Public Sector, Education & Research

Chapel Hill, N.C. – – October 05, 2026 -- Michael Jordan has committed $10 million to the University of North Carolina School of Social Work, the largest single gift in the school's history, honoring his mother Deloris P. Jordan and funding scholarships, research centers and workforce development initiatives.

Gift renames global research center after Deloris P. Jordan

The commitment will rename the Global Social Development Innovations Center, established in 2017, as the Deloris P. Jordan Global Social Development Innovations Center. The center designs and evaluates evidence-based interventions for youth and family well-being in partnership with local organizations worldwide.

Washington – October 05, 2026 -- Truth Initiative, the largest U.S. nonprofit focused on nicotine addiction prevention, has named Dr. Vaughan Rees as Chief Research Officer effective October 27, succeeding Dr. Barbara Schillo.

Harvard tobacco control director takes over Schroeder Institute research arm

Rees joins from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he has directed the Center for Global Tobacco Control since 2015 and served as Senior Lecturer on Social and Behavioral Sciences. He will lead the Schroeder Institute, Truth Initiative's scientific enterprise, overseeing a research portfolio spanning tobacco and nicotine, addiction science, behavioral health, emerging nicotine products, cannabis and polysubstance use.

San Antonio – October 05, 2026 -- Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation (OTF) has added more than 800 schools and 60 school districts to its Outdoor Adventures (OA) program since January 1, 2026, the largest eight-month expansion in the nonprofit's history. The growth lifted OTF's reach from 210,000 students at the start of 2026 to approximately 270,000 students across all 50 states and Canada. OTF plans to push the total past 2,800 participating schools by December 31, 2026.

A $600,000 grant from Safari Club International Foundation funds the largest single-year school rollout

Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) and SCIF Sables issued a $600,000 grant -- OTF's largest single donation to date -- enabling the organization to onboard roughly 800 schools in 2026. New adoptions include districts in New York, NY, Charlotte, NC, Jacksonville, FL, and additional sites across Texas and California.

Buffalo, N.Y. – October 05, 2026 -- Rich Family Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Rich Products, has committed more than $2 million to three Western New York education nonprofits, marking the company's largest education-focused funding commitment to date.

Say Yes Buffalo receives $1.25 million over five years

The largest allocation targets Say Yes Buffalo, which serves more than 20,000 community members annually and has helped over 4,300 students complete college degrees or certificate programs since launching in 2012. The new funding follows a $1 million commitment Rich made to the organization in 2021 and builds on a youth apprenticeship partnership with CareerWise Greater Buffalo established in 2022, through which Rich's currently employs two Say Yes apprentices.

Abu Dhabi – October 05, 2026 -- Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) jointly launched the first global guidebook on corruption risk management in prison systems, unveiled on October 1 at the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Abu Dhabi.

ICAC Commissioner frames prisons as the justice system's last line of defence

ICAC Commissioner Woo Ying-ming, who also serves as President of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA), co-launched the guide with UNODC Executive Director Monica Juma. Drawing on three decades of experience as former Commissioner of Correctional Services of Hong Kong, Woo stated that a corrupt prison environment endangers law enforcement officers and inmates while undermining rehabilitation and social stability.

Long Island, N.Y. – October 03, 2026 -- Clearview AI and the National Child Protection Task Force (NCPTF) located 34 children and teens reported missing to police across Nassau County, Suffolk County, and Queens through a multi-day rescue operation.

Operation recovers minors aged 7 to 18 across three New York counties

The Long Island Missing Child Rescue Operation was coordinated by NCPTF in partnership with the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Missing Persons Clearinghouse and the Office of Children and Family Services. The multi-day effort combined local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies with nonprofit organizations and private technology partners to review case notes and pursue new investigative leads.

Sacramento – October 02, 2026 -- California State Controller Malia M. Cohen released 2025 self-reported payroll data for University of California (UC) campuses and California Community College Districts (CCD), covering 451,244 positions, more than $34 billion in wages and over $6 billion in retirement and health contributions, for total compensation exceeding $40.1 billion.

UC campuses report full participation with $33.7 billion in total compensation

All 10 UC campuses and the Office of the President filed complete reports, covering 357,167 positions, more than $29.2 billion in wages and nearly $4.5 billion in retirement and health contributions. UC institutions have maintained a 100 percent reporting rate since voluntarily joining the program in 2013. UCLA reported the most positions at 74,519, followed by UC San Diego at 54,598.

Dakar – – October 02, 2026 -- The fifth Africa Business and Human Rights Forum closed in Dakar, Senegal, with more than 1,100 delegates from 45 African countries pressing governments and companies to convert human rights commitments into enforceable business practice, as the continent loses an estimated $195 billion annually to environmental degradation, illicit financial flows and unsustainable resource use.

Los Angeles – October 02, 2026 -- Loyola Marymount University has received a $5.57 million gift from the Marymount Education Foundation (MEF), the largest contribution to date to its LMU Catholic High School Promise Program.

Gift funds up to 18 new scholarships annually across six partner high schools

The donation establishes the Marymount Scholars Program, a partnership between LMU, MEF and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles designed to guarantee admission and comprehensive financial support for qualified Catholic high school seniors. The program will support up to 18 new students each year from six participating schools: Bishop Conaty–Our Lady of Loretto High School, Bishop Mora Salesian, Cantwell–Sacred Heart of Mary College Prep, Junípero Serra High School, St. Bernard College Prep, and St. Pius X–St. Matthias Academy.

Singapore – October 02, 2026 -- AhaSlides has won the 2026 Training Magazine Network Choice Award in the Gamification & Game-Based Learning category, a prize decided entirely by votes from working L&D professionals rather than editorial judges.

Voting pool of 2,207 trainers cast 11,692 votes across 296 companies

The Choice Awards, run by Training Magazine Network's 100,000+ member base, collected ballots between April 28 and June 30, 2026, spanning seven categories. Training magazine Editor/Publisher Lorri Freifeld announced the results on September 29, 2026.