Michael Jackson - The King of Philanthropy
As people mourn the death of the pop star Michael Jackson, fans, the news media, and others are discussing his charitable work, which some say paved the way for the current surge in celebrity philanthropy.
The entertainer supported dozens of charities during his life, including USA for Africa, the Make-a-Wish Foundation, and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. He reportedly was listed in the 2000 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for “Most Charities Supported by a Pop Star.” The number was 39.
As a humanitarian, he is perhaps best known for “We Are the World,” the 1985 song he wrote with Lionel Richie that raised millions of dollars for famine relief in Africa. To honor the King of Pop’s philanthropy, some fans and small companies have pledged to make donations to his favorite charities.
Yet as with the rest of his life, Mr. Jackson occasionally triggered controversy with some of his philanthropic efforts.
In 1992 he created the Heal the World Foundation, which provided aid overseas but also brought needy children to his California home, the Neverland Ranch. According to Fox News, the charity’s work raised concerns when the singer was accused of child molestation. (Mr. Jackson was acquitted of the charges.)
In addition, in 2006, questions were raised about whether Mr. Jackson earned money from the charity singles he released.
On his blog, Jeff Trexler, a professor of social entrepreneurship at Pace University, in New York, discusses the two sides to Mr. Jackson’s charity efforts.
While there may be lessons to be learned from the way Mr. Jackson approached his philanthropy, ‘for now,’ Mr. Trexler writes, “a moment of silence for a man who, like so many of us, gave as much as he felt that he could.” [Read more]
A memorial service was held for Jackson at Los Angeles’ Staples Center on 8th July. An estimated 1.6 million people registered for a random drawing that allocated 8,750 pairs of tickets to the service.
H2O Africa and WaterPartners merge to deliver on safe water promise for those in need
Matt Damon, H2O Africa co-founder, and Gary White, WaterPartners executive director and co-founder, announced that they have joined forces to co-found a new organization – Water.org – a non-profit focused on bringing access to safe water and sanitation to the developing world. Water.org will leverage grassroots awareness-building expertise and nearly two decades of demonstrated innovation and success in the sector to help the nearly 890 million people without safe water and the more than 2.5 billion people without safe sanitation. The merger will improve efficiencies, leverage expertise, and increase the overall social return on donations. Water.org will be an integrated advocacy and fundraising destination for safe water and sanitation issues. Through its partners worldwide, it will champion innovative business models, local partner development, project selection and oversight, program management, and post-development monitoring and evaluation. Later this year, the organization will launch an entirely new online experience that will bring unprecedented transparency and connectedness between donors and those in need.
Source: “Water.org Working Toward Global Access to Safe Water.” Water.org Press Release
Smithsonian Institution and World Bank Group Join Forces to Save Wild Tigers from Extinction
The Smithsonian Institution and the World Bank Group have announced a new program under the Global Tiger Initiative to help stabilize and restore wild tiger populations and save this endangered species from extinction in its natural habitats.
Under the new agreement signed in a ceremony webcast from the Smithsonian Castle in Washington, D.C., the World Bank and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo will establish and support a Conservation and Development Network that will train hundreds of rangers, foresters, and other habitat managers in the latest cutting-edge practices in biodiversity management, with a specific focus on preserving and increasing wild tiger populations. The World Bank will dedicate more than $1 million over the next year toward these training efforts, and the Smithsonian and World Bank will work to expand the alliance to include other members and raise additional financing for implementation. The Year-of-the-Tiger Summit is scheduled to be held in the second half of 2010," World Bank reported. [Read more]
Source: 7th Space Interactive
Grameen Foundation and Google create mobile apps for Africa
Real time information about farming, health and trading will be available to mobile phone users in Uganda with new technology services developed by the Grameen Foundation, Google and telecom operator MTN Uganda.
The Grameen Foundation saw the proliferation of mobile phones in Africa as a way to get information and services to poor communities in Uganda without Internet access. About 18 months ago it started a project called the Application Laboratory (AppLab), with much of the early work being done in Seattle through the Grameen Foundation's Technology Center. The first suite of those applications has recenty been launched.
Peter Bladin, Grameen Foundation executive vice president, said AppLab builds on the success of an earlier project, Village Phone, in which local entrepreneurs rent cell phone use to villagers for pennies a call. Uganda now has 50,000 Village Phone and pay phone operators and nine million cell phone subscribers. [Read more]
Source: Seattle Times
Rockefeller Foundation Launches $100 Million Initiative to Strengthen Health Systems in Africa, Asia
The Rockefeller Foundation has announced a five-year, $100 million initiative to expand health coverage in Africa and Asia and provide new health and financial protections for all.
Through the initiative, Transforming Health Systems, the foundation and its partners will work to establish more accessible, efficient health systems with improved financial protections and make universal health coverage an accepted, feasible, and desirable goal everywhere. Starting in Ghana, Rwanda, and Vietnam, the foundation hopes to provide governments and leaders with resources and information that helps them manage their country's health systems — and ensure that integrated eHealth systems are developed and leveraged to improve the quality, access, and affordability of health services among low-income populations. Lessons learned in the three countries will be applied to other countries with subsequent investments.
Source: “The Rockefeller Foundation Launches $100 Million Initiative to Support the Strengthening of Health Systems in Africa and Asia.” Rockefeller Foundation Press Release
UK Charities must clean up direct mail or face government intervention‚ says Labour peer
Baroness Crawley: 'Clock is ticking for self-regulation'
The Government might introduce measures to force charities to improve their record on direct mail in 2011 if "objectionable" practices are not stamped out, according to a Labour peer.
Baroness Crawley, a UK Government spokeswoman for the Cabinet Office, told the House of Lords that the Charities Act 2006 included a reserve power for government to intervene against poor direct mail practices, such as sending coins in the post.
She warned that "the clock is ticking for self-regulation" and said the Government might intervene in 2011, when the Fundraising Standards Board is due to be reviewed.
The text of the debate can be found here.
Source: Third Sector Online
UK Transport tycoon Brian Souter shared a £1.6million bonus with retired Stagecoach staff — and gave the rest to charity.
The company’s founder and chief executive was awarded the massive cash reward on top of his £532,000 salary.
Former bus driver Souter handed over £623,000 to the Stagecoach pension trust to fund a £100 Christmas bonus for retired staff.
And he gave around £1million to a charitable trust set up by himself and wife Betty.
Last year it awarded grants worth £6.5million to 20 charities in the UK and overseas which helped fund projects including medical research and Third World food aid. Souter declined to comment on the donations revealed in the company’s annual report, published today. But a pal said: “His big concern is that he doesn’t want people to think he’s some kind of Fred the Shred.”
Souter’s bonus was part of a wage deal agreed by directors four years ago. [Read more]
Source: The Sun Newspaper Online
Norway to renew regional aid for EU newcomers
Non-EU members Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are set to renew a five-year funding scheme of over €1 billion for energy, social and democracy projects in the bloc's poorest member states.
"We have made good progress and we hope to finalize the negotiations before the summer break," Rune Bjastad, spokesman for the Norwegian mission to the EU told this website.
Over the last five years, Norway contributed over €1 billion in regional aid to the EU's new member states.
Norway is the leading negotiator with the European Commission, with Oslo funding 97 percent of the current €1.3 billion allocated to EU's 12 most recent members, as well as Greece, Portugal and Spain.
In parallel to the renewal of the funding scheme, which ended in April, Oslo is also negotiating bigger export quotas for its fish products onto the EU market.
[Read more]
Source: euObserver.com
