Dawn Wolfe

United States

Staff Writer at Inside Philanthropy

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Articles

Rising Wave of Funders and PSOs Stand Up for the First Amendment Freedom to Give

2 weeks ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Dawn Wolfe

An array of powerful organizations from across the philanthrosphere on Wednesday showed a united front against political intimidation, issuing a pre-emptive public declaration in defense of their right to give as they choose under a reading of the First Amendment that treats donations as a form of Constitutionally protected expression. The effort has grown rapidly in just a single day.
Arnold Ventures’ Grand Experiment in Making Prison Less Awful

2 weeks ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Dawn Wolfe

There’s no other way to say this: The United States’ punishment-based carceral system is a failure. Violence in our country’s prisons, including against prison staff, has been called a “pervasive crisis” by experts studying the problem. Being incarcerated damages the mental health of people locked behind our country’s many bars, and they’re not alone: The system is also hell on its employees.
Funders Stay Silent About Their Support for These Trans-Serving Southern Nonprofits

3 weeks ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Dawn Wolfe

In addition to oppressive laws and executive orders aimed directly at America’s transgender communities, the Trump administration is threatening to eliminate funding for domestic HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
On Transgender Day of Visibility, Three Funders Discuss Their Work Amid the Backlash

3 weeks ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Dawn Wolfe

Transgender Day of Visibility was founded in 2009 by Michigan activist Rachel Crandall Crocker to provide trans folks with “a special day for us” and went on, as the trans rights movement grew, to become so widely honored that President Joe Biden began issuing White House proclamations marking the day in 2021. What a difference an election can make. Today, transgender communities are under attack as never before at both the state and national levels.
Two Funders Are Taking the Lead in Supporting Worker Resilience at Nonprofits

1 month ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Dawn Wolfe

Nonprofits addressing abortion rights, gender equity and related challenges are under strain as never before as the Trump administration slashes federal funding to institutions that address these areas while simultaneously assaulting the legal framework that undergirds their work. Meanwhile, we’ve been tracking staff burnout in the nonprofit sector at large since 2022.
The Just Trust Is Becoming a Justice Reform Funding Intermediary

1 month ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Dawn Wolfe

When Inside Philanthropy last caught up with The Just Trust in 2023, the $350 million Chan Zuckerberg Initiative spinoff and criminal justice funder was facing a big question: After moving $83 million in its first 18 months since beginning to make grants in March 2022, had the organization raised enough money to keep going as a grantmaker beyond the five years it was originally funded for by CZI? And if not, how would it move forward?
Major LGBTQ Funders Vow to Stay the Course Despite Attacks

1 month ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Dawn Wolfe

The first few months of the Trump administration have been a nightmare for much of the philanthrosphere as organizations face cuts and threatened cuts to nonprofit funding and a tsunami of executive orders seeking to empower the federal government to dictate spending decisions, employment policies, and who gets served by nonprofits and funders.
Nonprofit leaders are frightened - and for good reason

1 month ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Dawn Wolfe

Elon Musk delivers remarks as he joins U.S. President Donald Trump during an executive order signing in the Oval Office at the White House on February 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. Credit: Andrew Harnik/ShutterstockTwo recent reports paint a picture of a nonprofit sector increasingly under threat and feeling unsupported by private sector funders.
As Crisis Drives Payout Bumps, One Small Funder Bucks Conventional Wisdom

1 month ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Dawn Wolfe

At the end of February, one of the philanthrosphere’s most influential players, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, announced a decision to boost its annual payout rate to “at least” 6% for the next two years.
Meet the Midwest’s Four Largest Criminal Justice Funders

1 month ago | insidephilanthropy.com | Dawn Wolfe

Since learning last year that half of all criminal-justice-related philanthropic funding is flowing to outfits in just two states, California and New York, we’ve been wondering: Where can nonprofits working on the panoply of issues that fall under the criminal justice umbrella — and based elsewhere — apply for grants? How many funders are moving criminal justice funds to other areas of the country — and how much potential money is out there for them?