Connie Matthiessen

San Francisco

Writer at Inside Philanthropy

Writer, editor, mother, environmentalist, feminist, progressive, optimist, idealist, dreamer, (not necessarily in that order)

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Articles

The Story Behind Marguerite Casey’s Supercharged Trump 2.0 Giving

1 week ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Connie Matthiessen

As the Trump administration passes the 100-day mark, is philanthropy finding its voice? The early weeks of the new administration saw the sector staying mostly silent, with few exceptions, even as Trump eviscerated federal support and forward momentum on key funder priorities. But despite finding themselves targeted in unprecedented ways — or perhaps because of that — more grantmakers and nonprofits have been speaking up over the past month or so.
Cara James of Grantmakers In Health Speaks Up on Trump Disruption

2 weeks ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Connie Matthiessen

Cara V. James, president and CEO of Grantmakers in Health.
“All Hands on Deck” as Trump Aims to Eliminate Head Start

2 weeks ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Connie Matthiessen

It’s there in black and white in Project 2025’s Mandate for Leadership: “Eliminate the Head Start program.” During his campaign, candidate Donald Trump tried to distance himself from the Heritage Foundation’s political playbook after it became increasingly unpopular the more people learned about it. But since his inauguration, Trump and his administration have followed the conservative blueprint closely as they hack away at the U.S. government.
“Bloodbath at HHS”: Health Funding Leaders React to Trump’s Cuts

3 weeks ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Connie Matthiessen

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Credit: Joshua Sukoff/ShutterstockWhat happens when you turn a vaccine skeptic with no medical training and a chainsaw-wielding billionaire loose on the agency protecting Americans’ health — and encourage them to “go wild”? The damage to date at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is head-spinning and hard to keep up with, and has included and massive cuts across the board.
How Bloomberg and Ballmer Created Summer Programs to Fight Learning Loss

1 month ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Connie Matthiessen

Learning loss that occurs over the summer — the dreaded “summer slide” — can set K-12 students back in school. Conversely, research shows that quality summer learning programs can and help reduce discrepancies in learning outcomes for disadvantaged students. The programs also provide enrichment activities and summer fun for students who might not have such opportunities otherwise.
Is It Time for Bill Gates to Get Angry?

1 month ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Connie Matthiessen

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have essentially eviscerated the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Given the many millions of lives the agency has helped save around the globe, the results will be devastating; we already have evidence of this as the U.S. fails to step in with assistance in the aftermath of the earthquake in Myanmar.
Why Top Funders Back This Small Human Rights Organization With a Global Reach

1 month ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Connie Matthiessen

Protests in Syria, May 15, 2024. Credit: Mohammad Bash/ShutterstockMost people have never heard of the Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG), and its name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but the small nonprofit is well known and widely respected in human rights circles. HRDAG’s work has been used by human rights organizations, truth commissions and international criminal tribunals, and it has been shortlisted for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Laurene Powell Jobs’ XQ Institute Is on a Mission to Remake High School

1 month ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Connie Matthiessen

A classroom at Crosstown High School in Memphis, Tennessee. Credit: Crosstown High SchoolThe XQ Institute’s tagline,#RethinkHighSchool, describes the organization’s North Star — and represents a challenge to the education status quo. XQ argues that the typical U.S. high school is mired in the past and needs to be updated and retooled to adapt to a rapidly changing world.
How the Monarch Foundation Is Making the Case for Unrestricted Cash

1 month ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Connie Matthiessen

The evidence is in: If you give pregnant and new mothers more support, they’ll fare better — and their infants will, too. That’s what we’ve learned from unrestricted cash programs rolled out in communities around the country, and what the Monarch Foundation is showing through the work of The Bridge Project. The Monarch Foundation is a family foundation created by venture capitalist Jeff Lieberman and his wife, Holly Fogle, a former senior partner at McKinsey & Company.
“This Is an Emergency.” How Can Philanthropy Respond to Trump’s Assault on K-12 Education?

2 months ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Connie Matthiessen

It’s hard to keep track of the scale of the destruction as President Donald Trump and Elon Mask slash and burn their way through the federal government, cutting staff, gutting programs and shuttering departments. Many essential services are on the chopping block, including consumer protections, support for veterans and emergency services here at home, and aid to children facing famine overseas. Now, the administration has moved on to the Department of Education.

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