Philanthropy Today

Chronicle of Philanthropy CEO Stacy Palmer discusses how nonprofits are coping with the unpredictable new reality under the Trump administration with Fast Company’s Rapid Response.

Bill Gates has shuttered the public policy arm of his omnibus climate-focused venture, Breakthrough Energy, to concentrate on helping clean-energy companies instead. The move is a tacit acknowledgement that policy work is unlikely to bear fruit with Republicans in control of the federal government, sources told the New York Times. Gates also closed Breakthrough Energy’s European unit and laid off most of its employees working on partnerships with other climate groups. In all, dozens of staff members were cut. (New York Times)

As nonprofits across the country face funding threats and broad hostility from Washington, United Way of Rhode Island has launched a fund to help local groups navigate the new reality. The grant-maker has pulled $500,000 from its reserves and aims to raise another $500,000 from the community. Grants of $25,000 to about $50,000 will go to organizations that provide basic services, such as food and shelter, and have been hit by federal cuts or freezes. (Boston Globe)

More on Climate Funding

• E.P.A. Cancels Climate Grants, Intensifying Battle Over $20 Billion (New York Times)
• Plus: How Citibank got caught in a $20 billion climate fight (Grist)

Nonprofits in Crisis

• Trump DEI Purge Hits Affordable Housing Groups (Bloomberg CityLab)
• As Aid Dwindles, Can Philanthropy Rewrite the Rules of Giving? (Devex)
• Stacy Palmer Unpacks the Nonprofit Sector’s Existential Test (Fast Company)
• New England Schools and Food Programs Take ‘Devastating’ Hit After USDA Funding Cuts (Boston Globe)

More News

• S.F. City Agencies ‘Manipulated’ Nonprofit Bidding Process, Report Finds (Mission Local)
• White House Pressures Columbia University as It Seeks to Deport Pro-Palestinian Activists (Associated Press)

Arts and Culture

• Opinion: If Trump and Musk Kill the NEA, Say Goodbye to Blockbuster Exhibitions (Boston Globe)
• ‘What the Transcestors Fought for’: New England Arts Groups Are Challenging ‘Gender Ideology’ Executive Orders (Boston Globe)
• Chair of National Endowment for the Humanities Leaves at Trump’s ‘Direction’ (New York Times)

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