Aara Amidi-Nouri says foundation aid is helping her work on a Ph.D in nursing so she can train other people to go into the profession.

Roark Johnson, for The Chronicle

Gary Grant created snapshots for each fund raiser who worked for him to capture their career highlights, just like baseball player cards do.

Stephen Wertheim, of Cleveland's United Way, says his group has seen a sharp rise in calls from people who need social-service aid.

From the issue dated February 21, 2008 About Gifts and Giving A SALT LAKE CITY INVENTOR has bequeathed the bulk of his $4.5-billion fortune to his family fund, which could make the Sorenson Legacy Foundation one of the 20 largest American grant makers. RECENT GIFTS to nonprofit organizations and institutions. THE FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: United Way of America gives college students a chance to spend spring-break week volunteering. About Grant Makers THE SHORTAGE OF NURSES, severe in many parts of the country, has finally caught the attention of the philanthropic world, as grant makers put support into efforts to increase their numbers. THE WELCOME BACK INITIATIVE, a nonprofit group with programs in four cities, helps immigrants to the United States re-enter health professions they practiced in their home country. HOPING TO FOCUS THEIR GIVING on an area receiving little philanthropic attention, Donald and Barbara Jonas set up a donor-advised fund aimed largely at efforts to shore up the nursing profession. PATTY STONESIFER, who helped lead the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as it grew to become the richest grant maker in the country, will step down as chief executive at the beginning of 2009. A QUARTER OF THE LARGEST FOUNDATIONS in the United States include no administrative expenses in their calculations to determine whether they have distributed the required 5 percent a year to charity, a new study shows. RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers. About Fund Raising TO GAUGE FUND RAISERS' SUCCESS, charities are adopting ever-more sophisticated approaches to evaluating performance, but some veterans question whether they are measuring the right things. UNITED WAY OF AMERICA has begun a new appeal aimed at cellphone users, asking them to send a text message to automatically donate $5 to the organization's youth-fitness programs (Technology). INTEREST RATES for planned gifts, issued by the Internal Revenue Service. UPDATE ON CAMPAIGNS for endowments, capital improvements, and other needs. About Managing Nonprofit Groups THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET once again squeezes support for social-service, health-care, arts, and other domestic programs, leaving many nonprofit groups to face another year of financing battles. SEVERAL TEMPORARY TAX INCENTIVES designed to spur giving would be made permanent in the president's fiscal plan for 2009. IN THE STATES, financial woes occasioned by the economic downturn are only exacerbated by President Bush's budget cutbacks, causing further headaches for charities that provide health care and social services. IF THE 2001 RECESSION IS ANY GUIDE, charities that rely heavily on government support are facing the rockiest financial times ahead, according to a study by the Nonprofit Finance Fund of how nonprofit groups fared in that earlier downturn. CHARITY AND THE PRESIDENCY: the views of the four main candidates for the White House on issues of interest to nonprofit groups. INTERNATIONAL AID GROUPS sought to assist victims of violence in Chad following an attempted coup there this month. THE FROZEN ASSETS of nonprofit groups suspected of supporting terrorists should be turned over to other charities that could distribute the money to needy people, a coalition of organizations advised the Treasury Department (Tax Watch). THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE has released the new "e-postcard" — officially called the Form 990-N — that must be filed by tax-exempt groups with annual revenue less than $25,000 (Tax Watch). TWO MEMOS released by the Internal Revenue Service clarify the procedures used by the tax agency to informally investigate organizations about which it has received complaints (Tax Watch). HOW TO MOVE from a volunteer role into a paid position and how a business executive can best make the transition to a nonprofit career are among the topics covered in our bimonthly advice column (Hotline). About Technology GOOGLE'S CHIEF EXECUTIVE, Eric Schmidt, will become chairman of the board of the New America Foundation in June, and will bring with him a $1-million donation to the Washington think tank. THE COUNCIL ON FOUNDATIONS has issued a warning about the circulation of a fraudulent e-mail message purporting to be from its president, Steve Gunderson, that could result in the theft of the receiver's personal information. TECHNOLOGY BITS: A free seminar for women in nonprofit technology jobs, plus a new site for activists working to end poverty. Also in This Issue OPINION: Leslie Lenkowsky on a possible new direction for the Carnegie foundation under its new leadership; George Dean and Nativo Lopez on foundations and the question of diversity. LETTERS: challenging Pablo Eisenberg on the question of Americans' generosity, and comparing approaches to tracking online giving. NEW BOOKS: A guide to obtaining private and government grants, a handbook to help nonprofit groups cope with abrupt changes, and an innovative approach to getting young people involved in civic affairs, plus other publications on the role of the board chairman and how after-school programs can do more to help children learn. PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world.