Walmart Heir Pledges $100 Million for Conservation of African Parks

Plus, MacKenzie Scott dominated donations to racial equity after George Floyd's death ADVERTISEMENT [Academe Today Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. GIFTS ROUNDUP [Walmart Heir Pledges $100 Million for Conservation of African Parks]( By Maria Di Mento [STORY IMAGE]( Plus, Special Olympics, the Miami Foundation, five universities, and others all received big gifts. ADVERTISEMENT BIG GIFTS [MacKenzie Scott Dominates Donations to Racial Equity After George Floyd’s Death]( By Haleluya Hadero, Associated Press [STORY IMAGE]( Scott was responsible for $567 million distributed to the top recipients of racial-equity donations in 27 states. SPONSOR CONTENT | The Ford Foundation [Philanthropy: Listen to the Voices, Leadership, and Lived Experiences of People]( Nonprofit News From Elsewhere Tesla founder Elon Musk has given a $50 million boost to a $200 million fundraising drive launched by the four civilians who flew his SpaceX rocket into space last week. The group tweeted an appeal for donations for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital after splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean Saturday evening. Musk replied, “Count me in for $50M.” Mission leader Jared Isaacman, who owns a payment-processing company in Pennsylvania, kicked in $100 million, in addition to the “undisclosed millions” he paid to be part of the first all-civilian crew to fly into space. ([Guardian]( The Metropolitan Museum of Art plans to sell more than 200 prints and photographs as it tries to make up for a $150 million shortfall caused by the pandemic. Among the items on the block will be a collection of photos from the Civil War and prints by Robert Frank, Roy Lichtenstein, and Frank Stella. They are duplicates of works the museum already holds, the museum’s director Max Hollein said. The institution is holding the sale during a two-year window when the Association of Art Museum Directors is permitting museums to sell works for reasons other than funding more acquisitions. Hollein said the museum has a healthy endowment to buy more works, but it needs money now to pay the salaries of staff who care for its collection. The museum expects to raise $904,600 to $1.4 million. ([Artnet News]( More News - Mich. 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Editor's Picks FUNDRAISING LEADERSHIP [How to Hang On to Fundraisers in a Hot Job Market]( By Emily Haynes [STORY IMAGE]( Leaders should initiate frequent and frank conversations with employees to stay on top of their concerns, make sure DEI efforts are genuine, and provide clarity on any shifts to a group’s mission. FOUNDATION GIVING [Gates and Rockefeller Warn World Leaders About the Pandemic’s Impact on the Lives of the Poor]( By Alex Daniels [STORY IMAGE]( Two of the wealthiest foundations say that without larger government and philanthropic investments in the manufacture and delivery of vaccines to people in poor nations, the pandemic could set back global progress on education, public health, and gender equality for years. INVESTMENTS [Harvard’s Fossil-Fuel Divestment Provides Opening for the Nation’s Wealthiest Foundations to Follow Suit]( By Stephen Heintz [STORY IMAGE]( To date, none of the nation’s top 10 philanthropic foundations, nor many major climate grant makers, have publicly committed to getting and staying out of fossil fuels. OPINION [Philanthropy Should Help Create Better Jobs, Not Just Better-Trained Workers]( By Marina Gorbis [STORY IMAGE]( A new foundation-supported effort will promote business models that put worker and societal interests on par with profits — and shift the narrative that retraining low-income workers is the surest path to good jobs. OPINION [A Student’s Call to Education Grant Makers: Listen to Us]( By Jodi Go [STORY IMAGE]( Youths are the true experts on today’s college experience, says a student intern at the Stupski Foundation. Philanthropic organizations need to embrace strategies that bring their voices into the decision-making process. 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