Luxist

Eli Broad Offers $30 Million to Floundering MOCA

Tracy Chait — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:01:00 EST

In the wake of MOCA's public outcry for help, Eli Broad has stepped up to offer $30 million to the museum. Earlier this month, Deidre Woollard reported that Broad (above with his wife Edythe) might have been planning a contemporary art museum of his own in Beverly Hills, after an acquisition spree that included pieces by Jeff Koons, Ed Ruscha and Robert Rauschenberg.

Perhaps he's refocused his efforts towards saving a contemporary art museum instead. I wrote recently about art critic Christopher's Knight's open letter to MOCA's board, ordering it to raise $25 million pronto. Looks like Broad got the memo -- though in his statement of intent in the LA Times, he urges his fellow philanthropists to take part.

"This is not a one-philanthropist town," he writes, though in the contemporary art world, the Broad name is growing awfully familiar.

Eli Broad Offers $30 Million to Floundering MOCA originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WholeFoods Donates $30K to Farm Aid

Tracy Chait — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:02:00 EST

Filed under: Big Givers

Whole Foods stores in Portland and Seattle recently participated in Community Giving Day, agreeing to donate 5% of the day's sales to Farm Aid, a non-profit org that supports local farmers.

The total came to $30,000, money which will help farmers produce and market their food.

"We appreciate [Whole Foods] customers who value family farmers and the food that only they can grow," said Carolyn Mugar , Farm Aid's executive director, in a press release.

WholeFoods Donates $30K to Farm Aid originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Art + Giving = Photo Mentorship

Tracy Chait — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:06:00 EST

Filed under: Art, Big Givers

It girl Alexa Chung has teamed with Ctrl.Alt.Shift and Vice mag to host a photo contest that will raise awareness about issues of gender, poverty and injustice around the world that will become a striking online photo essay.

The deadline closed yesterday, so a selection of photos is up on Ctrl.Alt.Shift -- check them out and vote for your favorite. The winners will receive mentorships with professional photogs -- an esteemed group including Nan Goldin, Alex Sturrock and Chung herself -- and the support to continue exposing injustice through their own unique lens.

Art + Giving = Photo Mentorship originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wal-Mart to Donate 90 Million Lbs. of Fresh Food, Freezers Too.

Tracy Chait — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:05:00 EST

Filed under: Big Givers

In an effort to give back in troubled times, Wal-Mart has just announced it will donate 90 million pounds of fresh food to America's biggest anti-hunger org, Feeding America.

The company won't seek a tax deduction for the gift and intends to increase its annual giving to 3 billion pounds of food over the next few years.

Their donation this year is the equivalent of 70 million meals, at a time when food banks have reported a 20% increase in demand.

And Wal-Mart isn't just providing food. Because it's donated protein and produce, unlike the canned goods and bags of rice you expect at the local food bank, Wal-Mart has also donated $2.5 million to buy freezer trucks and help prepare for new food storage challenges.

It's a nice start to the season of giving.

Wal-Mart to Donate 90 Million Lbs. of Fresh Food, Freezers Too. originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Open Letter to MOCA Trustees: Write Checks. Many Zeros.

Tracy Chait — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:02:00 EST

Filed under: Art, Big Givers

In an open letter to the board of trustees at Los Angeles's Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times is hardly circumspect about his message: give money, and give a lot of it.

MOCA's endowment is rumored to have fallen a startling $40 million or so in the past several years, and the museum has publicly contemplated renting or even selling its significant collection of art, functioning merely as an exhibit space in the future.

It's also mentioned folding in to LACMA, making the city of LA -- population nearing 4 million -- a one-museum town (yes, the Getty is nearby, as is the Norton Simon, but neither of those specialize in contemporary art nor are they geographically LA proper).

Mr. Knight urges board members to gather together and "stay in that room until you have cobbled together at least $25 million." Interestingly, that was the amount Mercedes Bass gave to the Metropolitan Opera two years ago after it announced its own financial woes. "It's really the duty of a board member to support the institution in a time of need," she told The New York Times.

I'm sure Mr. Knight and art lovers everywhere hope MOCA's board will remember those words.

Open Letter to MOCA Trustees: Write Checks. Many Zeros. originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lux Q & A: Amy Harris, Creator of "Puppy Love" on L Studio

Tracy Chait — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:02:00 EST

Filed under: Pets, Big Givers

Puppy love is in the air. It's in the White House (or will be soon enough), it's on the big screen, and now it's online in the new original series from Sex & the City writer-producer Amy B. Harris.

Hosted by Lexus's just-launched L Studio, home to original films, interviews and musings on everything from high heels to desk design, Puppy Love is all about New Yorkers and their dogs -- dogs who might be gay, dogs who warrant more attention than their owners, dogs as stand-in boyfriends (in Famke Janssen's case, a boyfriend who doesn't let a real man get in the way).

Actors including Janssen, Ally Sheedy and Janel Moloney jumped to be part of the series once they heard Lexus would donate $50,000 to the ASPCA on their behalf.
In fact all the actors, writers and directors on the show donated their time to the project in support of the ASPCA.

I chatted with the show's creator, Amy B. Harris, about developing the show and working with her dog, Oscar, shown above.

How did you come to collaborate with L Studio on Puppy Love?
I thought the series would work best on the web, as it's a shorter form of storytelling. [Each episode hovers around the 10 minute mark.] L Studio was very generous with its donation to the ASPCA, and everyone said they loved working on the project, even the crew who loved their dogs, and my production partner who had just lost her dog and was excited to express her puppy love.

How has it been different to work on the web as opposed to television or the big screen?
I'm still trying to figure it out -- the medium is very interesting for me. I explain it by saying, there's no opening weekend. In film, you know exactly what the numbers are. With the web, people can find it whenever they want to, and I'm adjusting to that thought process. I kind of love it.

New York featured so prominently in Sex & the City. Does it do so again in Puppy Love?
I could have shot either in New York or LA, but it was very important for me to do it here. It's surprising in a place with no backyards that so many people have dogs. The city can become very anonymous, but having a dog, suddenly you know people by their first names. When I first got Oscar [who stars in two webisodes and is pictured above], I didn't speak to one neighbor. Now everyone's coming to talk to us when I'm walking him in my pajamas.

New episodes in the 10-part series are added to the site each Tuesday. And the finale? That's when we'll see Heidi Klum and her pup in a mockumentary of New York fashion week -- for dogs. Be sure to watch straight through to the end of every webisode -- one of the best parts of the series is the When Harry Met Sally-like post-show interviews asking the actors how they fell in love with their dogs.

Lux Q & A: Amy Harris, Creator of "Puppy Love" on L Studio originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gates Foundation to Focus on College Education

Tracy Chait — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:02:00 EST

Filed under: Big Givers

The Gates Foundation has announced it will spend several hundred million dollars over the next five years in an effort to double the current number of low-income students who graduate from college, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

On Tuesday at A Forum for Education in America, Bill Gates told guests, "According to our data, the number of low income and minority students graduating college ready today is 22 percent, and that figure is increasing far too slowly. It's unacceptable. We need to do better."

The Foundation will spend approximately $3 billion across all its education initiatives this year alone, including plans to reduce the dropout rate at the high school level and provide more teacher support. Experts suggest that with the failing economy, federal and state agencies with less and less to spend could start collaborating with the Foundation to improve education in America.

Gates Foundation to Focus on College Education originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wealthy Donors Prefer Gifts to Universities

Tracy Chait — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:02:00 EST

Filed under: Charity, Big Givers

According to a study conducted by British private bank Coutts, donors who gave more than £1 million last year gave overwhelmingly to universities.

45 gifts above the million pound mark went to academic institutions, totaling about £295.5 in donations -- more than three times than what went toward health concerns or international development, the second and third most popular causes, respectively.

The trend is hardly exclusive to the UK. Just last week University of Chicago b-school alum David Booth gave one of the largest gifts ever made to an American university -- $300 million. Welcome to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

[Thanks Ben!]

Wealthy Donors Prefer Gifts to Universities originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gucci's New UNICEF Collection

Tracy Chait — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:02:00 EST

Filed under: Handbags, Charity, Big Givers

In its fourth collaboration with UNICEF, Gucci has designed a special bag as part of its Tattoo Hearts Collection. The handbag, a white leather shoulder bag with a heart-and-horse-bit-tattoo painted on, is Gucci's attempt to raise funds for the children's rights organization.

The company will donate 25% of all sales from the collection up until January 31, 2009.

[via Vogue UK]

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Gucci's New UNICEF Collection originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nike Co-Founder Pledges $100M to Cancer Research

Tracy Chait — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:03:00 EST

Filed under: Big Givers

Nike co-founder Philip Knight and his wife Peggy have recently pledged $100 million towards the Oregon Health and Science University -- specifically its Cancer Institute, which will soon be renamed after the Knights.

The bulk of the funds will go towards hiring additional physicians and researchers, according to OHSU director Dr. Brian Druker, and $2 million of the Knights' gift is earmarked for new research labs to be named after a friend of theirs who died of breast cancer this year, Linda Conant.

You can see Dr. Drucker respond to the Knights' gift, one he says "will save lives."

Philip Knight's wealth is estimated at $10.5 billion, and he has donated similar major gifts to such institutions as the University of Oregon (his alma mater) and Stanford University.

[via The Chronicle of Philanthropy]

Nike Co-Founder Pledges $100M to Cancer Research originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swarovski Crystal Scrabble Board

Annie Scott — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:01:00 EST

Filed under: Auctions, Art, Charity, Big Givers

In honor of Scrabble's Diamond (60th) Anniversary, Hasbro Inc. has commissioned a one-of-a-kind glass SCRABBLE: Swarovski Encrusted Board Edition featuring more than 30,000 Swarovski crystals. Each of the 30,000 glittering crystals is hand-selected to perfectly match the Diamond Anniversary edition of Scrabble, which will be available soon from all the usual retailers.

As for this sparkling edition, there is just one, and it's selling here on eBay. The auction started yesterday and will close on October 30th. All proceeds will benefit St. Jude's Research Hospital. The winning bidder will also receive a plaque certifying its authenticity signed by Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Green, who dueled in the 2008 Celebrity Doubles SCRABBLE Championship in June.

Swarovski Crystal Scrabble Board originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Prince Charles Turns His Attentions to "Sustainable Urbanism"

Tracy Chait — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:02:00 EST

Filed under: Big Givers, Real Estate Developments

Prince Charles has recently focused his efforts beyond Buckingham Palace to communities throughout the UK and as far reaching as Rose Town, Jamaica and Freetown, Sierra Leone. He's done so as part of his efforts to promote "sustainable urbanism" (the same concept known as New Urbanism in the U.S.), a model developed in the early '80s to encourage ecologically sound development that would create diverse, walkable neighborhoods.

His Foundation for the Built Environment is the charity through which he's able to spread this message and attempt to teach others the values of sustainable design, which he believes will lead to affordable housing -- in ever higher demand in the UK -- and improvements in public health.

The foundation is one of several the Prince of Wales oversees and which receives some of the estimated £110 million he raises annually for his charities.

Prince Charles Turns His Attentions to "Sustainable Urbanism" originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jasper Johns, John Baldessari Collaborate to Raise Funds for Obama

Tracy Chait — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:02:00 EST

Filed under: Art, Big Givers

A group of 13 highly covetable artists including John Baldessari, Frank Gehry, Ed Ruscha, Jasper Johns and Richard Serra have donated print editions of their work to raise funds for Presidential candidate Barack Obama. Los Angeles-based print publisher Gemini G.E.L. commissioned the group of artists to create what they're calling the "Artists for Obama" portfolio, a set of prints in a limited edition of 150 (not including Jasper Johns's iconic Flag, at right). Art lovers looking to acquire the rare set of prints must donate a minimum of $20,000 to the campaign.

[via The Los Angeles Times]

Jasper Johns, John Baldessari Collaborate to Raise Funds for Obama originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big Givers: Lynda and Stewart Resnick at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Deidre Woollard — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:02:00 EST

Filed under: Art, Big Givers

anThe Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has been the recipient of some big gifts lately by people eager to get their name on the door. First we had the Eli Broad's new building now comes the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion. The Resnicks, who own both the Fiji Water and Pom Wonderful brands will give $45 million for new LACMA pavilion designed by architect Renzo Piano. They will also give about $10 million more in artwork. The LA Times notes that Lynda Resnick has a long history with the museum, she has served on LACMA's board of trustees since 1992 and is chair of the museum's acquisitions committee. The new pavilion is expected to open in mid-2010.

Big Givers: Lynda and Stewart Resnick at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Charitable Giving's Big Spenders: Generation X

Tracy Chait — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:03:00 EST

Filed under: Charity, Big Givers

A recent survey concluded that, among millionaires, GenX'ers aged 28 to 42 gave twice as much to charity as their parents last year. The survey found that, on average, members of Generation X donated $20,000 each to charity, while Baby Boomers donated closer to $10,000 per person. The younger generation was also more likely to make donations during their lifetimes, donate globally and choose foundations that would focus on family-related goals. Not surprisingly, they were also found to be more likely to make financial contributions online.

[Thanks, Ben!]

Charitable Giving's Big Spenders: Generation X originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Giving Back Fund Releases Top 30 Celebrity Donors for 2007

Laura Malesich — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:03:00 EST

Filed under: Big Givers

Each year a list of the top thirty celebrity donors is compiled through public records and released. No big surprise as to the top donor -- Oprah Winfrey -- who last year donated over $50 million largely in support of health care and education. The list includes such giving regulars as Paul Newman, Angelina and Brad, and Lance Armstrong and other lesser-known philanthropists including David and Valerie Robinson, Isabel Allende, and Hugh Hefner?! The amount of dollars donated ranges from $50,200,000 to $724,825. Its good to see where some of those big earners spend their money and which causes are getting the celebrity attention.

The Giving Back Fund Releases Top 30 Celebrity Donors for 2007 originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"I'm Not Rockefeller" Study Inspects Giving Habits of The Wealthy

Tracy Chait — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:03:00 EST

Filed under: Charity, Big Givers

A study released last week by the University of Pennsylvania's Center for High Impact Philanthropy indicates some of the habits of the nation's wealthiest donors. (The survey interviewed those who on average donate at least $1.5 million on an annual basis.)

Despite donating millions each year, very few of the respondents chose to identify themselves as "philanthropists," preferring more modest terms like "community supporter."

The study found that wealthy donors are most likely to determine a gift based on personal experience or recommendations from within their social networks. Due to the difficulties of tracking major gifts, many recipients cited greater willingness to give something tangible -- a new library or a specific scholarship. Donors also stated that it was often difficult to obtain information on an organization's progress without seeming "high-maintenance."

You can read more about the study's findings at the Center for High Impact Philanthropy, a resource center founded by Wharton alums that helps high net worth individuals maximize their charitable giving impact.

[via The Chronicle of Philanthropy]

"I'm Not Rockefeller" Study Inspects Giving Habits of The Wealthy originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Coach Announces New Breast Cancer Awareness Timepiece

Tracy Chait — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:02:00 EST

Filed under: Timepieces, Charity, Big Givers

Coach has sold watches in the name of breast cancer awareness in the past, but this year introduces its new Lexington Breast Cancer Awareness watch, its stainless steel face and chic pink leather band a timely reminder that it is indeed stylish to trumpet awareness on behalf of breast cancer.

The women's watch retails for $398, 20% of which will go towards the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Coach Announces New Breast Cancer Awareness Timepiece originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big Givers: The Philanthropic Philatelist Strikes Again

Deidre Woollard — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:01:00 EST

Filed under: Auctions, Big Givers

The philanthropic philatelist is at it again. Wall Street money manager, Bill Gross is selling off another portion of his extensive stamp collection in a public auction estimated to bring over $1.25 million. All proceeds from the sale of his British Empire stamps will be donated by Sue and Bill Gross to the Millennium Villages Project at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Spink Shreves Galleries is holding the sale in New York City on October 3, 2008 and pre-auction displays of the historic stamps are planned in London and New York.

This is the third time Gross has offered portions of his collection to raise millions of dollars for charity, and the second time the Millennium Villages Project has been selected as the recipient of the proceeds. This part of the collection has 138 items; rare and one-of-a-kind stamps and covers (envelopes with canceled stamps) from across the globe of the 19th and early 20th century British Empire. There are rarities from such places as Australia, the British West Indies, the Cape of Good Hope, Cyprus, Gibraltar, India, Malta, and Mauritius. Shown above is a trial printing "square pair" of 1863 Cape of Good Hope triangular-shaped, carmine red, mint condition, one-penny denomination stamps with a pre-sale estimate of $80,000 or more. The auction has its own website with more details here.

Big Givers: The Philanthropic Philatelist Strikes Again originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fiesta Dinnerware Heir Leaves $9 Million to The Nature Conservancy

Tracy Chait — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:02:00 EST

Filed under: Charity, Green, Big Givers

Robert Wells, heir to the Fiesta Dinnerware collection (so embedded in the American consciousness it even became the topic of a recently produced off-Broadway play), has bequeathed $9 million to The Nature Conservancy. His attorney cited Wells's respect for the Conservancy's "wide footprint" after traveling to places like the Chilean coasts, New Zealand and Alaska.

Twenty percent of the gift is earmarked for local conservation efforts in Wells's home state of West Virgina, specifically in the Central Appalachian Mountains. The bulk of the bequest will go towards global programs on behalf of the nature-loving recreational fisherman. The first date he took his wife on in the early 1950s? A 4:30 am catfishing expedition. Carolyn Wells also left a significant gift to the Conservancy following her death in 2005.

Fiesta Dinnerware Heir Leaves $9 Million to The Nature Conservancy originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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