Items relevant to more than one category may appear more than once in this summary. From the issue dated May 2, 2002 About Gifts and Grant Makers SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS are focusing on helping the 20,000 young Americans who leave foster care every year. TAX-EXEMPT GROUPS formed when nonprofit health organizations converted to businesses could distribute more than $750-million this year, says a new report. A FOUNDATION started by the Walton family has pledged $300-million to the University of Arkansas. A LOS ANGELES COUPLE has given $21-million to expand a research wing at the Huntington Library; other recent gifts to nonprofit institutions. PRESIDENT BUSH and Vice President Cheney have released information about their charitable giving last year (Tax Watch). THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA is familiar territory to the new program officer in international peace and security at the MacArthur Foundation (New on the Job). FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: An international charity works in 108 countries to battle vision problems. RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers. SUMMARIES OF ANNUAL REPORTS from the Heinz Endowments, Moody Foundation, and Hitachi Foundation. About Fund Raising SIMILAR NAMES have handicapped several charities that are commonly confused with the Muslim organizations linked to terrorism by the Bush administration. ABOUT 30 PERCENT of charities reported raising less money last year than in 2000, according to a poll by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. UPDATE ON CAMPAIGNS for endowments, capital improvements, and other needs. INTEREST RATES for planned gifts, issued by the Internal Revenue Service. About Managing Nonprofit Groups "LIVING WAGE" LAWS in cities nationwide are squeezing many charities, which say they can't afford to raise workers' pay without trimming services. SEVERAL MAJOR FOUNDATIONS are supporting activists who hope to raise the federal minimum wage and change other policies affecting the working poor. POLICY GROUPS DISAGREE about how requiring increases in wages at the lowest income levels affects poverty and unemployment rates. CHARITIES WITH PLANS for new money-making ventures to support their work are being invited to compete for one of four $100,000 prizes, plus a year's worth of free consulting help. ALUMNI of nonprofit-management programs find courses on fund raising and governance most valuable, according to a new survey released by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. SEVENTY-SEVEN FOUNDATIONS will be honored for their communications efforts at this week's annual conference of the Council on Foundations. THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE has failed to develop effective strategies for overseeing charities, says a draft report by the General Accounting Office (Tax Watch). THE IRS HAS ISSUED final regulations designed to guide charities that enlist corporations to support nonprofit events (Tax Watch). About Technology THE TECHNOLOGY NEEDS of charities became more apparent after September 11, and point to lessons for the future, participants at the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network Roundup were told. ABOUT 3 IN 4 charities probably would file their Form 990 informational tax returns electronically if given the opportunity to do so, says a new survey. SBC COMMUNICATIONS will award grants totaling $25-million this year to nonprofit technology projects in the 13 states where it provides telecommunications services. COMMUNITY-DEVELOPMENT GROUPS have sufficient technology to perform basic administrative tasks, but few can take advantage of more sophisticated information technology in their work, according to a new report. BITS: A conference on technology for nonprofit organizations; and help in raising money on the Web. Also in This Issue OPINION: Richard D. Pomp on revising the property-tax exemption for charities; and Mark R. Kramer on the legacy of "venture philanthropy." LETTERS: Tax rules covering unusual gifts; and donors' commitments to Catholic institutions. BOOKS: A handbook on monthly giving programs; a guide to lobbying by nonprofit organizations; a primer on accounting for the layman; a book on entrepreneurship for charities; and summaries of recent publications on running successful capital campaigns, and risk management for managing volunteers. PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world. AWARDS: Honors for people and organizations in philanthropy.