Obama’s faith-based pledge unfulfilled...

October 16, 2009

President Obama has not fulfilled his campaign promise to bar federally-funded faith-based groups from discriminating in hiring based on religious affiliation, The New York Times wrote in an editorial Oct. 13 (See faith-based hiring story). An executive order he signed in February revamped the White House's office for faith-based programs but did not address hiring practices.

Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, and his wife have donated $25 million to Princeton University to create an endowment supporting invention and technology development in natural sciences and engineering, The Associated Press reported Oct. 14 (see Princeton donation story).

Over the past two years, the Leon Levy Foundation has awarded grants totaling more than $10.3 million to preserve and digitize archival collections so the information can available online to the public and to scholars, The New York Times reported Oct. 13 (see Levy Foundation story). A recent award of $3.5 million will allow the Institute for Advanced Study to collect and conserve its scholars' papers.

The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges is launching a four-year initiative to boost community-college completion, The Seattle Times reported Oct. 14 (see Washington State education story). The effort is funded by $5.3 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and $800,000 from the Ford Foundation.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded nine grants totaling almost $120 million, some of which will be used to affect politics and public policy in sub-Saharan Africa, The Associated Press reported Oct. 15 (see Gates Foundation story). The investment is intended to broaden the foundation's efforts to bring a "green revolution" to the region's food production.

French officials are reviewing several charities based in France that have ties to marketing companies in the U.S., The Wall street Journal reported Oct. 15 (see French charities story). The French nonprofits, some of which provide food to children in Africa or provide medial relief in Asia, are suspected of diverting funds from mission-related activities.

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