Inside Philanthropy

For Inside Philanthropy, I profiled Paychex billionaire Tom Golisano, who recently made headlines for a $360 million commitment to Western New York organizations including Veterans Outreach Center, Alfred State College - SUNY College of Technology, and Niagara University. But Golisano's philanthropic track record goes back three decades to when he first founded the Golisano Foundation. I recently spoke to him about what animated his latest commitment, as well as his other philanthropy through the years, which includes deeply personal work with the Special Olympics and WXXI Public Broadcasting Council to champion people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. With his wife, tennis great Monica Seles, he's also taken on the cause of animals. Here's a passage that stands out: So why did Golisano decide to take his giving to the next level in Upstate New York? The Golisano Foundation already had a long-running list of trusted grantees that it has worked with through the decades in Upstate New York and southwestern Florida. Golisano calls both of these places home, and had provisions in his will for more money to flow to these organizations in the form of a bequest. But more recently, he started to change his thoughts about that. ? “I applied for immortality and didn’t get it,” Golisano said, with another laugh. “So I decided that rather than waiting for me to kick the bucket, I would advance the money to them ahead of time. Why make them wait?” Golisano then called for a press conference, inviting 82 grantees to attend, none of them aware of the $360 million windfall that was about to come. “Obviously, they were quite surprised. I think half of them were crying as they crossed the stage to get their envelope. But it was quite an event and I was quite happy I did it this way,” he said. Of the $360 million, $201 million flowed to Rochester organizations, along with another $66.5 million to Buffalo nonprofits and $40 million to ones in Syracuse. Golisano gifted the remaining $52 million to the Golisano Foundation, effectively doubling its assets, which will be about $120 million by year’s end. Golisano has also ramped up giving at the foundation to around $5 million annually, up from around $3 million prior to the infusion. #nonprofits #philanthropy #Rochester #Buffalo #WesternNewYork #TomGolisano

Lead poisoning remains a critical public health issue, affecting countless children and communities. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) is tackling this challenge head-on with the launch of a major new initiative as part of its “Big Bets” program. Our latest article on Inside Philanthropy explores how RPA aims to reduce lead exposure and protect vulnerable populations through strategic funding and partnerships. Paul Karon Reports: The rationale behind RPA’s focus on lead poisoning as a primary health concern How the “Big Bets” program is structured to tackle pressing issues with significant, targeted funding The anticipated impact on public health and community well-being through this initiative Tagging Latanya Mapp USAID UNICEF Open Philanthropy Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Good Ventures #Philanthropy #PublicHealth #LeadPoisoning #RockefellerPhilanthropy #BigBets #InsidePhilanthropy #SocialImpact #HealthEquity #EnvironmentalJustice

New before the 3rd annual #GivingtoWomenandGirlsDay on Oct. 11 -- Women's Philanthropy at Indiana University's new report on #philanthropic giving to #nonprofits serving #women and #girls shows that they still received *less than 2% of all charitable money* in 2021. That's as appalling as it is shocking. For Inside Philanthropy; includes a link to register for this year's #GivetoWomenandGirlsDay event online. With thanks to Jacqueline Ackerman for her time and input.

Inside Philanthropy is thrilled to be an Amplification Partner for the We Are For Good event ImpactUp, a global initiative happening on October 10, aligning with #WorldMentalHealthDay. Mental health and well-being are crucial in the social impact sector, where the work often demands so much of us. ImpactUp offers a chance to pause, reflect, and engage in vital conversations around wellness with peers from around the world. This free event includes virtual sessions led by expert voices and over 30 in-person meetups, offering a unique opportunity to connect and gain practical strategies for integrating wellness into our professional lives. Whether you have just 15 minutes or can join for the day, we encourage you to register and be a part of this important dialogue. Together, let’s build a more mindful, resilient sector. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eCptWsph #InsidePhilanthropy #ImpactUp #MentalHealthAwareness #SocialImpact #NonprofitSector #Philanthropy

The Earthshot Prize has no clothes. I believe this is not so much an opinion as an inevitable conclusion from the plain facts. Just like Hans Christian Andersen’s folktale emperor, one of the most highly publicized environmental prizes in the world is all talk and no substance. But don’t trust me. Look at the numbers. - Twice as many billionaire supporters as millions in awards — and that list includes four (!) centibillionaires - Total claimed offsets in four years are less than eight round-trip private jet flights from London to NYC — ie, many of its backers monthly (?) travel emissions - Annual prize purse is less than the yearly running cost of some members’ superyachts The Earthshot Prize calls itself a moonshot, but it is not even a potshot. It is a publicity campaign for billionaires, and should be treated as such. An egregious case of greenwashing. And judging from fawning coverage it has received, one of the most successful cases of good publicity received for philanthropy dollars spent. In fact, it might be better called a tax on the environmental movement. Some 5,000 organizations have now applied. But only five win each year. That means that over the last four years 4,980 groups took time away from trying to stop the climate emergency to compete in this farcical pageant. To be clear, none of this is remotely a mark against those nonprofits or the winners. When you’re doing really hard work, sometimes you’ve got to wade in slime. I believe the reason that relatively few people call Earthshot what it truly is — again, a publicity campaign — is because no one wants to make enemies of this list of potential funders. That's particularly true of all the nonprofit leaders who are under no illusions at all about the true nature of this beast. One more reason: mainstream media coverage of philanthropy is frequently abysmal. I sat down this week to write a round up of #climatephilanthropy news from #ClimateWeekNYC. Since relatively little was announced, one of the only things on my list was Earthshot. Despite covering climate philanthropy full-time for the last four years, I had avoided writing about it since its launch — despite the countless headlines and oodles of press pitches. I felt it clearly already had enough coverage. I did not even look into it very closely during those years. But after taking a deep dive this week, I came out of it in disbelief. I share all this to say that I did not set out to write the oped below — I simply came to the conclusion it was the only moral course of action. Disagree with my conclusion? Tell me why below, with data. By the way, its billionaire supporters include Jeff Bezos' Bezos Earth Fund, Bill Gates', Mike Bloomberg's Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Law Family Charitable Foundation and the eponymous foundations of Holch Povlsen, Jack Ma and Rob Walton. Uber is also a backer.

Check out how People For the American Way supports young elected officials for Inside Philanthropy https://lnkd.in/g_gQ4JAs

Inside Philanthropy proudly sponsors the Fundraising.AI Summit: Generate Good! As a nonprofit professional, you face the unique challenge of determining whether AI should play a role in your mission. Join us now as we are live at the event going on today, for this must-attend virtual conference. Engage with over 10,000 peers to learn how to leverage AI in ways that are not only responsible but also incredibly effective for your fundraising goals. Will you use the power of AI to Generate Good? Jump in now! https://lnkd.in/gDDswkVK #fundraisingai #generategood #responsibleAI

From tech moguls to entertainment icons, the power couples featured in our latest article on Inside Philanthropy are leveraging their wealth and influence to make a transformative impact on the world. These 30 couples are leading major initiatives in healthcare, education, climate action, and more, shaping the future of global philanthropy. Tate Williams Reports: Highlights of philanthropic efforts led by these influential couples How their partnerships are amplifying global impact across various sectors The unique approaches each couple takes to address social, environmental, and humanitarian issues Tagging Arnold Ventures Ballmer Group Bezos Earth Fund Bezos Family Foundation Panda Restaurant Group Akonadi Foundation The Gill Foundation Netflix GEORGE LUCAS FAMILY FOUNDATION Barr Foundation One for Democracy Galaxy Gives Omidyar Network Raikes Foundation Arcus Foundation The Schmidt Family Foundation Heising-Simons Foundation The Asian American Foundation #PowerCouples #SocialImpact #GlobalChange #InsidePhilanthropy #ImpactInvesting #CharitableGiving #PartnershipsForGood #PhilanthropyPowerCouples #GlobalGiving #Philanthropy #EducationSupport #HealthcareInitiatives #ClimateAction #SocialJustice #InfluentialGiving #CollaborativePhilanthropy

Crime survivors from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C., to march against "tough on crime" policies, advocating for justice reforms that focus on healing and rehabilitation rather than punishment. Our latest article from Inside Philanthropy covers the powerful stories of these survivors and the organizations leading the charge for a more compassionate and effective approach to criminal justice reform. Dawn Wolfe reports: How crime survivors are advocating for restorative justice and healing-based solutions The impact of "tough on crime" policies and why they are being challenged The role of philanthropy in supporting criminal justice reform movements Tagging Alliance for Safety and Justice The Just Trust Ford Foundation Galaxy Gives Fund for Nonviolence March For Our Lives National Center for Victims of Crime National Alliance of Trauma Recovery Centers #Philanthropy #RightToHealPolicy #ToughOnCrime #CriminalJusticeReform #SurvivorAdvocacy #RestorativeJustice #SocialImpact #InsidePhilanthropy #JusticeForAll #CrimeSurvivors #CriminalJusticeReform #RestorativeJustice #EndToughOnCrime #RehabilitationNotIncarceration #CommunitySupport #JusticeForSurvivors #MarchForChange #HealingCommunities #RightToHeal

In current news: for Inside Philanthropy, here's a look at the #CrimeSurvivorsSpeak march that is happening right now -- and the funders, including Ford Foundation and The Just Trust, that have made it possible. Make no mistake: most crime survivors (myself included) do *not* want a return to #toughoncrime policies. As Aswad Thomas, MSW told me for this piece, “As we’ve seen this year and in the 1990s, whenever there’s a spike in crime and violence, our immediate reaction in this nation is to be tough on crime, invest in more cops on the street, and lock people up and throw away the key. That’s always been our natural reaction to this issue. What we’re saying as victims is, that hasn’t worked for us for the past 30 years. We don’t see it working for us today.” Alliance for Safety and Justice Jolene Forman Joshua Hoe #CJreform #philanthropy #funders #protest #march #2024election #RighttoHeal