With funds from 21 donors all over the world, the project to renew the Israel Museum is by far the largest collective philanthropic effort ever undertaken for a single cultural institution in the country. But the work poured into the renewal of the institution didn’t simply stop at funding. Architectural firms in both New York and Tel Aviv worked together to bring new life into the building. James Carpenter Design Associates of New York designed the new building to resonate with the original modernist geometric plan laid out by Alfred Mansfeld and Dora Gad.

The new design offers a way for visitors to navigate intuitively through the museum’s various offerings. Among these are a chronological presentation of archeological holdings from the land of Israel, the first permanent galleries for Israeli art, and a newly configured Synagogue Route.

This Synagogue Route is one of the newest features of the institution, recreating four original synagogue interiors from Italy, Germany, India and Suriname. The Suriname synagogue exhibit has been made into the highlight of the newly installed Mandel Wing for Jewish Art and Life.

Among museum director James Synder’s goals for the institution include broadening its appeal as an international cross-cultural center. Seeing how donors from all over the world collaborated to bring this project to life, Synder is on his way to fulfilling that goal. As one of the seats of world religion, preserving and displaying the richness of Israel’s history is a task worth taking and it’s satisfying to see how people around the world have contributed to preserve the heritage of one culture.

Before releasing funds, Venture Philanthropy Partners applies tough evaluation standards and focuses on philanthropic investment endeavors that have the greatest potential to contribute to the improvement of children’s lives, their core developmental and educational needs. Since the late 1990s, KIPP DC has raised the level of public education in underserved communities across the country. Emphasizing extra learning time and support for children, the efforts of KIPP DC have had a huge impact not only on the students that enrolled into its program, but also on the rest of the state’s youth sector.

Charter schools differ from traditional public schools in that they are independently operated and are open to all residents of the District of Columbia, regardless of their neighborhood, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or educational level. There are no admission tests or tuition fees. Many parents opt to send their children to these educational institutions because they promise high quality education at little cost.

Large-sum donations from charitable entities such as Venture Philanthropy Partners are what keep the school operations running smoothly and at par with educational standards. They also take some of the pressure off of public schools that are filled to capacity or experiencing budget cuts. A good education is the foundation for better character and a brighter future. It is projects and partnerships like these that can give today’s children a better shot at success, no matter who they are or where they come from.

Thanks to the media, we have heard countless stories of what happened during those terrifying 35 seconds. We have read the experiences of workers, family men, and pottery makers. But what about the children?

From June 17 to October 17, The Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center shall feature an exhibition of the nearly 100 paintings and drawings created by the young victims of the Haiti quake. Entitled The Healing Power of Art: Works of Art by Haitian Children after the Earthquake, the artworks are the output of a project started by First Lady Elisabeth D. Preval in coalition with Haitian artists including Philippe Dodard and a motley team of psychologists, educators and politicians, to create a safe outlet for the children to express themselves after the quake.

Aside from the artworks, the exhibition includes an 18-minute film entitled Thirty Five Long Seconds: Haiti’s Deadly Earthquake and two short videos, one about Plas Timoun (The Children’s Place), a place that served as a creative haven for the children, and another about a visit to Haiti by First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden.

Although most works created immediately following the disaster were dark in both the colors and imagery used, they soon became hopeful, depicting scenes of a better future. This serves as a testament to the resilience of children and to the healing power of art.

For many, art is not simply the mixing and splashing of colors onto a piece of canvas. Rather, it is the most open and creative way they can express their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. It can be a form of healing and a means to engender hope.

Based on a study of sector-based training programs in three cities, the report found that participants were able to earn an average of 29 percent more than a control group in the year after they began training. They also were better able to work longer hours and gain a job that offered better benefits in comparison with those from the control group.

But of course, not just any sector-based training program can ensure the same results. The study from where the report was based on reveals five common elements that may have contributed to the success of each program. Among these are adaptability, a strong link to employers and a rigorous screening process for participants.

The study tracked three different sector-based training programs in different cities. The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, an association of employers and unions in Milwaukee provided short-term training for construction, health care and manufacturing with a focus on African-American men and women. The Jewish Vocational Service of Greater Boston provided diverse participants from a variety of backgrounds with training in accounting and medical billing. And finally, Per Scholas, a charity in New York, offered training for computer equipment and network maintenance for a group of mostly foreign-born men.

This report emphasizes on the importance of focused sector-based training which, I believe, is a better alternative to programs that merely provide people with loans and scholarships. Creating more programs with a focus on employer needs like the ones covered in the study can help to empower more people in the workforce, creating a win-win situation for employers and employees.

The gallery, which recently made room for a site-specific exhibition of Richard Wilson’s 20:50, first opened in 1985. It has always provided free admission to the general public, and plays host to various special events and exhibitions. Aligned with School of Saatchi, a television program that showcases young aspiring artists, the gallery even includes a dedicated space for Saatchi Online artists to exhibit and sell their work, for which Saatchi does not accept commission.

The Saatchi Gallery was one of the launch pads for the Young British Artists movement of the ’90s, which brought about the creation of “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living.” The 14-foot (4.3 m) tiger shark preserved in a tank of formaldehyde was commissioned by Saatchi and was later sold for $8 million.

To ensure that the government won’t drop the ball, the collection includes other works that can be sold to make new acquisitions.

Saatchi “wants to give London and the country something it wouldn’t have otherwise, which is a very agile collection that can respond quickly to developments in contemporary art from all over the world,” said Rebecca Wilson, associate director of the Saatchi Gallery.

The donation could not have come in a timelier manner. Countries in recovery around the world have been experiencing record budget deficits and, though all sectors are feeling the crush, many governments seem to cut heavily on arts, culture and public attractions. I am hopeful that Saatchi’s vision will set an example for others.

View a previously written post by Mouli Cohen about Arts and Culture.

In New York alone, with a budget deficit of $9 billion, 30,000 social-service agencies have yet to be paid since April. California has a budget gap closer to $20 billion, while Illinois is $11 billion short. Undoubtedly, hundreds of thousands of non-profit agencies are experiencing the financial strain, and most of them won’t survive if nothing is done to remedy the situation.

“I have contracts that go through August or December, and these agencies want me to continue providing services,” Christine Molnar, president of Safe Space NYC, told The Wall Street Journal. “My reserve will only carry me for a month. No business can operate this way.”

Even healthcare and educational institutions are not exempt. Public schools are forced to decide whether to get rid of arts or physical education classes if not both. Some schools are requiring their students to pay for their own materials and books.

At the same time, nonprofits are being forced to let go of employees, and cut or reduce programs that may have already been approved. Many of these programs would have benefitted homeless people, children from underprivileged families, and unemployed individuals, among others.

All this and more are happening despite the fact that the nation is already in recovery. The effects have just yet to kick in. Until then, taxpaying Americans could be facing months to years of poor education, inadequate health services, non-existent library systems and privatized zoos, museums and aquariums.

View a previously written post by Mouli Cohen about Philanthropy.

Volunteering in remote places around the world is mutually beneficial for these organizations and their volunteers. On one hand, the organizations are able to receive much needed extra pairs of hands for free while volunteers actually get to see where their donations go, and get a unique view of a foreign city or countryside in the process.

First-timers will often enlist the help of an organization like Friends of Asia or Volunteer in Africa (volunteerinafrica.org) in order to ensure their safety and to learn more about what they’re getting into before taking the plunge. Others will go directly to the hospitals, refugee camps, fishing villages and other places that they want to volunteer for, in order to cut out the middle man, and to find more unique experiences. In this case, however, it’s always best to contact and coordinate with the community or organization in advance.

Whatever the case, people needed to understand that volunteers did not get special treatment, says Catherine Riley-Bryan, a nurse and teacher, who runs a school in Thailand. People need to immerse themselves in the day-to-day lives of the people that they’ll be staying with.

Volunteers can’t expect to do good work on their terms alone. Instead, they may need to go to bed at 6pm and wake up at 5am every day, become vegetarians for the duration of their stay, and work for seven days a week. But in the end, the sacrifices are bound to be rewarding.

View a previously written post by Mouli Cohen about Philanthropy.

The New York Restoration Project is a non-profit organization headed by Bette Midler, and aims to reclaim and restore New York City parks, community gardens and other open spaces using star power at its most benevolent. Since the organization’s founding in 1995, Bette Midler and the NYRP have enlisted the help of community, corporate and celebrity volunteers to restore and help maintain six New York City parks and save 114 community gardens from commercial development. To date, the organization has removed over 1,905 tons of garbage from the city’s green spaces.

The online auction celebrates the organization’s 15th year anniversary. Among the lots being auctioned off are VIP tickets to a live taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the opportunity to visit the set of Fox NFL Sunday in LA, a meeting with Rod Stewart and a VIP tickets to his show at the O2 Arena London, and many more. Other participating celebrities include John Stamos, Rob Thomas, Cher, and Kristin Chenoweth from Glee.

The organization also provides community oriented workshops for health and wellness, green living and family concerns. Picnics, galas, and other events held by the organization are also well attended by celebrities.
Celebrity and philanthropy have a long history of going hand-in-hand. Aside from being able to provide a positive role model for fans, celebrities have the power to draw support from other members of society.

View a previously written post by Mouli Cohen about philanthropy.

Bottomless Closet is an organization that helps women to be self-sufficient through a comprehensive program that begins with providing them with the confidence that comes with having the right clothes to wear to that big interview. Apart from just clothing, the company also helps women with interview preparation and continues with professional development, financial management and personal enrichment.

The Shoes in the City event is not just about raising money and giving away prizes. It’s also about spreading awareness about women in need of help to embark on new professional careers. The hope is that participants of this event, and others like it, will be the next generation of volunteers for Bottomless Closet.

There are many ways that women can volunteer to help out, including Clothes Consultation and Coaching, Workshops and Programming, Fundraising Activities, Professional Expertise and Administrative Support, and more.
In the end, Shoes in the City was a huge success. Bottomless Closet was even able to dress many of the women for their Annual Spring Luncheon, which took place at the Marriott Marquis on Monday, May 17, 2010.

The opportunity for philanthropy presents itself in many shapes and forms. People can be helpful to others while doing what they do best, whether it involves mentoring, fundraising or fashion coaching.

View a previously written post by Mouli Cohen about philanthropy.

“Our troops are making sacrifices for all of us and we felt it was very important to help them as much as we could,” said Gary Polson, chief executive officer of Cydcor. The company’s team members are supportive of this advocacy and have shown much enthusiasm in donating and adding items to the dozens of boxes that were gathered at the their office in Westlake Village, CA before being sent over to Any Soldier.

Any Soldier, Inc. began as a project by one Sergeant Brian Horn from LaPlata, Maryland, who agreed to distribute packages that came to him marked with “Attn: Any Soldier” in an attempt to help out those soldiers who didn’t get much or any mail from home. The effort that was meant to help out the troops from his Army unit can now reach soldiers from the entire Armed Forces who are in harm’s way. Any Soldier helps nearly 100,000 American soldiers in all branches of the military receive packages from home. Although donors do not choose who will receive the packages that they send, they can choose from a list of volunteer soldiers who will deliver them.

Cydcor, Inc. has a strong sense of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and has donated to various non-profit organizations in the past, including the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles and Casa Pacifica in Camarillo, California. Cydcor also launched the Neighborhood Leader program in early 2009, a program which highlights volunteer efforts made for charitable organizations.

Thanks to the efforts of Cydor and Any Soldier, troops can overcome both the physical and the psychological battles of war.

View a previously written post by Mouli Cohen about Philanthropy.