October 19, 2011

“Reinventing” Corporate Philanthropy

RE: Philanthropy

By Jacob Gayle
10/18/11

The Council on Foundations’ Corporate Philanthropy 2012 project calls for a “reinvention” of corporate philanthropy, in part through a core group of leaders/practitioners who are willing to “guide, adopt, test, and validate new management approaches.” So often our ability to transform established approaches requires a convergence of opportunity and vision.
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Agoura Hills Resident with ALS Sets Up Scholarship Fund

Ventura County Star

By Mark Storer
10/13/11

Greg Merfeld knew something was wrong last year when he developed “foot drop,” a condition that caused him to drag his right foot. He knew exactly what to do. He went to Cedars-Sinai Hospital neurologists and asked them to run tests that would confirm the presence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Merfeld said that around Christmas last year, friends kept asking what they could do to help. “I said there wasn’t much they could do, but I woke up one day realizing there was something. I wanted to set up a scholarship fund for children of people with ALS,” he said.
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Gang of Six to Brief Supercommittee

Politico

10/18/11

The bipartisan group of senators is set to brief the 12 members of the powerful deficit-slashing panel in a closed-door meeting Wednesday morning, an aide close to the supercommittee confirmed Tuesday afternoon.
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Experimental Malaria Vaccine Protects Many Children, Study Shows

The Washington Post

By Rob Stein
10/18/11

Known by the technical name RTS,S, the vaccine was created by mixing part of the outer protein of the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite with a portion of a hepatitis B virus and a chemical that boosts the immune system response. It is being developed by PATH and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which estimates it has spent about $300 million on the project, plus about $200 million more from the Seattle-based Gates Foundation.
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On Being Steve in the Deep Mainstream

Alliance Magazine

By Jed Emerson
10/18/11

Recently, I’ve been spending a lot of time in the deep mainstream. That said, as a result I’ve also realized how much time I’ve actually spent immersed in our field and engaged with folks who think more or less like me. It’s natural we spend time talking with people who think as we do to help shape our own thinking and refine our approach. The challenge is that even when we do ‘go outside’ (or are they inside?) and sincerely believe we’re talking with people different from ourselves, we’re often actually speaking to those only one degree removed from our own communities. These are the folks who are willing to take a meeting with you, the people curious enough to attend a conference on a topic they find interesting and those who will attend a dinner meeting to learn more about something they don’t know much about.
They are not, however, the deep mainstream…
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We R Community Program Gives Students Philanthropy Experience

Las Vegas Review-Journal

By Jeff Mosier
10/18/11

Between homework, exams and extracurricular activities, students at 14 local high schools are finding time to run their own foundations. They will spend the school year creating a mission statement, researching nonprofit organizations, reviewing grant applications and funding grants that will help the community.
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Pan-Africanising Women’s Philanthropy: Anatomy of an Emerging Social Movement

50.50

By Jackie Copeland-Carson
10/18/11

The women’s movement has expanded the notion of philanthropy to also include the concerns and leadership of women. A women’s philanthropy movement emerged in the 1980s to promote gender equality; resist the dominant image and role of men in the field; document the contributions of women philanthropists; and promote the interests of women and girls. Promoted by foundations such as the Ms. Foundation for Women and now supported by multiple mainstream foundations and donors, an entire women’s funding movement has emerged with hundreds of women-focused foundations and associations throughout the world that share a commitment to women’s empowerment and social justice.
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