All articles tagged with #philanthropy
The NHL announced 32 nominees for the 2025-26 King Clancy Memorial Trophy, honoring leadership and notable humanitarian work in communities; a Bettman-led committee will select the winner, who receives a $25,000 charity donation and may trigger up to a $20,000 club grant for a related activation.
The Stanley Family Foundation will donate $280 million to the Broad Institute to advance genetic and genomic research into bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, expanding the Stanley Center’s work and providing stable funding amid uncertain federal support.
The Giving Pledge, launched by Warren Buffett and allies like Melinda French Gates to commit vast fortunes to philanthropy, once signaled a transformative trend but now faces backlash and slower momentum as donors reassess ambitious, multi-trillion-dollar goals.
America’s top 50 philanthropists gave $22.4 billion in 2025, per the Chronicle of Philanthropy, led by Michael Bloomberg with $4.3 billion. MacKenzie Scott was excluded because her donors declined to confirm donor-advised fund contributions, and the ranking does not count DAF disbursements to avoid double counting. The piece notes rising privacy among ultra-wealthy donors, with Elon Musk and Larry Ellison not appearing due to lack of cooperation. Only about 19 Forbes 400 members show up on the Philanthropy 50, highlighting how much giving remains private.
Utah aims to refill the shrinking Great Salt Lake by 2034—coinciding with Salt Lake City’s Olympic Games—through policy reforms, water-right transfers, and philanthropy led by Josh Romney; the effort has broad support but faces enormous hurdles, including securing roughly 800,000 acre-feet of water annually, overcoming over-allocated rights, and financing projects that may cost hundreds of millions of dollars, all while drought and toxic dust risks loom.
Dolly Parton’s renaming of a Tennessee children’s hospital signals a broad effort to transform pediatric care in the state through expanded services, partnerships, and ongoing philanthropic support.
Anna Murdoch-Mann, writer and former News Corp director, has died at 81 in Palm Beach, Florida. Born Anna Torv in Glasgow, she was Rupert Murdoch’s wife for 31 years, mother to Elisabeth, James and Lachlan, and a philanthropist who served on hospital boards; she wrote several novels, including Family Business, and was made a Dame of the Order of St Gregory in 1998.
Billionaire Les Wexner is set to testify to a U.S. House panel about his decades-long ties to Jeffrey Epstein, insisting he cut ties in 2007 and denying any wrongdoing, even as newly unredacted federal files reference him as a “co-conspirator.” The controversy underscores Wexner’s vast Central Ohio influence—from New Albany development and major OSU donations to leadership roles in local nonprofits—while institutions weigh responses to donors amid ongoing investigations, including a separate OSU sexual-abuse lawsuit.
Paul Allen’s estate has begun selling the Seattle Seahawks, appointing Allen & Company and Latham & Watkins to lead the sale. The deal is expected to approach $10 billion and must be approved by NFL owners; proceeds will be donated to charity per Allen’s wishes, with sister Jody Allen maintaining control.
Elite universities welcomed Jeffrey Epstein’s money to fund labs and budgets, even as questions about his motives and ethics lingered; after Epstein’s 2008 conviction and 2019 death, schools faced reputational fallout, with some donors and campuses distancing themselves and debates intensifying about how private gifts shape academia. The piece underscores how reliance on philanthropy—often accepted at lower administrative levels—can expose institutions to tainted-money risks and prompts calls for stronger donor screening and governance.
MacKenzie Scott donated $59 million to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) on Jan. 30, continuing a sustained philanthropy that also included a $45 million gift to The Trevor Project earlier in January. The piece notes she gave $7.1 billion to nonprofits in 2025 and that, after her divorce, her net worth is about $32.5 billion, while Jeff Bezos’s is around $230.2 billion. The article also references a legal dispute involving Lauren Sánchez’s brother.
New documents show Bard College president Leon Botstein’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein went beyond fundraising, including a 2013 email saying 'Miss you', a 2017-era watch purchase, and a planned 2012 trip to Epstein’s island; Botstein says these interactions were about securing long-term funding for Bard, not personal gain, but the disclosures raise questions about donor influence and ethics in small liberal arts colleges.
Bobby Wagner, a 10-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro, was named the 2026 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year for his on-field leadership and extensive off-field work, including the FAST54 Fund for stroke patients, social-justice advocacy, and youth tech outreach; the Seahawks veteran—also with the Rams and Commanders—launched FAST54 after his mother’s death, and the award includes up to $250,000 to his charity plus up to $40,000 to each club nominee’s charity; he is the first Washington player to win the honor since Darrell Green in 1996.
DAFgiving360 reports a record $9.9 billion granted via donor-advised funds in 2025, up 28% from 2024, driven by strong market returns and expiring tax benefits under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. About 74% of contributions were non-cash assets, as donors use DAFs to secure upfront tax deductions while they time grants to charities. New tax rules cut top-bracket benefits and cap itemized deductions, potentially slowing future giving and nudging donors away from direct 'checkbook philanthropy'.
Shirley Raines, known as 'Ms Shirley' to her millions of TikTok followers and founder of Beauty 2 The Streetz, has died at 58 after years of helping people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles and Nevada, distributing meals, hygiene items, haircuts, and dignity; she credited her work with personal loss and trauma and used her platform to amplify marginalized voices. She was celebrated as CNN's 2021 Hero of the Year and NAACP Image Award winner in 2025, and her organization and friends mourn her passing while vowing to continue her mission.