Homeless Youth Network Ditches ‘Strip2Clothe’ Campaign
Minneapolis Star Tribune: A national organization for homeless youth has agreed to cut ties with an edgy Web campaign that encourages participants to post striptease videos of themselves to raise clothing for young people on the streets after member charities protested that it sent the wrong message.
> Earlier story: Striptease Clothing Drive Enrages Local Charities

Poignant Narratives
Minneapolis Star Tribune: Paintings, drawings and sculpture by McKnight grant winners are showcased at Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Initiative Helping Towns Grow
Mankato Free Press: Mapleton and Fairmont are among the newest communities to receive Town Meeting Initiative grants from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. SMIF’s Elise Davis says, “We take communities through coaching and training, and then we award a grant that enables them to create a project or a number of projects.”

Grads Face New Realities in Tight Job Market
Minneapolis Star Tribune: This year, as the economy hit a downturn and employers cut jobs instead of creating them, a record number of graduates applied to programs that try to change the world — something experts believe is a top priority for today’s youth.

Solar Panels a ‘Sunny’ Deal for Perham Woman
Perham Enterprise Bulletin: This winter, Betty Dockter anticipates a 12 to 25 percent reduction in the amount of heat she will be paying for to keep her house warm. It was through West Central Initiative that Dockter first heard about the possibility of installing solar thermal panels.

Scam Highlights Abuses in Charitable Write-Offs
Wall Street Journal: While most contributors play by the rules, law-enforcement officials say some don’t — and are robbing the U.S. Treasury Department of large amounts of revenue.

Charities Crushed Under Soaring Demand
U.S. News and World Report: The ailing economy, plagued by the foreclosure crisis and rampaging gas and food prices, is exacting a toll not only on the needy but on those who help them.

The Gains of Philanthropy
Letter to the New York Times from the national Council on Foundations’ president/CEO, Steve Gunderson, in reaction to last week’s Dog Eat Your Taxes? opinion piece

New Foundation Tackles U.S. Federal Debt
Christian Science Monitor: Owing $52.7 trillion, Americans should not wait for a crisis, says founder Peter Peterson.

Billionaire Warren Buffett Gives Stock To Charity
Associated Press: Five charitable foundations received more than $2.05 billion total in keeping with his plan to give away the bulk of his fortune.

Foundation’s focus: Work force, economic growth and leadership
Rochester Post-Bulletin: Commentary by Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation president Tim Penny.

Gas Prices Slow Spin Of Charity’s Wheels
Star Tribune: Some local Meals on Wheels programs are struggling to retain volunteers, who are having trouble filling their gas tanks.

Earning A Profit From Nonprofits
Minneapolis Star Tribune: A data management firm has found a growing niche by helping nonprofit groups stay in touch with donors.

Sir John M. Templeton, Philanthropist, Dies at 95
New York Times: His foundation awards the Templeton Prize, one of the world’s richest, and sponsors conferences and studies reflecting the founder’s passionate interest in “progress in religion” and “research or discoveries” on the nebulous borders of science and religion.

Spielberg Group Gives $1M to Pa. Jewish Museum
Associated Press: The money from the Righteous Persons Foundation will go toward a new, five-story museum building being built in Philadelphia.

Altruism Meets a Weak Job Market
Wall Street Journal: Young people are part of the growing ranks of college graduates who, amid a worsening job market, are contributing to a surge in applications and enlistments at public-service agencies like Teach for America and the Peace Corps.

Rural Nonprofits Struggle with Sagging Economy
Minnesota Public Radio: High demand for services and shrinking budgets are putting some nonprofit organizations in crisis.

Initiative Addresses the Aging Population
Brainerd Dispatch: An initiative called Brainerd for a Lifetime is part of a pilot project with the Central Minnesota Council on Aging. A grant was provided to the aging council from the Otto Bremer Foundation.

Complacency Is The Enemy, Stewards Say
Minneapolis Star Tribune*
On Feb. 13, Minnesota received its annual status report from one of the people charged with stewardship of this state, Gov. Tim Pawlenty. But the governor doesn't bear that responsibility alone. The Star Tribune editorial board heard from four foundation leaders, who say Minnesota has done well, but the state is now in a precarious spot:
> Peter Hutchinson, Bush Foundation
> Carleen Rhodes, The Saint Paul Foundation and Minnesota Community Foundation
> Sandra Vargas, The Minneapolis Foundation
> Kate Wolford, The McKnight Foundation

Philanthropy
Wall Street Journal special section**, 12/10/07
When it comes to donating to a charity, most people know the basic facts — what the charity's mission is and how much it spends on that mission. But they typically don't know the most important element: how well the charity does what it sets out to do. This Journal Report lays bare that gap between what donors do know and what they should know.

Giving
New York Times*, 11/13/06
Features articles on topics such as "philanthropreneurs," giving circles, corporate giving, celebrities and more.
> What Is Charity? New York Times*, 11/14/05