The little known conservative think tank, the American Legislative Exchange Council, is very influential in state legislatures. That influence may have earned ALEC an IRS inquiry.
Lessons from the Minnesota Shutdown for the Federal Budget Impasse
There are lessons from the Minnesota state government shutdown for the budget stalemate between Democrats and Republicans at the federal level. They don’t look like a fun elective for the nation’s fiscal course list.
Bloomberg Spreads the Wealth to Fellow Big-City Mayors
Five major cities and their new mayors will benefit from the generosity of their peer, Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City.
Brain Drain of MBA Students to Social Enterprise?
Has there been a “brain drain” of top MBA students from regular business to social enterprise? Does the education offered social entrepreneurs need to be bulked up with some attention to issues of power, politics, and the democratic process?
A Story of an Impressive Nonprofit Advocate: Gustavo Torres of CASA of Maryland
Gustavo Torres has made CASA of Maryland into an immigrant rights service and advocacy powerhouse. With a history of remarkable organizing success, should CASA go national?
How Presidential Candidates and Political Nonprofits Coordinate without Coordinating
Think of the array of SuperPACs, 527s, and 501(c)(4)s as position players on a professional sports team, looking for signals from presidential candidates’ campaigns about how to coordinate their messages–without looking like they’re coordinating, but simply by happenstance sharing political values.
A Struggling London Cultural Center Tries to Reconcile Its Past and Its Future Financial Times
London’s Africa Centre has a 50-year history of promoting contemporary African culture “at its cutting edge” from its historic Covent Garden site. The organization’s current financial challenges have put some board members who favor selling the building at odds with some famous activists including Archbishop Desmond Tutu who favor reinvestment.
The Food Stamp Program – Unsustainable or Untouchable?
As the politicians debate what programs to reduce or eliminate, the food stamp program feeds millions of Americans while stimulating the local economy.
Motown Blues: Foundations and Government Struggle for Solutions and with Each Other
The mantra of philanthropy now more than ever is: create public-private partnerships between foundations and government agencies. Nationally, big foundations are promoting concepts of entrepreneurialism and innovation in such high visibility, high glitz programs as Promise Neighborhoods. But what if the challenge is turning around a dysfunctional, broken city – not a small town or urban neighborhood but an entire city, whose back is against the ropes and which is in many people’s eyes all but dead – like Detroit?
Hey Buddy! Wanna Buy a Mission?
Access for All, a Malibu nonprofit that protects public access to the beach, “sold” Lissette Ackerberg, a resident of “millionaire’s row” her privacy for $250,000 by agreeing to seek another point of access to Carbon Beach.
Emerging Philanthropist Accused of “Flipping Off” Detroit
The Maroun Family of Detroit has just emerged as a new philanthropic presence there, raising some skepticism locally about their motives.
Strange but Appropriate Revenue – Drug Money
NPQ likes to keep an eye out for new and sometimes slightly odd sources of cash for you. Today, in this story, the revenue comes from drug money in Massachusetts.