Advocates for international aid are expressing their support for Barack Obama’s top two picks to lead his economic team, saying they are stout antipoverty leaders.

Timothy Geithner, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, is Mr. Obama’s choice for secretary of the U.S. Treasury, while Lawrence Summers, a former Treasury secretary during the Clinton administration and a former president of Harvard University, was tapped to lead the White House National Economic Council.

Both are board members of the Center for Global Development, a think tank in Washington and “are tremendously knowledgeable about the problems and challenges faced by the world’s poor and are committed to policies to help address those problems — both in the interests of the poor in the developing world and of the United States itself,” writes Nancy Birdsall, the center’s president, on its blog.

In...

As Bill Clinton seeks to decrease concerns about his foundation work so that his wife potentially can lead the State Department, another possible pick for a cabinet position is under scrutiny for his nonprofit ties.

Tom Daschle, a former Democratic senator from South Dakota, has been tapped to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to The New York Times.

But the newspaper writes that some concerns have been raised about Mr. Daschle’s role as a lobbyist for the health-care industry and as a board member of the Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit health center.

To be sure, the newspaper says the positions may not prevent Mr. Daschle from accepting the post and that such work is common for ex-lawmakers. But given that Barack Obama has set stringent conflict-of-interest rules for his appointees, Mr. Daschle may test them, it says.

Some nonprofit observers say such...

This week Arabella Philanthropic Investment Advisors, a company that assists donors, had teleconferences to educate philanthropists about how changes likely to be advanced by the Obama administration should affect their giving to five causes: health, poverty, the environment, education, and global development.

For each phone call, the company gathered nonprofit experts to identify ways donors could collaborate with a new administration or support causes that it is likely to overlook.

• To improve health, the Obama administration is expected to expand programs to help the uninsured, especially children. While a notable goal, even with insurance, minorities and impoverished people often have other barriers to getting access to quality health care, such as transportation problems and a lack of education about disease prevention, said the speakers. Philanthropy could help reduce the...

Arabella Philanthropic Investment Advisors, a donor-consulting company, is holding teleconferences this week to educate philanthropists about how the incoming Obama administration will affect grant making.

The company will examine five topics: health, poverty, the environment, education, and global development. The first session is today.

There is no charge for joining the teleconferences.

Charities in Oregon have a joined a campaign to block approval of a state ballot measure that voters will decide on November 4.

The proposal, Measure 64, would ban the collection of money using state resources, including government employee-giving campaigns, for broad political purposes

The Oregon Humane Society, Oregon Food Bank, and others oppose the measure, saying it would jeopardize programs that allow state employees to give directly to nonprofit groups via payroll deductions.

They have joined a coalition to fight the measure.

Such a proposal has been proposed — and defeated — in previous election years, according to an editorial by The Oregonian, whose editorial staff writers oppose the measure as well.

Read an opinion article in The Chronicle about similar state measures that were proposed in 2004.

(A short-term pass or subscription is required to read The...

The Philanthropy Roundtable, a Washington association of grant makers and philanthropists, is strengthening its ability to lobby Capitol Hill, in part to fight potential new federal rules on foundations.

Last month, the organization hired Sue Santa, a former corporate lawyer and aide to a Democratic senator, to fill the new position of senior vice president for public policy.

In a statement, the roundtable said Ms. Santa would seek “to protect philanthropic freedom from threats posed in Washington, D.C., and across the country.”

The roundtable did not name the threats, but the association has opposed, among other proposals, a push by state legislators and others to persuade foundations to disclose information on the diversity of their grant recipients. employees, and boards.

Ms. Santa previously oversaw public and legal affairs for the International Speedway Corporation,...

A public-relations company is promoting an online contest to predict the next president by offering to award $1,000 to the winner’s favorite charity.

Peritus Public Relations, in Louisville, Ky., says it will make the donation to the person who correctly predicts the recipient of the nationwide popular vote and in individual states. He or she will also receive a $225 crystal bowl.

Another Kentucky company offered a charitable contribution as a way to get people involved in the election.

The KFC Corporation promised to donate $20,000 to the United Nations World Food Programme if a participant at the October 7 town hall-style debate between the presidential candidates mentioned global hunger issues.

No one did. Now the company says it will donate the money anyway.

To educate voters and lawmakers during the election season, the Carnegie Corporation of New York has created an Internet clearinghouse for research on the most pressing issues facing America today, including the economy, health care, national security, and foreign policy.

The nonpartisan effort — Advice for the President — does not recommend ideas or say how the presidential candidates stand on a specific issue, but leads visitors to policy information provided by think tanks, universities, and newspapers of different political persuasions.

“How can the role of ideas continue to play an important role in our civic life?” asks Vartan Gregorian, Carnegie’s president, on the Web site. “This site is one attempt to respond to that question. We offer it as a public service and as a celebration of those who work in the spirit of our forefathers to ensure our nation is renewed, energetic, ...

To raise concerns about global hunger, a restaurant chain is trying to influence the presidential debate tomorrow night at Belmont University, in Nashville.

The KFC Corporation, in Louisville, Ky., makers of Kentucky fried chicken, says it will donate $20,000 to the United Nations World Food Programme if a participant at the town hall-style meeting “mentions” hunger issues.

“To spur a serious conversation on world hunger, KFC is offering to donate $20,000 to world hunger-relief efforts if anyone mentions the pressing issue during Tuesday’s nationally televised presidential debate,” the company says in a press statement.

To spur interest in local residents who may be invited to the debate, the company has produced a 30-second television ad for the “donation challenge.” It began appearing on local Tennessee television stations today.

Due to the bailout of financial institutions, Sen. Barack Obama may not be able to increase foreign aid from $25-billion to $50-billion by 2012 if he is elected president, said Mr. Obama’s running mate Sen. Joe Biden during last night’s vice-presidential debate.

“The one thing we might have to slow down is a commitment we made to double foreign assistance. We’ll probably have to slow that down,” Mr. Biden said.

The decision will probably concern antipoverty groups that have sought for overseas aid to be on both presidential candidates’ agendas.

During the debate last night, Republican John McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, would not identify what policy proposals would be jeopardized by the current financial problems.

Mr. McCain has pledged to support foreign aid, but he has not promised to double it, as Mr. Obama has.