June 14, 2012
Arts and Culture
According to Arts & Economic Prosperity IV: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations and Their Audiences, nonprofit arts and cultural organizations pumped $61.1 billion into the economy in direct expenditures in 2010, while their audiences spent $74.1 billion at area restaurants, shops, hotels, and parking garages.... More»

June 11, 2012
Health
Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Impact of the 2009 Federal Tobacco Excise Tax Increase on Youth Tobacco Use, a report from the National Bureau of Economic Research, found that the percentage of young people who said they had smoked a cigarette in the past thirty days fell by as much as 13.3 percent after a significant increase in the federal tobacco excise tax was implemented in 2009.... More»

June 8, 2012
Children and Youth
After-School Data: What Cities Need to Know, a series of tip sheets from the Wallace Foundation, argues that data collection and analysis is critical to maximizing the effectiveness of out-of-school-time programs. The publications also suggest that as more communities strive to coordinate the efforts of program providers, schools, funders, and other stakeholders, it is essential to determine what information is needed; how it should be collected, used, and shared; and with whom.... More»

June 5, 2012
Education
Dropped? Latino Education and Arizona's Economic Future, a report from the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University, warns that there has been little progress over the past decade in closing the achievement gap among Latino students in the state. Funded by the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust and the Helios Education Foundation, the report urges state government to address barriers to Latino educational attainment, including socioeconomic issues, and engage all Arizonans in a discussion of education reform.... More»

More Connections

A Foundation-to-Foundation Partnership: Lessons From a Unique Pairing of Funders (June 2, 2012)

Economic Mobility of the States (May 30, 2012)

Empowering Independent Media: U.S. Efforts to Foster a Free Press and an Open Internet Around the World (May 27, 2012)

Nonprofits Missing From Big Battles

Mark Rosenmann, Director, Caring to Change

We are seven months from what some are calling "taxmageddon" and others describe as a "fiscal cliff." And while leaders in the nonprofit sector are narrowly focused on proposed changes to the charitable tax deduction that could reduce charitable donations by about $2 billion a year, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has already approved cutting trillions of dollars from programs critical to low- and moderate-income people and the charities that serve them.

Charities and foundations should be gearing up to confront immediate and near-term policy battles of extraordinary consequence to them. Instead, they seem to be wearing blinders — or simply fear controversy, no matter the stakes....

Read Rosenmann's commentary»

Kimberleigh J. Smith, Board Chair, Paul Rapoport Foundation

Laura Cronin spoke to Smith about the foundation's decision to spend down by 2015, what the foundation is doing to help grantees navigate that transition, and Smith's advice for other foundations that may be considering spend-down scenarios....

PND: As a founder of two of the most important nonprofit organizations in New York City — the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center and Gay Men's Health Crisis — and as the donor who created one of the first foundations to make grants in support of LGTB communities of color, Paul Rapoport left not only a financial legacy but a substantial legacy as an innovator in the nonprofit sector. How has that legacy shaped the Rapoport Foundation's giving program?

Kimberleigh J. Smith: Unfortunately, I never knew Paul, but from what I've been told, he was sharply intelligent, funny, and a generous human being who sought to give to and support communities that were marginalized, including the LGTB and queer community. That has always been at the core of PRF's giving and it has not changed in the years since Paul's passing. But the foundation has adapted with the times, and today we pursue this vision in a slightly different way in order to continue to reach those least likely to access resources from mainstream sources — those being communities of color, young people, seniors, and gender-non-conforming folks. This shift in the foundation's mission is, in and of itself, a reflection of Paul's original innovative spirit.....

Read the Q&A»

How Sustainable Is Your Organization?

Derrick Feldmann, CEO, Achieve

The Sustainable Nonprofit examines critical issues related to nonprofit sustainability through the eyes of nonprofit leaders, practitioners, and consultants. For more information, contact Mitch Nauffts, PND's publisher and editorial director, at mfn@fdncenter.org.

Recently, I shared an evening with three friends who run national nonprofits. It was pure luck that we happened to be at the same conference together, and so we took advantage of the opportunity to have drinks and dinner. The evening started with the typical conversation among friends — catching up on family, the latest gadgets, and, of course, the recent comings and goings of colleagues in the field. All that ended when I asked a question of my dinner companions: Are you afraid of what will happen to your organization after you leave?

They all looked at me and, in so many words, said, "Derrick, you know us. Our organizations are strong, our business models are sound, and we have individual donors and funders behind us that will continue to support us...."

Read the article»

Commentary:
"Nonprofits Missing From Big Battles"

Conference Calendar

Connections: Arts and Culture, Children and Youth, Education, Health, Media/
Journalism, Philanthropy and Voluntarism, Social Science

5 Questions For...
Kimberleigh J. Smith, Board Chair, Paul Rapoport Foundation

NPO Spotlight
College Track

Off the Shelf
Foundations of the American Century: The Ford, Carnegie, and Rockefeller Foundations in the Rise of American Power

On the Web
Michigan NightLight

The Sustainable Nonprofit
"How Sustainable Is Your Organization?"

College Track

Launched by Laurene Powell Jobs and Carlos Watson, College Track works to increase high school graduation, college eligibility and enrollment, and college graduation rates in four California communities and Aurora, Colorado.... More»

Foundations of the American Century: The Ford, Carnegie, and Rockefeller Foundations in the Rise of American Power

Inderjeet Parmar's deeply researched book explores the role of the "Big Three" in the growth of American power in the twentieth century.... More»

Michigan Nightlight

Sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Michigan NightLight was developed by the Issue Media Group to highlight the efforts of those working in Michigan to positively impact the lives of at-risk children.... More»

August 3-5, 2012
2012 National Leaders Conference
Young Nonprofit Professionals Network
San Francisco, California

September 14-15, 2012
2012 Boardsource Leadership Forum: Designing Change
Boardsource Leadership Forum
Chicago, Illinois

October 7-9, 2012
Nonprofit Human Resources Conference: Engaging and Retaining the Nonprofit Workforce
Nonprofit HR Solutions
Washington, D.C.

November 15-17, 2012
"Facing Race" National Conference
Applied Research Center
Baltimore, Maryland