IMAGE]( With new “Giving USA” data showing a near-record drop in charitable contributions, one donor advises nonprofits to do a better job of listening and communicating to people like him — or risk losing future gifts. VIDEO [Everyday Megadonors: a New Force in Giving]( By Sara Herschander [STORY IMAGE]( The rise of ultra-wealthy, but often low-profile, megadonors has changed the charitable-giving landscape. Several fundraising experts joined the Chronicle to discuss how charities of all sizes can navigate the growing wealth gap and capture the attention of major donors. 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. [Register now.]( JOB OPPORTUNITIES [Meeting and Event Specialist]( The Annie E. Casey Foudation [Chief of Staff]( Child Mind Institute [Senior Manager, Corporate and Foundation Relations (Remote)]( Rainforest Alliance [Associate Director of Individual Giving]( Portland Art Museum [Director of Grants and Corporate Relations]( Serving Seniors [Vice President of Advancement (Remote Location)]( National Medical Fellowships [Search other jobs.]( [Chronicle of Philanthropy Logo]( This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. 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