Stephanie Beasley

1 month ago | philanthropy.com | Stephanie Beasley

The Trump administration’s foreign aid freeze and pause or cancellation of federal funding to a wide range of human service and other organizations have caused chaos in the nonprofit sector. In just two months, program cuts, layoffs, and financial uncertainty have become rife. Many major foundations have been slow to respond to the administration’s actions and its cascading effects, but in recent weeks several emergency funds have emerged.

2 months ago | philanthropy.com | Stephanie Beasley

In its nearly two decades of operation, GiveDirectly, the direct cash payment charity started by MIT and Harvard graduate students, has delivered more than $800 million to more than 1.6 million people, largely in sub-Saharan Africa. The effort to allow financially struggling people to use aid money as they see fit — rather than as directed by faraway grant makers — has seen success and failure, both in its work abroad and in its first seven years in the United States.

2 months ago | philanthropy.com | Stephanie Beasley

The past few weeks of policy changes from the Trump administration have been fraught and nerve-racking for the staff at Better Tomorrow, a nonprofit in Steamboat Springs, Colo., that helps provide services to a range of vulnerable groups, including domestic violence survivors, abused and neglected children, and LGBTQ youth. “When Trump announced the executive order, ordering the spending freeze, we were devastated,” said Lauren Hughes, director of development for Better Tomorrow.

2 months ago | philanthropy.com | Stephanie Beasley |Eden Stiffman

Andrew Dayton was steeped in philanthropy from a young age. On his mother’s side, he’s a fifth-generation Rockefeller. His paternal grandfather founded Target in the 1960s and was a major patron of the arts in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. Whether self-made or inheritors, they’re serious about giving today and are poised to shape philanthropy in the coming decades. Both families tried to pass on the values of giving back, involving younger generations on family foundation boards.

2 months ago | philanthropy.com | Stephanie Beasley

When President Donald Trump’s inauguration coincided with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, his daughter Rev. Bernice King took to social media and news outlets. Her message was not to criticize or tune out the 47th president but to encourage those who may disagree with Trump to listen to his vision for the United States. More than a month later, Trump’s plans for the civil service, foreign aid, immigration, and the nonprofit sector, among other issues, have become clearer.