Items relevant to more than one category may appear more than once in this summary. From the issue dated September 29, 2005 About Hurricane Relief THE RED CROSS has raised $7 out of every $10 donated to hurricane-relief groups, and is now attracting questions about its fund-raising dominance and its job performance after Katrina. MORE THAN $1.2-BILLION has been raised so far to help the victims of the storm, although many charities say the pace of donations is slowing. THE SUFFERING of many poor blacks caught by the hurricane has prompted an unprecedented response by black philanthropies, and over the long run may cause them to rethink their giving. CONGRESS last week passed several tax breaks designed to encourage giving to relief groups. HAVING ESCAPED NEW ORLEANS with his family, hitchhiking by boat and car, the head of the local United Way struggles to put the organization back to work. ONLINE SCAM ARTISTS, making fraudulent appeals for donations to Katrina relief efforts, have grown in number and sophistication since the terrorist-attack and tsunami fund-raising blitzes. FEDERAL SPENDING in response to the storm could imperil government support for other charitable programs, according to a new report released by the Aspen Institute. LESSER-KNOWN CHARITIES, without the resources of the Red Cross or the Salvation Army, are reaching out to help victims of the catastrophe in small but welcome ways: some of their stories. THE MUSIC INDUSTRY has responded to Hurricane Katrina with a flurry of fund-raising concerts that is unprecedented. THE PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS, Marsha J. Evans, discusses the challenges of dealing with Hurricane Katrina. About Giving and Fund Raising AT THE CLINTON GLOBAL INITIATIVE, a conference organized by the former president, individuals, foundations, and corporations pledged more than $100-million to help solve the world's problems. TUFTS UNIVERSITY has received a pledge of $25-million from the founder of eBay and his wife; other recent gifts to nonprofit organizations and institutions. UPDATE ON CAMPAIGNS for endowments, capital improvements, and other needs. INTEREST RATES for planned gifts, issued by the Internal Revenue Service. WITH FIVE PLEDGES OF $10-MILLION OR MORE, New York University School of Law kicked off a capital campaign that aims to raise $400-million by 2009. FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: The Free Wheelchair Mission has developed a low-cost way to build wheelchairs and made it possible for poor people in 43 countries to get the mobility they need. About Managing Nonprofit Groups PAY RAISES for charity and foundation leaders barely kept up with inflation last year, according to The Chronicle's 13th annual survey of nonprofit compensation and benefits. TELLING STORIES is Jimmy Neil Smith's cause; as founder and head of the International Storytelling Center, in Jonesborough, Tenn., he spends his days looking for opportunities to put stories to good use (A Day in the Life). THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE has issued new rules explaining how it will penalize charity officials who receive undue financial benefits (Tax Watch). THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE has set up a plan to allow employees to convert their vacation time into cash donations to hurricane-relief charities (Tax Watch). About Grant Makers SIX WEALTHY FOUNDATIONS, renewing a commitment several of them made five years ago, have pledged $200-million for the improvement of African universities. MACARTHUR "GENIUS AWARDS" -- $500,000 over five years with no strings attached -- went this year to a Maine lobsterman and the recently named director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, among others. RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers. SUMMARIES OF ANNUAL REPORTS from the Joyce Foundation, the New York Community Trust, and the William Penn Foundation. Also in This Issue OPINION: Paul C. Light says Americans, lacking confidence in charities, will be watching how the billions donated to hurricane victims are spent; Pablo Eisenberg asks how philanthropic resources might have been used to prevent the ravages of Katrina; and Warren Goldstein argues that government, not private charity, should be responsible for disaster relief. LETTERS: on corporations' response to Hurricane Katrina, grant makers' progress toward accountability, the practices of donor-advised funds, one state's efforts to fight homelessness, and charities' immunity from lawsuits. PRESS CLIPPINGS: Inc. looks at how an entrepreneurial charity uses art and music to rescue faltering teenagers; and Washington Monthly introduces a new way to rank colleges and universities. BOOKS: A guide to building diversity at nonprofit organizations, a handbook on nonprofit laws, a look at collaborative efforts to solve social problems, essays on the role of black donors, and summaries of other publications on a grant maker's effort to help homeless families and a compilation of classic essays on fund raising. PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world. AWARDS: Honors for people and organizations in philanthropy.