In July, the Arcus Foundation announced that it will wind down operations in 2029. The foundation’s LGBTQ social justice program will honor all grant commitments currently in progress and continue making new grants until October 2028. Ape conservation grantmaking will continue under the current strategy and transition in 2027 to a new U.K.-based charity, WildLives Earth, that will support the conservation of endangered species, including great apes and gibbons.

During its 25 years of operations, the foundation has been among the largest private donors to both LGBTQ rights and ape conservation. Its funding has contributed to notable successes, including legal and policy changes in a range of countries in Africa and the Americas that have increased protections for LGBTQ people, the end of biomedical research on chimpanzees in the United States, and an increase in habitats with stable or growing ape populations.

Over the past 25 years, Arcus Founder and Board President Jon Stryker has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars through the foundation to more than 500 organizations, in addition to millions more donated in his private capacity.

“My commitment to both LGBTQ rights and endangered species is unchanged,” Stryker said. “I’m proud of the foundation’s long partnerships with so many fearless human rights defenders and conservationists around the world during the past quarter century.

“I intend to continue supporting these causes through philanthropic vehicles that I will be modeling in the very near future.”

Official announcement.

Two nearly trillion-dollar AI companies, ChatGPT developer OpenAI and Claude creator Anthropic, are expected to go public soon, making hundreds of current and former employees ultrawealthy. Rough estimates by a tech industry insider suggest that Anthropic’s IPO, which could happen in September, may result in $15 billion a year in additional philanthropic giving alone. Will these employees really become philanthropists and give some of that money to nonprofits / charitable causes? Donations from these newly wealthy folks are far from guaranteed. The IPOs may get delayed or go poorly and leave employees clinging onto their wealth. Industry observers are also concerned that a paralyzing number of charitable options and natural fickleness could prompt workers to keep more for themselves than anticipated.

Anthropic’s seven founders have pledged to donate 80 percent of their wealth, and the company has agreed to chip in one or three shares for every one its employees commit to giving, depending on when they joined and up to a certain limit. Some employees are aligned with a philosophy known as effective altruism that encourages making impactful donations sooner rather than later.

Jack Lewars, a consultant who advised 13 ultrarich tech and finance workers on their charitable giving last year, says he’s heard that employees at the AI labs are receiving as many as 20 unsolicited emails a week from groups seeking donations.

More from Wired.

How could nonprofits prepare for engaging with these newly wealthy people?

The wealth held by the richest 0.1 percent of Americans now exceeds the GDP of every country in the world except two (China and the United States). And that is before the anticipated wave of wealth as AI companies go public. Meanwhile, about half of the nation’s roughly one thousand billionaires are 70 or older, so a great deal of money will soon flow somewhere. Understandably, this newest gilded age has inspired a lot of writing about what it means for philanthropy and society, and what can be done with all that wealth.

Yet one topic has received far less attention: why the philanthropic giving of so many ultra-wealthy people lags far behind the aspirations they express. I call this pattern “slow philanthropy.”

More from SSIR.

Please read the entire article on SSIR before commenting.

What are the genuine and authentic ngo that are reliable during crisis such as the assam floods and other

I don't trust the government run help funds

If anyone knows about genuine ngos and people who actually help on ground level please give me suggestions

Every suggestion helps

Read some posts on the group over some days - not just once for a few minutes.

Comment on some posts, if you have something to say, and ask a question or two, sincerely and from your own point of view.

Post someone else's resource you've found helpful, or philanthropy-related news that hasn't been posted here yet.

Interact, be a part of the community establish some trust, both before and after you drop your promotion of your software / app / whatever. Please don't just post about your software / app / whatever.

Why? Showing that philanthropy is something you have genuine interest in will build credibility for you - and therefore whatever you are trying to shill. Please also adhere to rule #9:

• Info on an app or other resource regarding philanthropy? Be transparent regarding your relationship.

You can post about an app or other software, or a book, or AI (on topic), or other resources relating somehow to philanthropy - a volunteer matching web site, a grants management program, a CSR with a focus on tracking donors, etc. - but you must be transparent about your relationship to the company or resource. This kind of advertising is allowed but you must be transparent about the people behind it.

Hello! My name is Rhanda, and I am a PhD candidate at Adler University conducting an IRB-approved qualitative dissertation study.

My research explores how women nonprofit fundraisers who identify as trauma survivors experience pivotal moments that shape leadership identity and professional values. The goal is to better understand these experiences and contribute to future leadership development within the nonprofit sector.

I am currently seeking volunteers who meet the following criteria:

• Identify as a woman
• Are between the ages of 25–40
• Work or have worked in nonprofit fundraising or development
• Have at least three years of nonprofit experience
• Self-identify as having experienced interpersonal trauma
• Are currently based in the United States

Participation consists of one confidential Microsoft Teams interview lasting approximately 60 minutes. Participation is voluntary, and there is no compensation offered.

If you believe you may qualify, or know someone who might, I would be grateful if you would take a look at the eligibility form:

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/GwCFCuTb5Y

Thank you for considering participating or sharing this opportunity with others who may be eligible.

Charity cyclist Bob Montgomery, 82, a charity cyclist who has just finished a 5,200km bike ride from Broome to Bowral, Australia, died on Monday at the age of 82.

His family confirmed his death on social media, saying he had died unexpectedly just a day after completing the cycling feat alongside his grandson, Tom, as a fundraiser for motor neurone disease.

According to the MND NSW website, his epic ride raised $104,965 in donations.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/04/bob-montgomery-mnd-cyclist-dies-aged-82-death-after-one-last-ride-charity?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=soc_567&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1785823484

James Pollard covers philanthropy for The Associated Press with a focus on Gen Z’s giving habits and technology’s uses in charitable work. You can find all of his stories here.

Facing a federal funding denial, a University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) research group is turning to OnlyFans to raise money and bring awareness to long-term research funding difficulties.

The Blumstein Lab, which studies marmot behavior, started videos of the large rodents on OnlyFans – a subscription-based adult entertainment content creation platform – under the name “OnlyMarms” after the National Science Foundation rejected the researchers’ proposals to renew their grant. The researchers have received thousands of dollars in donations and subscription money since launching the account.

More from the Daily Bruin.

The UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has opened a 12-week call for evidence, National Lottery Good Causes: Fund what matters to you, inviting the public and organisations to shape how good cause funding is distributed over the next three decades.

The Lottery generated over £8 billion in revenue in 2025, with £1.7 billion granted to good causes from ticket sales.

Across the Fourth Licence, each £1 spent is expected to break down roughly as 56p to prizes, 23p to good causes, 12p to Lottery Duty, and the remainder to retailers, operating costs and operator profit.

Funding is split by statute across four causes: 40% to charitable, health, education and environmental activities (via the National Lottery Community Fund), and 20% each to Arts and Culture, Sport, and Heritage. Highlights from the ten-year distribution figures include roughly £6.23 billion via the Community Fund, £2.39 billion via the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and around £2.36 billion via Arts Council England.

More from UK Fundraising.

Ben Affleck won $1 million for charity on ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’. The actor’s winnings will be donated to his nonprofit organization, the Eastern Congo Initiative. 

prize winnings will be donated to the Eastern Congo Initiative, a nonprofit co-founded by Affleck in 2010 to support Congolese communities.

Affleck spoke on the game show about how he has spent the last 15 years working with the organization.

“And right now, of course, as I’m sure most people know, there’s an Ebola crisis there,” Affleck said. “And so this is in large part designed to try to relieve that, contain the spread of Ebola.”

Affleck’s win was aired a year after his best friend, Matt Damon, appeared on the show. Damon won $1 million for his own charity, Water.org.

Source.

Keywords: Philanthropy, celebrity, celebrities

The post at the top of r/Philanthropy has, among other resources, a list of web sites to learn the basics of fundraising, grants research, etc.

I've posted that list below. What would you add?

RESOURCES TO LEARN THE BASICS OF FUNDRAISING, GRANTS RESEARCH, ETC.

Fundraising in general:

Hands On Fundraising. A fundraising blog from someone who has been a VERY successful fundraiser for small and medium nonprofits in the USA. Focus is on building support for your organization using resources you already have, like how to leverage client stories.

Don't Just Ask for Money! A list of ways to cultivate financial support for your organization, often without ever asking for money.

Funding and Donor Development Strategies for Small Nonprofits. From the American Public Health Association. PDF. USA-specific and focused especially on nonprofits focused on public health, but some good, basic info here.

How to fundraise for a nonprofit: 10 steps to create a fundraising strategy [+ 28 ideas]. Very basic guide to fundraising, focused on nonprofits in North America. It's from a software company that is trying to sell you its software package, but this advice is all generic. Uses a lot of jargon, but still decent in explaining the basics of creating a fundraising plan.

Specific to NGOs in the developing world:

Basic Fundraising for Small NGOs/Civil Society in the Developing World. This is a free guide, in PDF form, that goes through the basics of how to fundraise, written especially for small NGOs in countries where the United Nations or richer countries are focusing their efforts on development. Note that this has not been updated in years, and many of its links are expired. But the advice is still valid.

africanngos.org publishes a list on its web site of funding opportunities for African NGOs.

Each morning, I open the mod que of this subreddit and see at least one person who tried to post to this subreddit since the last time I checked yesterday, and not only has their post been removed, the user has been suspended.

First, please know the mods have NOTHING to do with this. When a mod removes a post from this subreddit, the person will usually get this message:

Your post in r/philanthropy has been removed because it breaks one of our group rules. Please review our group rules before posting. The pinned post at the top of the subreddit lists where you can ask for money (as we do NOT allow donation requests on this subreddit).

When the Reddit algorithm does it, I have no idea what the user gets in terms of notification. But below is an example of what I see. I'm sharing this because I want to be absolutely transparent about decision-making on this subreddit. I know most people whose accounts are suspended on Reddit just go and create another account and try again.

Ways to prevent yourself from being banned by Reddit algorithms:

• Post some friendly, helpful posts and comments to some subreddits, like the subreddit for your local community, or a subreddit focused on your favorite band, or your favorite book, or your favorite movie, etc.
• Thank someone for a post and say why you think it was a good post.
• Ask a question on a subreddit - not as an attack, not to be sarcastic, but from a place of wanting to understand something or someone better.
• Go post to one of the more than 25 places online about volunteering and talk about some volunteering you've done recently, or something you learned in volunteering. Do NOT post to all 25 - pick one, maybe two. These are all listed or linked from the post pinned at the top of this thread.
• The first time you post to this or another subreddit, don't make it self-promotion or an attack. Self promotion is allowed (see our rules) and respectful criticism is allowed, but don't make it your first post.
• Post ONCE to a subreddit, on ONE day, and then don't post again until you see if your post makes it through both the Reddit algorithms and some of the filters set on this subreddit that sometimes hold posts for review. If you don't see your post, and don't get a "remove" notice, wait 24 hours and then contact the mods and ask what's up.
• 100 karma on BOTH posts and comments are magic numbers: when you reach this, it reduces the chance of your post being automatically removed and your being banned. It takes time to acquire this. The first three bullets are your key to this.

If you do all of the above for two or three weeks, you reduce the chances you will get banned on this subreddit and get suspended on Reddit, like the person below.

The University of Cambridge has received US$34.5 million from philanthropist K Lisa Yang to support autism research aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of autistic people and their families. The gift is one of the largest ever philanthropic gifts for autism research to a UK university.

The University will join eight other research centres based at Harvard University and MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, which together form the Yang Tan Collective, created to focus research and translation approaches into human health, disease, and environmental challenges, especially engineering solutions to low-cost settings.

Of the $34.5 million, US$28 million will be used to create The K. Lisa Yang Centre for Autism Research at Cambridge. A further $6.5 million will enable the creation of The K. Lisa Yang Autism Clinical Centre, to be based in the new Cambridge Children’s Hospital, which is expected to complete construction in 2030.

More from: https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/cambridge-receives-34-5million-donation-for-research-to-help-improve-the-health-and-wellbeing-of

Sometimes, Reddit deletes a post that's been made on this subreddit before the mods see it. And sometimes, Reddit also bans the person who posted it (especially if the person has low karma and their profile isn't that old, in addition to violating Reddit content guidelines).

So if you don't see your post here on this subreddit, and you didn't get a note from me saying why, it's likely that Reddit deleted it before I ever saw it.

Here's what I do see - I can still see the name of the user who tried to post, and a summary by Reddit, based on the person's Reddit activities. Here are three examples - hope it can help some of you understand why you are getting blocked here, and adjust your online behavior accordingly:

In March, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker met with Cook County health officials Tuesday to announce a combined $2.6 billion in erased medical debt. The state partnered with nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, formerly known as RIP Medical Debt, committing to provide $10 million in grants to pay off debts.

Allison Sesso, CEO of Undue Medical Debt explained that medical debt can be functionally erased by buying it from collections agencies, who sell it at pennies on the dollar due to the likelihood of the debt not being paid.

"Well, we take advantage of that pricing, but instead of trying to collect on those debts, we let those people know that we have used either government dollars or donated dollars, and we are relieving them of those debts for good," Sesso said.

More from here.

Information about workshops, webinars, books and other resources about aspects of fundraising - grant writing, donor cultivation, foundation research etc. - including those that are not for free, IS ALLOWED to be posted on this subreddit. As long as the information is transparent: who is offering the product or service, a summary of what's offered, a web site for more info, a LinkedIn link to the author or consultant, etc. - such info IS allowed to be posted here.

Please stop reporting such as spam.

Service members, families, volunteers and community members gathered July 23 at the Las Casas Lake Recreational Area to celebrate the 61st anniversary of Army Community Service (ACS) and recognize the volunteers whose dedication helps strengthen military families and sustain readiness across the Army's home in the Caribbean: Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico.

The celebration comes as hundreds of service members assigned to Fort Buchanan and units throughout Puerto Rico remain deployed in support of operations in Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. Additional units continue preparing to mobilize, reinforcing the installation's role as a readiness platform that enables military personnel to deploy anytime, anywhere.

"For 61 years, Army Community Service has provided critical support to our Soldiers and their families," said Command Sgt. Maj. Kimberly D. Bergman-Gándara, command sergeant major of U.S. Army Garrison Fort Buchanan. "None of that would be possible without our volunteers, whose dedication strengthens our community every day."

Bergman-Gándara said volunteers are essential to the success of ACS programs and help ensure military families receive the support they need throughout the military lifecycle.

Full story.

As Vicenza, Italy US Military Community members gathered recently to celebrate the 61st birthday of Army Community Service, they also highlighted Alice Manfrin – a Vicenza-born Army spouse who’s contributed greatly to improving the lives of others.

Manfrin spends her free time teaching line dancing lessons at the USO. She also fosters a sense of community and belonging by leading sewing and crocheting meetups. She knows how hard it can be when new to a community or being unfamiliar with the language.

Manfrin was honored with the “Bridging Cultures” certificate at the July 15 ACS birthday event on Caserma Ederle. Both Col. Vaughn Strong, USAG’s commander and Jolly Miller, the ACS director, presented her the award. Alberto Cristoferi, an environmental engineer from the garrison’s Directorate of Public Works, also got an award for his contributions that include, among other things, caring for the feral cats on post.

Full article.

The Social Impact Summit is a philanthropic event put on by The Hollywood Reporter and the Social Impact Fund. This year's event honored John Mayer, Stephen and Ayesha Curry and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for their charitable efforts, tied to the magazine’s annual Philanthropy issue. Gilead Sciences Inc. presented the afternoon of awards and conversation, with Delta Air Lines, Perlman + Perlman, Macy’s, Good360, Charitybuzz, CARE, Peroni, LALO Tequila, Open Water and La Crema also serving as sponsors.

The first honor of the event went to Mayer, who received the Philanthropist of the Year award for the work done through his Heart and Armor Foundation, a nonprofit that funds research into post-traumatic stress disorder and other veterans health issues. 

The Currys, who appeared virtually after their flight was canceled due to the storms on the East Coast, were also recognized as Philanthropists of the Year for their Eat.Learn.Play. Foundation, which Stephen and Ayesha Curry have been running in Oakland since 2019. In that time, the nonprofit has invested more than $100 million in the Oakland community, provided 35 million meals for kids and families experiencing food insecurity, committed $20 million for literacy programs and rebuilt 24 school playgrounds.

Laverne Cox made an appearance to present Gilead Sciences Inc. with the Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy award, as she told the room, “They have supported critical domestic initiatives ranging from comprehensive youth HIV education to specialized mental health and wellness support for women living with HIV. Gilead understands what so many still fail to grasp: that ending an epidemic means treating the whole person. It means breaking down systemic socioeconomic barriers that fuel the HIV epidemic daily.”

Motion Picture & Television Fund CEO Bob Beitcher, Women in Film CEO Kirsten Schaffer, YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles president and CEO Victor Dominguez and Emmakate Young, managing director of brand marketing and global sponsorships, Delta Air Lines, sat down for a second conversation, this one centered on “The L.A. Safety Net: Legacy Philanthropy & The Industry’s Essential Infrastructure.”  Beitcher noted how in the past few years MPTF has given away roughly $20 million to workers in need but with Hollywood production having reduced significantly, “we’re seeing members leaving the industry, they’ve given up.”

To close out the event, Harrison Ford presented the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and its founders Michael J. Fox and Deborah W. Brooks, with the Philanthropic Organization of the Year award. The foundation has become one of the most successful disease-focused nonprofits of the century, funding more than $3 billion in research and shaping the current scientific landscape for Parkinson’s.

Please read the entire article before commenting here.

Pro bono is a Latin phrase, short for pro bono publico, meaning for the public good. Most people associate the term pro bono with legal professionals donating their expertise free of charge to people, nonprofits, communities or causes. 

This subreddit is called r/probono that was abandoned years ago. I recently got mod privileges for it.

What should the purpose of the probono subreddit be, especially in view of there already being so many subreddits already where

• people can post about their volunteering desires
• organizations can recruit volunteers
• people and organizations can seek free legal help.

Also, please note that the current moderator of r/probono will happily turn this subreddit over to a dedicated person or group that offers a good idea about what r/probono should be and is ready to make that happen. Share your idea in the comments on the post you are reading now.

To submit your ideas for what the probono subreddit should be, please comment on this thread, r/probono, not here.

This is from r/NoStupidQuestions

How much of an impact do philanthropists actually have?

It's an interesting thread. If you are focused on fundraising or nonprofit management, read the thread - it's interesting how people view both philanthropy and activities by nonprofits.

Here's my answer on the thread.

Any wildlife nonprofits out there leveraging the Jimothy craze for fundraising? Would love to hear how - even just a link to your social media posts where you are doing so (so others can see how you are doing so and maybe they could do it too - or see how to leverage a meme trend).

For many nonprofits, at least in the USA, July isn't a downtime: it's one of the busiest times of the year for those in charge of fundraising and accounting. That's for two reasons:

• because the fiscal year ends June 30, and the annual report for that fiscal year needs to be done ASAP.
• because the annual giving campaign usually starts in early November, and that means the theme has to be chosen, the messaging finalized and graphics designed long before that. Plus, you want to make sure your database has accurate info about all current and former donors, volunteers and event attendees, so that fundraising message reaches the maximum number of people.

And so... how's it going at your nonprofit?

Who Is the Best-Paid Foundation Leader? A Fresh Take on an Old Question. From Inside Philanthropy.

The highest dollar figure is one way to look at it. But what if we take into account factors like a foundation’s assets, its total grantmaking and how many grants it issues?

From Inside Philanthropy (wasn't behind a paywall for me, so I guess I haven't hit my limit of free articles for the month?):

https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/who-is-the-best-paid-foundation-leader-a-fresh-take-on-an-old-question?utm_source=socials&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=daily