Emergency Grants

Recently announced awards grant makers have made to respond to the recession.

Give and Take

New York pastor resigns due to salary controversy and other concerns

Aid groups spending more money on security, survey finds

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Opinion

Financing Social Innovation
The White House could pay for social-innovation projects with money earned in the federal-bank bailout process.

Challenging Charity
Even countries considered bastions of liberty routinely curtail the activity of nonprofit groups in pursuit of political aims.

Data Alone Don't Matter
The ability to process and filter a flood of information sets effective people apart.

Merger-Mania Backlash
Grant makers have been too quick to push the idea.

Lights.Camera. Generosity.
Bill Gates meets Indiana Jones in a new television show that could make philanthropy cool.

Dogs and Donors
Why grants from the Helmsley foundation should have gone to the canines.

Making the Most of a Wave of Volunteers
It's time to find a better way to get professionals to volunteer their skills to benefit charities.

Take Off the Mask
Why the $100-million mystery donor should reveal her (or his) identity.

Who Is Arrogant?
Foundations have no right to squelch a charity's recommendations for change.

Limiting CEO Pay
At a time when so many Americans are making sacrifices, should the leaders of the biggest charities volunteer for pay cuts?

Foundation Life Spans
The issues donors face in deciding whether to set up a foundation in perpetuity or for a limited life are not black and white.

Focus on Where the Money Is
Why are so few options available to help individuals learn the smartest ways to give?

The Challenges of the Great Recession
Foundations need to use a time of crisis to make changes in how they operate — or risk obsolescence.

Smart Ways to Grow
President Obama's pledge to expand successful social programs demands that government, grant makers, and charities work together in new ways.

Don't Give Up on Innovation
The financial downturn is an ideal time to invest in technology changes that can advance the social good.

Philanthropy Bankers
Foundations can stretch their dollars in these tough times by offering loans to charities, and using other creative investment tools.

A Vital Tool
Good communications may be grant makers' greatest weapon in this time of depleted resources.

'Googlization' of Giving
Philanthropy is strengthened by the Internet's ability to encourage collaboration and participation.

Ugly Side of Aid
A spate of new books question the effectiveness of international donations.

Countering Critics
The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy maintains its view that foundations need to do more to acknowledge their blind spots.

Not Convinced
One commentator takes a particularly negative view of the philanthropy watchdog group's attempt to "dictate" principles.

Navel Gazing
Philanthropy leaders are prone to insularity, complacency, and arrogance.

Time to Be Humble
Foundations need to return to their traditional role — making grants.

Philanthropy Must Change
The recession requires charities and foundations to think in new ways.

The Right to Lobby
A Congressional effort to restrict charity lobbying failed — and demonstrates new understanding of the role of nonprofit organizations.

Don't Add New Rules
Congress doesn't need to apply tough restrictions to how nonprofit groups manage their operations.

The Dollar Benefits of Advocacy
In tough times, supporting activism is a way for foundations to make their money go further.

Sharing Knowledge
Grant makers should offer up what they've learned about making a difference.

Annenberg Legacy
Remembering the philanthropist Leonore Annenberg.

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From the Archives

Editors' Picks

Betting on Hedge Funds
Charities seek to tap into a fast-growing source of wealth.

Charity on a Grand Scale
The rock star Elton John raises millions of dollars to fight AIDS.

The Basics

Learning the Business of Philanthropy
A program in South Carolina teaches high-school students how to make money and give it away.

Story Time
Foundation leaders spin tales from their families' lives as a way to share values and traditions.

Guide to Grants

More than $219-million, from the July 2 issue.

W.K. Kellogg Foundation: $1.6-million to grass-roots organizations in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, and New Orleans

Jolie-Pitt Foundation: $1-million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Best Buy Children's Foundation: $400,000 to Mercy Corps

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation: $200,000 to the National Alliance to End Homelessness

Online Discussions

Read the transcript of our recent discussion about corporate giving during the recession.

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America's Top Donors

Use our new database to search for gifts of $1-million or more made this year and find out who is giving the most.

Chronicle Surveys

Philanthropy 50
See the Americans who donated the most to charity in 2008.

Corporate giving
Examine giving patterns by the largest companies in the United States.

Philanthropy 400
Find the 400 organizations that raised the most money from private sources

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New Books

Summaries of publications on fund raising, philanthropy, and managing nonprofit organizations.