News Briefing: Record $20 Million Gift to Help Finish the High Line Park

• Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg donated $20 million to the High Line.  [New York Times]

 

• Sixty-nine billionaires have signed the Giving Pledge, representing more than $150 billion in philanthropy.  [Wall Street Journal]

News Briefing: City Center to Reopen After $56 Million Spruce-Up

• New York City Center has undergone a $56 million renovation.  [Associated Press]

 

• The National Civil Rights Museum launches the public phase of its $40 million campaign.  [Associated Press]

 

• Wal-Mart gives $5 million to help build the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture.  [Associated Press]

News Briefing: Madoff Trustee Seeks $5.2M From Jewish Association

• Church and nonprofit leaders criticize proposals to change the structure of tax breaks for charitable donations.  [Dow Jones]

 

• Bill and Melinda Gates host an invitation only Malaria Forum.  [Seattle Times]

 

• Irving Picard sues the Jewish Association for Services for the Aged, seeking return of $5.2 million in bogus profits Madoff paid out before his fraud collapsed.  [Wall Street Journal]

News Briefing: A Billionaire With Distinct Ideas of Philanthropy, and Presidential Politics

• Ted and Doris Lee donate $15 million to the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.  [Las Vegas Sun]

 

• Al Qaeda appears to distribute humanitarian aid in Somalia.  [New York Times]

 

• John M. Huntsman Sr. focuses the bulk of his philanthropy on fighting cancer.  [New York Times]

News Briefing: Wal-Mart Names Leader for Corporate Foundation

• A former senior executive of the Gates Foundation is appointed head of the Wal-Mart Foundation.  [New York Times]

 

• The pink ribbon is ubiquitous with breast cancer.  [Associated Press]

News Briefing: A Quest for Hybrid Companies That Profit, but Can Tap Charity

• St. Patrick's cathedral embarks on a five-year, $175 million renovation.  [New York Times]

 

• Companies in more than a dozen states and two Indian tribes are part social benefit and part low-profit enterprises.  [New York Times]

News Briefing: A Metropolitan Opera High Note, as Donations Hit $182 Million

• Metropolitan Opera raises $182 million in its most recent fiscal year.  [New York Times]

 

• Steve Jobs's wife is involved in many education causes.  [Wall Street Journal]

 

• A new study shows that foundation giving for the arts has fallen out of balance with the nation's increasingly diverse demographics.  [Assocated Press]

News Briefing: Offbeat Corporate Giving: A Park Inspired by Peanuts

• The International Committee of the Red Cross delivers aid in Gadhafi's hometown.  [Associated Press]

 

• Planters develops and funds a park in the public housing development Lillian Wald Houses in Manhattan.  [New York Times]

 

• The National Cathedral will need 'tens of millions of dollars' to repair extensive damage sustained during the August 23 earthquake.  [washington Post]

News Briefing: Starbucks Starts Fund to Spur U.S. Job Creation

• Two MacArthur "Genius" recipients pause to reflect about the award.  [New York Times]

 

• A New York charity hosts a treasure hunt in the American Museum of Natural History.  [Associated Press]

 

• Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz launches a nationwide fund designed to stimulate U.S. job creation.  [Reuters]

News Briefing: Ex-Aide Earns $350,000 at Mayor’s Charity

• Allison Jaffin, who works at Mayor Bloomberg's charity, testifies in court.  [Wall Street Journal]

 

• The Hassenfeld family gives a $50M gift to the NYU Medical Center to create a pediatric facility.  [Wall Street Journal]