Friday Rewind

The Friday Rewind offers a snapshot of PhilanthroNews —  that means news stories, articles, events of note, or information updates — from around our network and throughout the broad world of philanthropy. Whether you take a quick skim of the material or a deep dive through each item we hope to help inform your work and inspire your thinking.

1. To attract great talent, organizations often have to offer considerate compensation. That isn’t always easy to do for nonprofit organizations. This article from Minnesota breaks down what constitutes a fair salary to run a nonprofit, and had CEOs explain their pay rate. Read the Full Story Here.
2. Invested in Detroit is J.P. Morgan Chase’s ongoing multi-pronged effort to boost the economic rejuvenation the famously economically challenged city. The initiative was originally launched in 2014 as a $100 million program, focusing on neighborhood revitalization, small-business development, and job training. It reached a new milestone on Wednesday, when J.P. Morgan announced that Invested in Detroit would increase its financial commitment to $150 million through 2019. Read the Full Story Here.
3. If you ask a top philanthropist or foundation chief how their influence squares with democracy, they’ll likely say that private giving strengthens civic life by underwriting more robust public debates. What they’ll never, ever say, at least explicitly, is that philanthropy doesn’t square so easily with democracy – and that this is OK because elites often know best about how to advance the common good. But if funders won’t say such a thing aloud, the truth is that many believe exactly that. And so do plenty of other leaders in the nonprofit sector as well as academic experts. Read the Full Story Here.
4. Are we in a new age where private foundations are “weaponizing philanthropy” for their own political purposes? A recent investigation by the Center for Media and Democracy, a national investigative watchdog group, concluded that the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation appears to be doing just that — and they aren’t alone. Read the Full Story Here.
5. The ongoing debate over healthcare access and delivery underscores the fact that public health in the U.S. still has much room for improvement. Often at the core of this problem are resource allocation challenges. Resources are always scarce, no matter how well a economy is performing — or how large a foundation’s checks may be. But one tool that can help communities meet these public health challenges is big data. Read the Full Story Here.

Friday Rewind is published each Friday by NY Funders Alliance staff. To submit a story for the Friday Rewind, please email programs@nyfunders.org.