The HBO star gives back to his community by encouraging enterprises that bring fresh, healthy food to neighborhoods that lack access to it.

The former mayor of Palo Alto, California, calls on companies to reap the benefits of engaging with their communities.

All politics is local, some famous politician once said, and a lot of philanthropy would be well served by understanding the importance of understanding and connecting to the culture and dynamics of the communities foundations serve.  That is one of the messages of Alicia Philipp, the longtime president of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, reminding national foundations—and all of us—“community foundations are as different as the local communities” they serve.  

Melinda Gates reflects on her encounters in Senegal, and on an activist’s profound struggle against female genital cutting.

A big box retailer encounters resistance from small local enterprises. What happens when all the protagonists are nonprofits?

NPQ spotlights a small tortilla business that’s working both with nonprofits and retailers to establish themselves.

A new community planning game draws people of all ages together to grapple with the real-world challenges of local government agencies and highlights the role of community-based nonprofits as part of the process. 

An all-volunteer commission made up of representatives from city agencies and local nonprofits is working to fill a void left by cuts to San Diego’s police department budget.

After a successful legal challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, Colorado Springs opts to abandon its controversial “no solicitation zone” policy for the city’s downtown area.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has revised its state-by-state analysis of sequestration cuts. After a while, it’s just so many numbers, right? But there are real people in trouble behind these numbers.

In the nation’s capital, the DC Federation of Citizens Association appears mostly white while the D.C. Federation of Civic Associations seems largely black. What gives?

Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter, Razoo, and Indiegogo are becoming quite well known, but a local crowdfunding site in Florida, Power2give.org, hints at the possibilities of indigenous alternatives.

In a recent New York Times op-ed, Joe Nocera reminds us of the importance of neighborhood-based nonprofits and neighborhood volunteerism in revitalizing troubled cities.

Throughout the U.S., many nonprofits are finding their tax-exempt status under siege by budget-beleaguered local governments, but Calexico, Calif. offers a glimpse of a different approach.

The European Union has eased sanctions on Zimbabwe in hopes of fair elections, but recent reports point to police raids against NGOs promoting voter education and reform.

Gov. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) recently decided to extend Everglades leases to two companies for another 30 years, but environmental groups bring lawsuit with pollution concerns.

Under Pope Benedict XVI, Catholic charities were pressured to more closely adhere to Catholic Church dogma, but will a new Pope usher in a more inclusive attitude toward charities?

Are nonprofits signing onto divestment campaigns addressing the horizontal and vertical dimensions of gun manufacturers?

This past weekend, the Trayvon Martin Foundation sponsored an “I Am Trayvon” Day of Remembrance Community Peace Walk on what would have been Trayvon’s 18th birthday.

From Staten Island to Ghana, the Little Free Libraries concept is taking hold, building social interaction, literacy, and a love of books for communities of every stripe.

Mandated by the Affordable Care Act, community health needs assessments could be as little as a new piece of paperwork or as much as a potent tool to completely transform healthcare in America.

More than 50,000 people in Taiwan gathered together in a 30-hour fast this weekend to draw attention to the plight of those affected by hunger, war, natural disasters and disease.

In many instances, payments in lieu of taxes are little more than a pittance to local governments, but in Providence, R.I., PILOTs have reportedly been a huge help.

In our nation’s capital, ONE DC is confronting several powerful private and public entities to protect local residents’ interests in affordable housing and community development.

Chinese workers are using creative techniques to call attention to the issue of unpaid wages.

The local government in Ashland, Ore. released a request for proposals to establish a one-stop social services center for homeless people, but no nonprofits submitted a response. Why?

What do palm trees, chestnuts, and kisses have in common? They’re all denominations of bank-issued alternative currencies that are a key community development tool in some of Brazil’s toughest neighborhoods.

In Washington, D.C., North Carolina and elsewhere, state-issued motor vehicle license plates have been a thorny issue for governments and nonprofits, and that’s unlikely to change soon.

In Chicago, Louis Groceries is working not just to provide healthy food in a “food desert” area, but to educate its customers to increase demand for nutritious options.

The nonprofit sector has recently been pigeonholed into easy-to-understand categories of service delivery and volunteerism. As we approach the National Day of Service, let’s change that.