Americans spend weeks vetting and prognosticating before Oscar Night. We then spend days celebrating, lamenting, or lampooning the winners. After the really big show last night, we wanted to call attention to the growing influence and funding for independent documentary films, many of which include influential grass-roots movements to call attention to the issues raised […]
#ENVIRO: Effects of BP Oil Spill Won’t Be Clear For 10 Years
While many of us were reminded this weekend that winter is not over, we also got some stark reminders that the effects of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are not over either. Unfortunately, the debates about the effects of the spill, which began in April 2010 and was not capped until September, […]
#PublicPolicy: Battle Over Federal Budget Puts Nonprofits In Firing Line
We have not seen much love in Washington DC recently, and the presentation of President Obama’s budget for 2012 is not likely to be taken as a gesture of friendship. As soon as the dust settled after last November’s midterm elections, both political parties and numerous commissions began to draw up agendas to discuss the […]
Google.ORG struggles to Live Up to its Early Self-Promotion
Stephanie Strom and Miguel Helft have recently written a superb story for The New York Times about how Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org (or ‘DotOrg’), has struggled to live up to its early self-promotion. The story serves as a useful reminder that success in the business world – especially success redefining what success can mean in […]
Efforts to Green Up Baltimore Schools From The Ground Down
Building a house on sand can be a disaster. Building a playground on it can be beneficial to Baltimore’s kids and to Baltimore’s urban environment. The premise is simple and ancient: the ground wants to be a sponge that absorbs water and feeds plant life. Humans, their buildings, and their machinery pack down that sponge […]