Billionaire Ross Stevens wants to change that. Beginning with next month's Milan Cortina Games, he will give $200,000 to every U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athlete, regardless of if they win, in a move to help them gain financial security. Stevens, the founder and CEO of Stone Ridge Holdings Group, donated $100 million to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) for the program in 2025. It was the largest gift in the organization's history.
This year, the Gates Foundation will spend a record $9 billion and cut as many as 500 staff jobs during the next five years as the world's largest private foundation plans to shutter. The foundation's motivation for its move is to accelerate giving to global health, poverty, and education, helping beneficiaries take ambitious bets now rather than maintaining operations indefinitely. These moves underscore how one of the defining philanthropic institutions of this century is reconfiguring for its sunsetting era.
The 30,000-square-foot property has housed numerous notable individuals over the centuries, including Albert Clemens, the nephew of author Mark Twain, and architect Edmund Dreyfuss, who eventually passed the home down to his son, sculptor John Dreyfuss. Philanthropist Dr. Sachiko Kunō bought the mansion for $11 million in 2011 to serve as the headquarters for Halcyon, a nonprofit organization that helps to fund early-stage businesses across climate, health, and equity technology.
During their 26-year tenure building the Prax Group from a startup oil trading company into a global integrated conglomerate, Sanjeev and Arani Kumar Soosaipillai embedded philanthropy into the organisation's identity. Prax Foundation Roots, the charitable arm they established, focused on supporting orphanages in Sri Lanka and communities near Prax operations on a zero-cost basis. Philanthropy entered the company's DNA from the start, and the Foundation's structure bore the imprint of the co-founders' shared outlook.
The Trevor Project used to get some federal funding for operating LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services for the federal 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. But the current administration cut funding to that initiative in July. The funding cut came after Trevor Project was targeted for years by the right with accusations of "grooming" children that had no basis in reality. Conservatives claim that the organization is somehow making kids become LGBTQ+, which is not possible. Instead, the organization provides support for LGBTQ+ youth.
I am fortunate to have spent time with Larry and get to know his deep passion for UCLA Athletics, particularly his desire to help our football and men's basketball programs thrive in this new era of collegiate sports. His investment in our programs positions us, and future generations of Bruin athletes, for long-term success.
The California-based Trevor Project, which runs a 24-hour hotline and digital crisis services for LGBTQ+ young people, just received a surprise, $45 million gift from Bezos's ex, MacKenzie Scott. The Trevor Project was the subject of an outcry last summer, joined by many celebrities, after it lost federal funding for the LGBTQ+-focused hotline it administered under the national 988 suicide-prevention hotline. [Chronicle]
Both of those ideas were torpedoed when I read this article about Daniel Lurie's's 31 hand-picked avatars meant to reshape San Francisco's charter (and we all know that his picks never result in any blunders). I looked at this 31-faced cavalcade of (mostly) capitalists and thought it only slightly less oligarch-ish than his onboarding team from last year. Sure, this one doesn't have Sam Altman, but this one's so nakedly appealing to business interests that it doesn't need Altman.
Phyllis Carr passed away on July 16 in her husband Gregory Harper's arms after a lengthy illness at age 69. Phyllis was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on Oct. 9, 1955, to Carrie and Robert Carr. She moved with her family to Los Angeles in the late 1960s, attending James Foshay Jr. High and later graduating from Manual Arts High School.
This year, when we announced that Hostos Community College will open a new center for its life sciences and allied health programs in the historic Bronx General Post Office building, it was a vivid symbol of CUNY's trajectory over the past year. The expansion is just one example of the story of 2025 at CUNY, a year defined by growth and innovation to meet the evolving needs of our students and city.
First marked in 1911, International Women's Day began as a campaign for women's rights to work, vote and hold public office. Over the past century, it has evolved into a global moment to celebrate women's achievements, highlight gender inequality, support female-focused charities, and push for a more inclusive society. Every year we celebrate IWD on 8th March but it's one day that comes and goes with very little tangible change.
It marked a second consecutive year a Dodgers official served as the Grand Marshal of the Rose Parade as Billie Jean King had the honor of doing so to start 2025. Johnson road down Colorado Boulevard, waiving to attendees who braved the elements in order to experience the annual Rose Parade.
But you no longer need to be a multimillionaire to own a Picasso for 100, anyone in the world has the chance to walk away with a painting by one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. The French charity Alzheimer's Research Foundation announced recently it was raffling Picasso's 1941 portrait, Tete de femme, which is worth more than 1m, to a single winner.
Varland and Ohtani crossed paths in 2024, when the Japanese star joined the Dodgers via free agency, signing a 10-year, $700 million deal. Ohtani is one of the most valuable athletes in the world, a true superstar across Asia. At the same time, his stateside popularity continues to grow as he makes unprecedented history on the baseball field. He grosses millions in endorsements, giving him plenty of money to spare and help out a teammate going through a tough time.
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco's "Golden Girl" Pat Montandon has died at 96 years old. She was known for her legendary parties in the 1960s with guests like the Gettys, Andy Warhol and Frank Sinatra. Following an ugly divorce, Montandon became a philanthropist, founding a peace group called Children as Teachers for Peace and making 37 international trips on its behalf.
For decades, philanthropy has reinforced a media landscape that favors the biggest (and whitest) news organizations, whether they be nonprofit, for-profit, or startups, while chronically underinvesting in ethnic and community media. I predict that 2026 will see one or more failures of newsrooms conceived of or propped up by funders, forcing a reckoning about how we support journalism in America.
"I feel like there's a narrative sometimes that our little actions don't matter," Neurodiversity Alliance CEO David Flink said. "That's just not true. And this proves it. Lots of little actions that happen every day in our work, collectively over time, reached the ears of folks like Lauren and Jeff."
Many have witnessed the challenges within their neighborhoods firsthand, but for some, this need becomes a personal mission. That's precisely what Chef Aarón Sánchez has embraced through his work with Emeril Lagasse Foundation. As a chef and restaurant owner, Aarón launched a scholarship program to support young aspiring chefs pursuing formal culinary education-opening doors to mentorship, professional training, and the opportunity to transform passion into long-term careers.
When the U.S. government cut funding for local news stations, the Knight Foundation moved quickly to help stabilize a rapidly eroding industry. President and CEO Maribel Pérez Wadsworth unpacks the evolving roles of philanthropy and government, and why philanthropic organizations must learn to move at the speed of the news cycle. This is an abridged transcript of an interview from Rapid Response, hosted by former Fast Company editor-in-chief Robert Safian.
It's nearly impossible to describe the "Queen of all Media" in one sentence. Oprah Winfrey is a multihyphenate: A daytime talk show host who changed the business. A producer. An author. A philanthropist. An actress with accolades. A billionaire. An avid gardener. A champion of books and education. A media powerhouse. In 2014, a few years after ending the talk show that catapulted her to international renown, she was asked about the secret to her success.
The driver of a minivan hit and killed a philanthropist who was cycling north up Riverside Drive in Washington Heights late on Sunday, according to friends and cops. Cops say the wreck unfolded a little after 9 p.m. on Sunday at Riverside Drive and 158th Street when a 37-year-old driver of a white Toyota minivan struck the 78-year-old biker from behind. The driver remained at the scene and has not been charged. The investigation is ongoing, the NYPD said.
We're transforming this building into a hub that will deliver meaningful impact for people who need it most, said Christopher Baker, chief executive officer of Goodwill of Silicon Valley.
