philanthropy

New York – September 16, 2026 -- Scholarship America has distributed $193 million to 3,877 students through the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund over the 25 years since the fund's creation in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks.

Fund draws support from more than 20,000 donors including Citi and Strada Education Foundation

Scholarship America helped establish the fund in the direct aftermath of the 2001 attacks and has administered it continuously since, targeting children who lost a parent or whose parent became permanently disabled as a result of the attacks and subsequent recovery efforts. More than 20,000 individuals, corporations, foundations, and organizations have contributed to the fund, with Citi and Strada Education Foundation named as longtime supporters.

Columbia, Md. – September 15, 2026 -- The Foundation Fighting Blindness has renamed its venture philanthropy arm, formerly the Retinal Degeneration Fund (RD Fund), to the Gund Vision Fund, honoring more than 50 years of support from Gordon Gund and the Gund family.

Fund has deployed $100 million into 20 companies since 2018

Since launching in 2018, the vehicle has managed more than $140 million in strategic capital and deployed over $100 million directly into a portfolio of 20 companies. It has syndicated with more than $1.5 billion in institutional capital from over 60 co-investors, positioning it as one of the most active venture philanthropy models in the retinal disease space.

Colorado Springs – September 15, 2026 -- Children's Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs will be renamed Children's Hospital Colorado, Golisano Children's Hospital, Colorado Springs, effective immediately, following a $40 million gift from entrepreneur and philanthropist Tom Golisano.

Gift marks largest philanthropic donation in Children's Colorado history

The $40 million contribution, dedicated exclusively to the Colorado Springs facility, accompanies the hospital's induction into the Golisano Children's Alliance, a national initiative launched in 2025 that coordinates strategic funding across member children's hospitals to expand pediatric services and strengthen collaboration.

Las Vegas – September 15, 2026 -- Employees of nonprofit managed care organization CareSource raised $75,000 for The Children's Cabinet of Nevada through the company's 2026 Workplace Giving campaign.

CareSource Foundation directs employee-driven giving toward mental health programs

The contribution stems from CareSource's "Together We Give, Together We Impact" campaign, administered by the CareSource Foundation, which this year focuses on addressing the mental health crisis affecting communities nationwide. The Foundation has awarded more than $39 million to nonprofits since 2006, targeting poverty elimination and healthy-community initiatives for low- and moderate-income families.

Chicago – September 15, 2026 -- Prevent Blindness will present its 2027 Person of Vision Award to Reade Fahs, Executive Chairman of National Vision Holdings, Inc., the nation's leading eye-health advocacy organization announced.

Gala set for March 10, 2027, at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas during Vision Expo

The award ceremony will coincide with Vision Expo, with all proceeds directed toward Prevent Blindness's sight-saving programs.

Fahs led National Vision for 23 years, building one of the largest U.S. optical retail chains

Fahs took the helm of National Vision in 2002 and served as CEO through 2025 before moving into the Executive Chairman role. Under his leadership, the company's portfolio expanded to include America's Best, Eyeglass World, Vista Optical and DiscountContacts.com.

Seattle – September 15, 2026 -- Nine in 10 children in low-income countries reach age 10 unable to read a simple text, even as global education aid is projected to fall from roughly $12-13 billion annually to $9.2 billion by 2027, according to a new sector report from nonprofit The Life You Can Save.

Financing gap reaches $97 billion annually across low- and lower-middle-income countries

The report puts the annual financing gap needed to meet global education goals at $97 billion, including $70 billion in Sub-Saharan Africa alone. Private philanthropy currently contributes approximately $1 billion annually to education globally -- less than 1% of that gap. In low-income countries, aid accounts for more than 12% of total education spending, while governments spend an average of just $55 per school-aged child annually; the report warns that in some countries, recent aid cuts could cut education budgets by as much as half.

Chicago – September 15, 2026 -- The National Public Housing Museum has secured a $1 million gift from the Baskin Family Foundation, prompting the renaming of its central civic space to the Shelly Baskin Living Room.

Baskin Family Foundation commits $1 million to Chicago museum

The National Public Housing Museum, described as the first U.S. cultural institution dedicated to interpreting the American experience of public housing, confirmed the gift on Sept. 9, 2026. The funds will support the Living Room, the museum's gathering space that has hosted free programs, performances, and community events since opening in 2025.

Munich – September 12, 2026 -- Germans estimate a school year for a child in a low-income country costs 320 euros on average, more than 74% above actual figures ranging from 35 to 183 euros across five surveyed nations, according to a forsa poll commissioned by the ChildInvest Foundation.

91% of Germans rank education as the most effective lever to improve children's lives globally

The representative survey of 1,524 adults, conducted by forsa in April 2026, found 91% of respondents view education as a highly effective tool for long-term improvement in children's living conditions worldwide. Protection from violence, exploitation and child labor, along with improved healthcare and nutrition, each drew 88% approval, showing consensus across age, gender and income brackets.

Hong Kong – September 10, 2026 -- Domestic philanthropic giving across participating Asian jurisdictions reached US$109 billion in 2024 and could exceed US$1 trillion within the next decade, according to an Interim Report launched at the Philanthropy for Better Cities (PBC) 2026 forum in Hong Kong.

The report, produced by the Commission on Asian Philanthropy and co-convened by the Institute of Philanthropy (IoP) and the Asian Philanthropy Congress, marks the first comprehensive study of the scale and structure of philanthropic ecosystems across the region. It identifies everyday individual giving, corporate contributions and public investment as the primary drivers, positioning philanthropic capital as a strategic lever for national development.

Hong Kong – September 11, 2026 -- The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust approved an average of US$774 million in donations annually between 2020 and 2024, ranking it as Asia's largest corporate donor and eighth largest globally, according to a Bridgespan Group study released at the close of the Club's PBC forum on September 8, 2026.

Bridgespan data confirms Jockey Club's position as Asia's top corporate donor

The corporate giving research, unveiled during PBC 2026, benchmarked the Trust's donation volume against global peers and placed it at the top of the regional ranking. A separate Bridgespan report, backed by the Institute of Philanthropy (IoP), the Rockefeller Foundation and the Gates Foundation, examined how Asia's wealthiest families structure philanthropic giving alongside business interests.