Nonprofit news roundup for Sept. 16, 2008

September 16, 2008

The American Red Cross has requested $150 million in emergency funding from Congress after a series of hurricanes along the Gulf Coast left the agency reeling, The Washington Post reported Sept. 16 (see Red Cross story). Red Cross officials said they plan to spend as much as $70 million on Hurricane Gustav recovery efforts, and that disaster relief for Hurricane Ike could cost as much or more.

The more than 200 nonprofits that receive aid from Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and its U.S. and European foundations are steeling themselves for substantial cuts, Bloomberg reported Sept. 16 (see Lehman story). The company, whose contributions to nonprofits totaled $39 million in the fiscal year ended November 2007, recently declared bankruptcy.

The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation pledged $15 million over five years to the second phase of a major redevelopment plan near the Johns Hopkins medical complex in East Baltimore, The Baltimore Sun reported Sept. 15 (see redevelopment story). The nonprofit East Baltimore Development Inc. manages the 88-acre, $1.8 billion redevelopment project, designed to replace a former slum with new facilities for senior housing, medical research and technology.

The Jolie-Pitt Foundation donated $2 million to the Global Health Committee to help treat drug-resistant tuberculosis and create a center in Ethiopia for children suffering from AIDS and tuberculosis, MSNBC reported Sept. 14 (see tuberculosis story). Zahara Jolie-Pitt, the 3-year-old adopted daughter of actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, was born in Ethiopia.

In brief:

* John A. Gunn, board chairman for the San Francisco Opera, and his wife, Cynthia Fry Gunn, pledged a record $40 million to the opera to fund new productions and outreach, The San Francisco Chronicle reported Sept. 13.

* The Peace Corps plans to cut 400 volunteer positions in response to an unexpected budget deficit, The Los Angeles Times reported Sept. 14.

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