Charles Feeney Lived Modestly, Gave Billions

Plus, fees on Facebook and Instagram donations are returning; and how grant makers can support democracy. ADVERTISEMENT [Philanthropy Today Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. PHILANTHROPISTS [Charles Feeney’s Legacy: $8 Billion in Giving, and a Bold Example]( By Maria Di Mento [STORY IMAGE]( He was in many ways a forerunner of the “giving while living” philosophy — in his case, giving it almost all away. ADVERTISEMENT SOCIAL MEDIA [Fees to Return on Facebook and Instagram Donations]( By Phoebe Farag Mikhail [STORY IMAGE]( Meta has covered processing fees for billions given through its platforms. That stops October 31. OPINION [Want to Fund a Healthy Democracy? Stop Focusing on Partisan Politics.]( By Kristen Cambell [STORY IMAGE]( Grant makers are eager to protect and strengthen democracy — but only if they believe their investments will bolster their own ideological perspective. GIFTS ROUNDUP [Amy and Richard Wallman Give U. of Chicago Another $75 Million Gift]( By Maria Di Mento [STORY IMAGE]( Plus, a college registrar, a Broadway producer, and a billionaire novelist donate huge sums to higher education, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and a career-training charity. Webinars [Thursday: Smart Ways to Attract Online Donors]( [STORY IMAGE]( Before you finalize your year-end fundraising strategy, join us on Thursday, October 12, at 2 p.m. Eastern to learn which online tactics are getting the best results now. You’ll learn from a vice president of online communications and a veteran fundraiser who oversees alumni engagement as they explain how to run successful online advertising campaigns, strategically time emails to maximize donor engagement, and work with social-media influencers to amplify your message, among other smart strategies. [Sign up now.]( [Corporate Grant Seeking in the Current Climate]( [STORY IMAGE]( Corporations gave nearly $30 billion to charities in 2022, but many companies are redefining the focus of their giving. Company structures are changing, and grant makers feel greater pressure to show the impact of their donated dollars. How can nonprofits adjust to these changes and attract corporate support? What do companies seek from nonprofits? Join us on Thursday, October 26, at 2 p.m. Eastern to learn from a highly successful fundraiser and a leader who helps execute Boeing’s philanthropic efforts. [Register today.]( SPONSOR CONTENT | Independent Sector [Embracing Redemptive Activism: My Journey to Unite Communities]( Nonprofit News From Elsewhere Online Nearly 50 Nobel Prize winners are asking the world’s billionaires to donate $100 million to help children displaced by wars in Ukraine and elsewhere. Russian journalist Dmitri A. Muratov, who won the prize in 2021, said his fellow laureates have signed an open letter urging the planet’s richest people to contribute to UNICEF by the end of the year. Muratov, whose independent newspaper is in limbo under Russia’s harsh wartime censorship, donated his $500,000 in prize money to charity and gave the $103.5 million proceeds from the auction of his Nobel medal to UNICEF. ([New York Times]( The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will spend $40 million to help African scientists produce new vaccines, to help protect more people throughout the continent come the next pandemic. Half of the money will go to vaccine manufacturers in Africa and the other half to Quantoom Biosciences, a Belgian company that developed a so-called messenger RNA research and manufacturing platform that the vaccine makers will be using. The technology is well suited to low- and middle-income countries, Quantoom CEO Jose Castillo said. It could be three to seven years before the new vaccines are in use. ([Associated Press]( More on Big Philanthropy - Opinion: Big Philanthropy Is a Scam That Makes the Rich Look Better, Conceals Their Crimes ([Teen Vogue]( - The Sackler Family Opioid Crisis — And a Fortune Donated in Britain ([Times]( Big Gifts - University Of Conn. Gets Its Largest Gift Ever, $40 Million, to Support School of Nursing ([Hartford Courant]( - Michigan’s Kalamazoo College Gets $30 Million Donation ([WOOD]( - ‘Museums Held a Special Place in Their Hearts': Couple Gifts $18M to Three Iconic Cincinnati Groups ([Cincinnati Business Courier]( - Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Receives $15M Gift From Local Family Foundation ([Cincinnati Business Courier]( - University Of Kansas Receives $15M Anonymous Donation for Upgrades to Stadium, Gateway District ([KSHB]( Opinion - The Rebirth of Local News Depends on All of Us ([Washington Post]( - Is Chicago’s NHL Team Supporting Native Causes — Or Buying Silence? ([Washington Post]( Arts and Culture - Prebys Foundation Announces $16 Million in New Grant Funds for San Diego Arts Organizations ([San Diego Union-Tribune]( - Turmoil Engulfs Canadian Art Museums Seeking to Shed Colonial Past ([New York Times]( SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to nonprofit news and analysis. EDITOR'S PICKS [No Apologies: Rajiv Shah Stands By Rockefeller’s Top-Down Approach]( By Marc Gunther [STORY IMAGE]( Even as MacKenzie Scott and the Ford Foundation popularize unrestricted giving, the Rockefeller Foundation maintains an experts-know-best approach to grant making. CORPORATE GIVING [What Happened to Big — and Local — Corporate Giving?]( By Eden Stiffman [STORY IMAGE]( Companies are giving away a smaller share of profits than they used to. Where does that leave the nonprofits in their backyards? DISGRACED PHILANTHROPIST [This Is Effective Altruism? New Book Offers Unflattering Glimpses of Sam Bankman-Fried’s Philanthropy]( By Drew Lindsay [STORY IMAGE]( The controversial giving movement fueled the rise of the ex-cryptocurrency mogul, writes Michael Lewis in “Going Infinite.” ADVERTISEMENT RECOMMENDED WEBINAR [Join our next webinar]( — It can be difficult to develop a year-end drive that stands out from the crowd ― and hits fundraising goals — even in the best of times. But as inflation continues to pinch, and individual charitable giving continues its downward slide, this year’s so-called giving season could be quite challenging. Before you finalize your year-end fundraising strategy, join us to learn which online tactics are getting the best results now. Join us October 12 at 2 p.m. Eastern learn from a vice president of online communication and a veteran fundraiser who oversees alumni engagement. They’ll explain what it takes to create a successful online advertising campaign, how to strategically time emails to maximize donor engagement, and creative ways to work with social-media influencers to amplify your message. [Register now.]( JOB OPPORTUNITIES [Apply today](http://). [Executive Vice President for Development and Communications]( Scripps Research [Director of Development Operations and Planned Giving]( Folger Shakespeare Library [Manager of Foundation Relations]( Vital Voices Global Partnership [Search other jobs.]( [Chronicle of Philanthropy Logo]( This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2023 [The Chronicle of Philanthropy]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037