An appeals court in Springfield, Ill., has ruled that Provena Covenant Medical Center, in Urbana, is required to pay property taxes, reports the Associated Press.

In agreement with the state Department of Revenue and local tax authorities, the court contended that the Urbana hospital does not provide enough charity care to qualify for a tax exemption. Hospital officials declined immediate comment, the newspaper said.

In 2004 Provena was denied renewal of its tax exemption by the Department of Revenue and therefore was obligated to pay more than $1-million a year in property taxes. An administrative judge later sided with the hospital, but the Department of Revenue rejected that recommendation. The appellate court was then asked to weigh in on the matter.

Two key lawmakers — Sen. Charles E. Grassley and Rep. Peter Welch — announced this week that they will assemble university administrators, education officials, and financial analysts to discuss the relationship between endowments and college costs, reports The Financial Times.

This meeting marks the latest step taken to support measures that would require that colleges spend more of their endowments to help needy students.

To compel institutions to spend more of their money and to give more needy students access to financial aid, Mr. Grassley has suggested that universities distribute at least 5 percent of their endowments annually, the same rule that now governs private foundations.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reported this week that Congress has asked the speakers to meet on September 8 to discuss issues such as what an endowment is and whether mandatory payouts make...

The Rev. Mac Hammond, the pastor of one of Minnesota’s biggest churches, said an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service into his ministry’s finances is “politically motivated,” reports The Washington Post.

In March, his church, Living Word Christian Center, in Brooklyn Park, refused to comply with an IRS summons, arguing that the law stipulates that such a request must come from a “high-ranking official.” The agency has filed a petition in the U.S. District Court to require the church to provide the requested financial information. A court hearing is scheduled for October.

In a letter to members of his congregation, Mr. Hammond said the agency’s investigation is part of “a very clear effort, on a national scale, to discredit, defame and intimidate” preachers who focus on the “prosperity gospel,” which says that God wants his faithful followers to be rewarded spiritually and...

A clinic operated by the charity Doctors Without Border in Mogadishu, Somalia, was forced to close due to increased insecurity in the region, the charity said on Wednesday, reports Reuters.

The clinic has provided health care to hundreds of children and pregnant women daily.

“The closure comes following a further deterioration of the situation in the area where the clinic is located,” the charity said in a statement. “There has been a notable increase in violence, including mortars landing close to the clinic,” it said.

With more than 8,000 civilian casualties in the nation since the start of last year, the capital of Somalia is one of the most dangerous places for aid workers to serve, the news service said.

Every effort should be made to ensure that the 9/11 Memorial and Museum will be completed in time to mark the tragedy’s 10th anniversary, implores David Beamer in an opinion article in The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Beamer, whose son, Todd Beamer, was a passenger on United Flight 93, serves on the Board of Directors of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and is calling for a firm commitment to a 2011 opening for the memorial.

“On the 10th anniversary of 9/11, will people be reminded of the collective will to respond to the attacks in a meaningful way, or will the results of bureaucracy, apathy, and a lack of leadership be on display?” said Mr. Beamer.

Nonprofit groups need to carefully check out the references of people applying for jobs, according a to new post in Give and Take, The Chronicle’s roundup of the best blogs about the nonprofit world.

Plus: Rumors are flying about who will be tapped to take over the top job at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Join us on Tuesday, September 2, at noon Eastern time for a live online discussion about the pros and cons of general operating support — and how nonprofit groups can find donors willing to give them unrestricted dollars to cover their expenses.

The guest will be Paul Shoemaker, executive director of Social Venture Partners Seattle, an organization that provides unrestricted grants and other aid to nonprofit groups.

The Chronicle’s online discussions are free and open to everyone. People who ask questions in advance have a better chance of getting answers.

Because of the Labor Day holiday, we will not be sending you Philanthropy Today on Monday. We will be back in your mailbox on Tuesday.

Nonprofit hospitals are being scrutinized by lawmakers and health-care advocates for their increasing revenues, expanding facilities, and generously paid executives, and for what critics call a decreased emphasis on providing charity care, reports The Wall Street Journal.

As an example of the controversy, The Journal spotlights Carilion Health System, which serves the Roanoke, Va., area. Carilion, which expanded in 1989 when it merged with the city’s only other hospital, now holds $1-billion in assets. The hospital said it receives about $50-million a year in tax exemptions. It dispensed $42-million in charity care in 2007 and $30-million in 2006.

The hospital has come under fire for its pricing, which critics say has helped spike local medical-care costs. For example, reports the newspaper, Carilion charges 4 to 10 times as much for a colonoscopy as does a local endoscopy center....

A Bangladesh charity that has awarded $5-billion in microloans to people in the developing world has won a $1.5-million prize from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Los Angeles grant maker has announced.

The 2008 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize was given to BRAC, a charity, created in 1972 that works to eliminate poverty in developing countries. In addition to its microloan program — in which people receive small loans to enable them to start or expand businesses — the charity says it has graduated more than 6 million students from its 52,000 primary and pre-primary schools, provided health care to 90 million people, and helped create 8.5 million jobs.

“BRAC’s approach to creating self-sufficient and sustainable programs on a massive scale has blazed a trail for development organizations around the world,” said Steven M. Hilton, the Hilton foundation’s chief executive...