About Grant Makers

IN THE WORSENING ECONOMY, some foundations have increased giving to hard-pressed "safety net" charities, while many others are guarding their assets and may reduce their grant making.

THE W.K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION has suspended its grant making in southern Africa after an audit turned up indications that several hundred thousand dollars intended for programs there had been illegally diverted.

FOUNDATIONS have more latitude under the law than they often realize to make investments that further their charitable goals, a new study finds.

ECONOMIC WORRIES should not deflect grant makers from their fundamental goals, say Paul Brest and Hal Harvey, foundation leaders and the authors of a new book about strategic philanthropy (Opinion).

FOUNDATIONS could become more effective if they took a good look at how well their program officers do in promoting great ideas, writes Joshua Horwitz, the head of a small Washington charity (Opinion).

GRANT MAKERS should use their investment clout to put pressure on companies to avert the climate-change catastrophe, writes Lance E. Lindblom, head of the Nathan Cummings Foundation (Letters to the Editor).

Politics and Philanthropy

AS BARACK OBAMA lays the groundwork for his administration, charity leaders are ready with ideas for strengthening the nonprofit enterprise.

BALLOT MEASURES that would have significantly reduced state tax revenue, and potentially hurt nonprofit groups that rely on government grants and contracts, went down to defeat in several states.

WITH THE ELECTION OVER, it's time for charities to help the new president create a government that people can trust, says Larry Ottinger, head of a Washington group that promotes advocacy (Opinion).

AS A DEMOCRAT heads to the White House, the philanthropy scholar William A. Schambra says people should stop fretting over the power of conservative foundations and look at what's next for them (My View).

YOUNG PEOPLE have an approach to community service that often includes running for public office, a trend Robert Egger wants to encourage (Opinion).

About Gifts and Giving

THE CO-FOUNDER OF NIKE AND HIS WIFE have pledged $100-million to the cancer institute at the Oregon Health & Science University.

MORE THAN ONE IN THREE AMERICAN CHARITIES have raised less money in the first nine months of 2008 than they did in the same period last year, according to a new survey from GuideStar.

HOW WELL CHARITIES PERFORM in carrying out their missions is too often unknown and untested, says Steve Butz, who aims to change that with a new "social-investment rating tool."

T. BOONE PICKENS gave Oklahoma State University $63-million last month, after an earlier gift from him that the university had invested in his own hedge fund plunged in value.

THE FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: Philadelphia's Please Touch Museum, which opened a new facility last month, represents a boom in children's cultural institutions.

About Managing Nonprofit Groups

NONPROFIT EMPLOYMENT is both riskier and more desirable these days, as the tumultuous economy throws off all calculations about pursuing charity work. Young people face trouble getting promotions as older people feel less financially ready to retire.

ACT SWIFTLY to confront the effects of the economic downturn and don't be afraid of unappealing alternatives like closing offices, speakers told nonprofit officials and trustees gathered for the annual conference of BoardSource.

About Fund Raising

UPDATE ON CAMPAIGNS for endowments, capital improvements, and other needs.

RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers.

INTEREST RATES for planned gifts, issued by the Internal Revenue Service.

About Technology

CHARITY MANAGERS can find information and advice on fund raising, human resources, and other topics at new "learning centers" set up on the Web site of Bridgespan, a nonprofit consulting group in Boston.

THE BLUES FOUNDATION, in an effort to introduce its new Web site, auctioned the "soul" of the legendary musician Robert Johnson on eBay.

Also in This Issue

NEW BOOKS: A handbook on strategic philanthropy, a look atgenerational changes in the nonprofit work force, and a fund-raising memoir and guide.

PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world.