Experts Reflect on the Aftershocks of UPenn’s Donor Revolt

Plus, nonprofits struggling with DEI principles; and a new leader at the Wells Fargo Foundation ADVERTISEMENT [Philanthropy Today Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. OPINION [Donor Revolts, Fundraising Fallout, and Why the Ivy League’s Turmoil Matters to All Nonprofits]( [STORY IMAGE]( Following the resignation of Penn President Liz Magill, nonprofit leaders, academics, and funders weigh in on donor influence and free speech politics. ADVERTISEMENT DATA AND RESEARCH [Despite Momentum, Many Nonprofits Still Struggle With Basic DEI Principles]( By Sara Herschander [STORY IMAGE]( One in four nonprofits still lack clear diversity, equity, and inclusion goals as progress stagnates, survey shows. TRANSITIONS [Wells Fargo Foundation Taps First Black Woman President]( By M.J. Prest [STORY IMAGE]( Also, Common Cause will install its next leader in February, and the Tiny News Collective has named its first executive director. WEBINARS [January 18, 2024, at 2 p.m. ET | Register Now]( [STORY IMAGE]( How can you keep supporters connected to, and inspired by, your cause in uncertain times? Join us for the webinar Developing a Donor-Engagement Plan for 2024 to get tips and tactics for mapping out a year-long strategy that you can adjust as conditions warrant. You’ll learn how to prioritize tactics and communication channels that get results, keep your cause top of mind among supporters, and lay a strong foundation for year-end fundraising appeals. SPONSOR CONTENT | CCS Fundraising [A Breakdown of Charitable Giving in 2023]( Nonprofit News From Elsewhere Online Over the past couple of decades, some of Los Angeles’s older, traditional philanthropies have embraced trust-based giving and shifted their focus to under-served communities. Since most were launched in the mid-20th century, the area’s large foundations have built or endowed prestigious civic institutions, often with their founders’ names affixed. But over the past two decades they started to recruit more progressive leaders and to join forces to attack systemic problems that tend to hit L.A.’s Black and brown communities the hardest. The trend has accelerated since the racial-justice protests that were set off by the murder of George Floyd. ([Los Angeles Times]( Plus: How some foundations get philanthropic dollars inside L.A. County bureaucracy ([Los Angeles Times]( Massachusetts’s mental and behavioral health-care providers for children are in crisis, leaving families in the lurch just as nationwide rates of mental illness among young people soar. Beset by low insurance reimbursement rates and strapped budgets, the mostly nonprofit providers cannot retain care staff, who can double their salaries at private organizations where clients pay out of pocket. Some services have more than 1,000 people on waiting lists that can last for months, according to a new survey by an industry association. Many positions go unfilled, programs have been shut down, and some providers have stopped marketing their services, lest the waiting lists grow longer. ([Boston Globe]( Background from the Chronicle: [More Big Donors Are Supporting — and Talking About — Mental Health]( More on Nonprofits and Social Services - 48 Million Americans Live With Addiction. Here’s How to Get Them Help That Works. ([New York Times]( - Can Homelessness in L.A. Ever Be ‘Rare, Brief And Nonrecurring’? ([Los Angeles Times]( - How A Non-Carceral Response to Mental Health Crises Is Possible — Even in Big Cities ([Next City]( More News - The Israeli and Palestinian Peace Activists Divided by Oct. 7 ([New York Times]( - Animal Rescues Celebrate Taylor Swift’s Birthday with $13 Donation Challenge ([People]( - Cars for Kids Might Kill Kars4Kids ([Curbed]( - Mother Jones to Merge With the Center for Investigative Reporting ([New York Times]( - Plus: Predictions for Journalism, 2024: A Year Of Consolidation in Nonprofit News ([Nieman Lab]( - Stephen Miller’s Trumpy Legal Group Is Spending Almost All of Its Cash on Ads ([Daily Beast]( Big Philanthropy - Nonprofit Investing $100 Million in Spartanburg County, S.C., Education ([WSPA]( - Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Foundation Starts Milwaukee Project to Help Afghan Women ([Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]( - A Field for Dreams: Steelers, Richard King Mellon Foundation To Partner On Youth Sports Complex In Pittsburgh ([Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]( Arts & Culture - The Deputy Director Who Overlooked Thefts at the British Museum Has Stepped Down ([Artnet News]( - How Dallas-Fort Worth Museums Are Working to Ensure Their Futures Don’t Look Like Their Pasts ([D Magazine]( - Smithsonian Targeted D.C.’s Most Vulnerable to Build Brain Collection ([Washington Post]( 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. New Grant Opportunities Your Chronicle subscription includes free access to [GrantStation’s]( database of grant opportunities. [Education:]( The Longview Foundation supports K-12 education projects in the U.S. that build global perspectives in teachers and students. The foundation provides one-year grants focused on increasing global dimensions within K-12 education in the U.S. in the following strategy areas: Internationalizing Teacher Preparation grants support efforts to expand preservice teachers’ global knowledge and skills. Grants generally range from $15,000 to $25,000. Letters of inquiry are due January 18, 2024. [Health:]( The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Evidence for Action: Indigenous-Led Solutions to Advance Health Equity and Wellbeing call for proposals aims to support research driven by Indigenous communities focused on advancing solutions to promote health equity and well-being for Indigenous Peoples. Funding will be provided for community-prioritized investigation, elevating and integrating Indigenous cultures and knowledge-building practices.Grants are expected to range from $100,000 to $750,000. Brief proposals due March 1, 2024. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to nonprofit news and analysis. EDITOR'S PICKS FAITH AND THE NONPROFIT [Nonprofits Help the Nonreligious Search for Meaning in Their Lives]( By Emily Haynes [STORY IMAGE]( Organizations are offering the spiritual care and community that many once found in religion. “This group feels like my church,” one participant said. DONOR-ADVISED FUNDS [The $10 Billion Charity No One Has Heard Of]( By Alex Daniels [STORY IMAGE]( The SDG Impact Fund is a donor-advised fund that grew from $238 million to $10 billion in one year. It has prompted some questions from experts. YEAR-END GIVING [Big Gifts, DAF Contributions Will Be Key to Year-End, Fundraisers Say]( By Emily Haynes [STORY IMAGE]( Some nonprofits are sharing blunt messages about financial woes in an effort to spur donations. SPONSOR CONTENT | James Irvine Foundation [Paving the Path to Gender Equity in Construction]( Only 11% of the construction industry is made up of women, but one organization is closing that gap one training at a time. ADVERTISEMENT RECOMMENDED WEBINAR [Join our webinar]( — Fundraisers and nonprofit communicators know how vital it is to keep donors regularly informed and inspired by your work. The year ahead is likely to be filled with distractions — from ongoing economic uncertainty and geopolitical strife to a U.S. presidential election — so cutting through the noise will take creativity and thoughtful planning. How can you keep supporters connected to your cause in unpredictable times? Join us on Thursday, January 18, at 2 p.m. Eastern for a 75-minute webinar to get tips and tactics for mapping out a year-long strategy that you can adjust as current events or economic conditions warrant. You’ll learn how to prioritize tactics and communication channels that get results and lay a strong foundation for year-end fundraising appeals. Don't miss this chance to start the year off strong. [Register now.]( JOB OPPORTUNITIES [Apply today](http://). [Director of Development and External Affairs]( Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) [Regional Director of Major Gifts, New York]( Hoover Institution, Stanford University [Grants Manager and Writer]( Brennan Center for Justice [Assistant Director of Annual Giving]( Key School [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