Items relevant to more than one category may appear more than once in this summary. Page numbers refer to the pages on which the articles appear in the printed Chronicle. From the issue dated August 10, 2000 ABOUT GIFTS AND GIVING THE FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: Wilderness Inquiry, a charity in Minnesota, helps people with disabilities participate in outdoor activities. PAGE 4 GROWING APATHY about the political process among Americans is prompting some foundations to re-examine strategies for strengthening civic participation. PAGE 1 A SAMPLING of grants related to campaign finance and to elections. PAGE 8 AMERICANS who itemized their tax returns gave about 3 percent of their income to charity in 1998, a Chronicle analysis of Internal Revenue Service data shows. PAGE 12 A SEATTLE COUPLE have pledged $25-million for the study of early-childhood brain development; other recent gifts to non-profit institutions. PAGE 10 TWO NEW STUDIES examine giving patterns among wealthy technology executives and among a cross section of very affluent families. PAGE 10 A RESEARCH INSTITUTE has calculated the average charitable deductions taken by taxpayers in six income-tax brackets (Tax Watch). PAGE 38 POINTS OF LIGHT 1,677 to 1,686 were named by the Clinton administration. PAGE 14 ABOUT GRANT MAKERS GRANTS AWARDED by U.S. foundations grew by an estimated 17 percent last year, says a new report by the Foundation Center. PAGE 15 RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers. PAGE 17 SUMMARIES OF ANNUAL REPORTS from the Harold K. L. Castle Foundation, the Chicago Community Trust, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. PAGE 16 ABOUT FUND RAISING DONATED ART WORKS can help charities build relationships with well-heeled supporters, while possibly also bolstering their programs. PAGE 25 GIFTS OF ART can expand fund-raising options, but should not be accepted without consideration of factors like suitability and maintenance costs. PAGE 27 DONORS of art can get significant tax breaks from their gifts, but obtaining the maximum possible deductions can be tricky. PAGE 28 A NEW NAME and strategic plan will better reflect the diversity and challenge of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives, its leaders say. PAGE 29 UPDATE ON CAMPAIGNS for endowments, capital improvements, and other needs. PAGE 29 INTEREST RATES for planned gifts, issued by the Internal Revenue Service. PAGE 29 ABOUT MANAGING NON-PROFIT GROUPS THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS are spending vacation time working for hundreds of charities that offer short-term volunteer programs around the globe. PAGE 30 COLLEGE STUDENTS are flocking to programs that send them on public-service stints during their vacation periods. PAGE 31 A NEW PHONE NUMBER will permit people nationwide to find information about social services and obtain referrals by dialing 211. PAGE 34 THE CHRISTIAN COALITION has recouped taxes it paid for 1990 after the Internal Revenue Service conceded that it qualified for tax-exempt status that year (Tax Watch). PAGE 38 THE U.S. TAX COURT has ruled that a group set up to audit structural steel fabricators does not qualify for charity status (Tax Watch). PAGE 38 A U.S. SENATOR from Arizona has warned charity directors that he will contact their board members if they lobby against repealing the estate tax (Tax Watch). PAGE 38 THE REPUBLICAN PARTY has adopted a platform that pledges to support charities, especially faith-based organizations. PAGE ok>8 REPORTS ON CHARITIES by the Better Business Bureau. PAGE 38 ABOUT TECHNOLOGY TWO FOR-PROFIT GROUPS have released protocols for specifying how data about charitable donations should be formatted. PAGE 35 WORLD LEADERS have called for creation of a new group to work on closing the wide gap between countries that have robust technology systems and those that do not. PAGE 35 THE INTERNET plays a central role in a new campaign to raise awareness about international family planning. PAGE 35 ALSO IN THIS ISSUE OPINION: Harry Snyder on taking steps to ensure more public accountability at foundations created by the conversion of health or education charities to for-profit status; and Irving Warner on implementing real changes at a fund-raising association that has chosen a new name. PAGE 39 LETTERS ON: The challenge to philanthropy posed by charity portal Web sites. Defending an online charity database. Foundations' intervention to prevent gun violence. The need for charities to draft and enforce clear codes of ethical conduct. PAGE 39 BOOKS: A report on giving by private and community foundations in 1998; a guide to non-profit mergers; a directory of grant makers that provide operating support; a manual on public relations for small charities; and summaries of publications on a program that encouraged young people to explore the link between religion and social justice, and policies for non-profit boards. PAGE 35 PRESS CLIPPINGS: The Hollywood Reporter on the entertainment industry's skimpy giving to Los Angeles charities, and Fortune on the difficulty some retired business executives are having in finding charities that welcome them as volunteers. PAGE 36 PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the non-profit world. PAGE 37