Big money often gets big attention. That is, when millions are doled out by wealthy individuals, corporations, or foundations the amounts are plastered across national headlines. However, little is ever reported on the outcome of these large investments, and whether or not the investment lives up to expectations. Grassroots grantmaking seeks to balance out some…
Detroit4Detroit is a new initiative of Citizen Effect, which leverages the collective power of grassroots fundraisers (“citizen philanthropists”) for maximum impact with community development projects. Citizen Effect partners with local community organizations, and then helps activists raise money for their projects. While Citizen Effect usually supports projects in third world locales, they recently received a…
America is a land of immigrants, many of whom have found success and prospered in the new world. As a result, many Americans have felt compelled to give back to their home communities in the form of diaspora philanthropy. Andrew Carnegie, the father of modern strategic philanthropy, was an early pioneer of giving back to…
The current economic situation offers a double-edged sword for most charitable organizations. On one hand, some regular donors may feel more cash-strapped than usual, and may feel the need to restrict their annual giving. However, with the rise of new media (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc.), crowdfunding websites (Kiva, Crowdrise, Kickstarter), and innovative technology that tracks…
The Center for Arab American Philanthropy’s Teen Grantmaking Initiative (TGI) announces the availability of grant funds of up to $1,000 to support projects that serve area young people. TGI is a group of 20 Dearborn, MI teens dedicated to improving their community through grantmaking. TGI will grant up to a total of $5,000 in its…
A new report by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, “Cultures of Giving: Energizing and Expanding Philanthropy by and for Communities of Color,” documents a philanthropic shift in America toward “identity-based philanthropy.” A sector that was once exclusively elite and homogeneously white is becoming ever more democratic, diverse and rooted in community. The report chronicles the beginnings…
Since 1996, the Arava Institute of Environmental Studies (AIES) has challenged and educated Arab and Jewish graduate students in the field of environmental studies. Located in Eilat, AIES accepts students from all over the world to study and cooperatively solve the most pressing environmental issues in the region. Founded on the basis that “nature knows…
With disasters wreaking havoc in Japan and Somalia, and with the Arab Spring and the Occupy movement forging new political rhetoric around the world, 2011 was nothing if not tumultuous. The same can be said of the philanthropic sector. While overall giving remained steady, certain sectors (such as social justice philanthropy) experienced a sharp decline…
All over the country generous microphilanthropists are finding ways to contribute to the #30DaysofGOOD cause. Here in Michigan, Kmart shoppers started paying the balance of random layaway accounts, a couple began passing out $100 bills in Detroit, and a mysterious fairy in Grand Rapids is putting change in fortuitous parking meters. You don’t always have…
You may have noticed your email inbox being inundated with requests for you to support causes ranging from arts installations to cancer research. This time of year, nonprofits step up their fundraising efforts in order to fully participate in the giving spirit of the season. While the majority of these are noteworthy and admirable charities,…