It's not quite as good as last year's $2.1 million but the Glide Foundation is still excited by the $1.68 million brought in by this year's charity auction to have lunch with billionaire Warren Buffett. The total is the second highest result for the annual auction. The Glide Foundation provides social services to San Francisco's homeless and poor. Buffett's late wife Susan was once a volunteer for Glide and Buffet's lunches have now raised more than $5.92 million for the charity since the auctions began in 2000. Last year's winner recently enjoyed his $2.1 million lunch with the Oracle of Omaha in New York City. This year's winner has decided to remain anonymous for the time being.

Why pay so much money for lunch with Buffett? The winner gets more than just a meet and greet with the billionaire. Mohnish Pabrai who won the 2007 auction for $650,100 told Bloomberg that both Buffett and his partner Charlie Munger "have been very gracious with access since the lunch." He has had two meetings with them since his lunch last June. The 2006 winner, Yongping Duan, who paid $620,100 for his lunch has said that he is always invited to the Sunday brunch that follows Berkshire Hathaway's popular annual shareholder meeting.

The 2008 winner Zhao Danyang of Hong Kong, brought his wife, son and friends for lunch with Buffett last week at Smith & Wollensky in New York City. Buffet already said after the lunch that he will see more of last week's winners. Zhao said of the lunch that the experience "can't be measured by money." Sounds like another satisfied customer.

The value of everything seems to be flexible in this economy and even the price of Warren Buffett might be lower. Buffett auctions off a lunch each year for charity. Last year, bidders were hungry for a meal with the billionaire, the winning bid was a record-setting $2.1 million. Will he get the same kind of return this year at a time when just about everything is priced lower? Or could the bidding go higher because in this economy we need all the good advice we can get and who better to ask than one of the greatest investment minds of our time? Who else can get a crowd of 35,000 to attend a shareholders meeting, those are rock star numbers.

Buffet's lunch benefits the Glide Foundation, an organization that provides social services to the poor and homeless in San Francisco. Like many other service groups, Glide has seen the needs for its services increase during the recession so Glide's founder, Rev. Cecil Williams is hoping for big numbers.

The winner and seven friends will dine at Smith and Wollensky in New York City. The auction closes Friday evening at 10 p.m. EDT and bids have already topped $50,000. The AP reports that last year's winner, Zhao Danyang of the Hong Kong-based Pureheart China Growth Investment Fund will be dining with Buffett on Wednesday, a meal that he calls "the chance of a lifetime."

Billionaire couple Stewart and Lynda Resnick made another big donation recently. The Los Angeles couple who are behind Pom Wonderful, Fiji Water, Teleflora and other brands have donated $20 million to the California Institute of Technology for the Resnick Sustainability Institute. The new center, which will focus on using science and engineering developments for new energy technologies, has a total budget of $90 million. The Gordon and Betty Moore Matching Program contributed another $10 million to launching the project.

In a press release announcing the gift the Resnicks stated that they are "passionately committed to finding alternative and sustainable energy solutions." Stewart Resnick is a member of the Board of Trustees for the school. Last year the Resnicks made a $55 million pledge to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

[via Los Angeles Business Journal]

Tinsley Mortimer isn't just a socialite, she's a designer ... and a dog lover.

Don't beat yourself up if you haven't heard of Samantha Thavasa. The luxury-cute handbag line only has one store in the United States (965 Madison Avenue, NYC). Their market? Japan, where they have over 160 stores.

Samantha Thavasa was founded in 1994 by its CEO and president Kazumasa Terada, and Tinsley Mortimer designs a subcollection of bags for them. It's a smart move on both parts -- Tinsley certainly knows fashion, and Samantha Thavasa's target audience, young Japanese girls, love American socialites and celebrities. Previous ad campaigns have featured the Hilton sisters, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce and Solange, and Brit social queen Victoria Beckham.

Last Wednesday night, Mortimer hosted a benefit at Samantha Thavasa for Shiba Inu Rescue. NYC Shiba Rescue is a two-year-old non profit which provides foster homes for abused Shibas (a trendy Japanese breed) and finds them new owners across the tri-state area. We asked NYCSR president Zennia Barahona how the benefit came about:

Zennia Barahona: [Samantha Thavasana] contacted us. They wanted to do a fundraiser for a New York based organization, but on the other hand, they wanted to be able to do something that also coincided with their Japanese roots. We're able to get the word out about Shiba and other pure bred rescue, and people get to shop, so it's a great thing!

Luxist: Why pure breds?

ZB: When most people want a specific pure-bred dog, they think to go to a pet store, and we want to discourage people from doing that. We're really trying to educate people about puppy mills, and the dangers of that. But we also take in shiba mixes. We love them as well. If you want to get a dog, especially a pure-bred, definitely look at rescue and see if there's a dog that fits your lifestyle.

L: And what are Shiba Inus like?

ZB: Shibas can be quite aloof. They're very loyal to their humans but they can be aloof. They can be stubborn. They're very intelligent, very sweet -- their intelligence can lend itself to a great relationship, but it can also lead to training problems.

Ha! We love dogs with a little spirit. Click here if you're interested in adopting or becoming a foster home. Next we chatted with Ms. Mortimer about her designs, dogs, Japan, and how she feels like she's working for Disneyworld! Click through the gallery for photos of the fete, the bags, and the dogs, and to read our exclusive interview.

We've seen plenty of charities suffering in the recession but even the biggest, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation isn't immune. The AP reports that between January 2008 and April 2009 the foundation saw its wealth sink from $39 billion to $27.5 billion. The foundation, which was started in 1994, has given away $20.1 billion in the last decade. It paid $2.8 billion in grants and other charitable expenses last year and estimates that it will spend $3.5 billion in grants and related expenses in 2009.The foundation isn't reducing distributions in 2009 but the growth of the distributions has slowed. The foundation continues to be devoted to global health. It recently made a $10 million grant to the United Nation's World Food Program. Gates Foundation CEO Jeff Raikes, a former Microsoft executive, said the economic crisis has caused Bill Gates to increase his focus on the foundation.

How would you like to be a fly on the wall for this event, a secret meeting of some of the world's biggest givers? On May 5, Bill Gates, David Rockefeller Sr., Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffet and other leading philanthropists met in New York to discuss the world's problems. The high-profile confab was organized by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Details of what the group discussed have not been made public but according to IrishCentral.com, each philanthropist was given 15 minutes to talk about their view of the future and how the team, which has donated billions to charitable causes, can help at a time when charity donations are falling. What is particularly compelling about the group assembled, which also reportedly included Eli Broad and Michael Bloomberg, is that most of them have their own foundation and areas of focus when it comes to philanthropy. I can't help but imagine this meeting as some sort of Justice League scenario complete with flapping capes. Sounds more compelling than any summer blockbuster.

A generous English millionaire plans to sell off his country estate and donate the proceeds to charity. Brian Burnie bought Doxford Hall in Northumberland in 1993 and the private estate is currently in use as a hotel. He and his wife are looking to downsize and give the money to support the Macmillan Cancer Trust (Mrs. Burnie s a cancer survivor). As he told the BBC News, "We can all do something by leaving money to charity when we die, but why don't we do something while we are still living?"

The 25-bedroom hotel also includes a spa and is a popular spot for conferences and weddings. Room rates start around £100 a night.

We're gripped by an unusually strong bear right now. He's squeezing financial markets viciously. And, it comes as no surprise that charitable giving is suffering. Nonetheless, philanthropy is staying ahead of investment hits. Even with stock market calamity, we're still able to find the occasional heart of gold out there.

Don't get me wrong, the situation's grim for the nonprofit sector. Craig M. Joseph of InQuest International, a full-service philanthropic consultancy, observes that the USA Giving Index – calculated by the Center of Philanthropy at Indiana University – is down 35 percent from its 2007 peak. That year, $306 billion in charitable gifts were made. With the steep decline over the past two years, though, a lot of organizations won't get the funding they need.

Of course, it could be worse. If philanthropy followed the Dow, gifts would have fallen more than 40 percent to less than $184 billion – rather than the estimated February 2009 level of $199 billion. With numbers this large, $15 billion may not seem like a lot, but in the hands of an efficient charitable organization, it can change a lot of lives.

For now, the news is "less negative," but there is still a lot of pain that still has to be pushed through the markets, as much of the Wall Street calamity likely has yet to be visited upon consumers. Let's just hope that we still find some room in our wallets to support our favorite charities.

Coming up Saturday, May 16th, is the Madison Avenue Gallery Walk. From 11 am to 6 pm, approximately 50 galleries on Madison Avenue between 57th and 86th Street will open their doors to raise funds for arts education in New York City public schools.

The sprawling, day-long event will include free guided gallery tours conducted New York City public school art teachers, and a silent auction of notable works donated by participating galleries.

Pictured is the Whitney Museum where, if you complete a family-friendly scavenger hunt, you can get 2 for 1 admission.

The Madison Avenue Gallery Walk is sponsored by HSBC Bank USA, N.A. and New York magazine, and benefits the Fund for Public Schools.

The "Key of Life" might not open any doors, but it will certainly catch a lot of eyes! What you see above is actually an 18ct white gold charm weighing 18 grams, handset with 2 carats of brilliant cut VS G color diamonds. It is intended to be worn on a chain as a necklace or, if you're very fancy, your finest charm bracelet.

But it's more than just a pretty key. Each $5,000 Key of Life provides 18 patients with HIV/AIDS care for one year in a Keep a Child Alive treatment center in Africa. And yes, your $5,000 purchase is thusly tax deductible.

The limited edition Key of Life charms by Alexander Amosu are available exclusively through Keep a Child Alive. Only 100 keys were made, and the first was presented to KCA Co-Founder and Global Ambassador Alicia Keys.

(who else?)

In an "of course she does, and I can't believe I didn't know this sooner" moment, I discovered that Oprah has an online store as well as a real one in Chicago. There are indeed some nice items in the Luxury Gift Ideas section that weren't too expensive (but, alas, weren't too original, either). Some go to help a good cause, however, like the Beaded O Bracelets, handcrafted of glass beads by women in Rwanda. Check out the gallery for some other gift ideas from a woman who knows how to gift.

After four long years of negotiations, New York State has purchased 104,000 acres -- about seven times the size of Manhattan -- in the Adirondacks that will be preserved as a joint "working forest" and public space with restrictions against development.

Purchased from the Lyme Timber Company in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, the oversized parcel known as Sable Highlands sits in the Northeastern corner of Adirondack Park. Over 50,000 acres of the purchased land has never before been accessible to the public and will now be open for recreation, space including Sugarloaf Mountain and several pristine ponds.

Since 2004, generous individuals have committed over $4 million to the project, which combined with New York's Environmental Protection Fund was enough to conserve a piece of land that will serve generations of nature lovers and wildlife to come.

It is well known that actor Owen Wilson suffered a suicide attempt in 2007. He later remained reclusive for a period of time during his recovery after slitting his wrists. It's not clear what causes celebrity depression, though it is theorized that extreme media attention combined with drug use, and Hollywood break ups - typically pushes the already edgy, over the edge.

After beginning his recovery in August of 2007, Owen Wilson made no media appearances until he finally showed up at a benefit event sponsored by the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative in New York City in November of 2007. Wilson is a well known Rolex fan, wearing his Rolex Submariner watch in his personal life, and often adorning a Rolex watch on the screen. The Rolex Mentor Protégé Arts Initiative is a philanthropic organization with an interesting mission. It takes current masters (the mentor) in the worlds of film, literature, theater, visual arts, dance, and music, and sets them up with a protégé who is an up and comer in the same industry. Many press releases and media opportunities ensue. It's not clear whether Owen Wilson has been chosen to be a mentor for the initiative - perhaps a protégé.

Rolex is clearly happy that Rolex watch lover Owen Wilson chose the Rolex philanthropic event to return to the spot light. Clearly it must be his love of watches that gave him the strength to...keep on ticking.

Via MelroseJewelers.com.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Each morning's papers yield new names and devastating losses of those invested in Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme, including hundreds of prominent U.S. nonprofits and foundations.

While many betrayed investors lament the disappearance of their nest eggs, it seems that foundations that benefited from Madoff's time bomb of lucrative returns gave much of their profits away, leaving them with little to continue operations and grant-making.

In a report compiled by Bloomberg from last year's tax returns listed on Guidestar.org, foundations who have disclosed their investments with Madoff gave away a total of $73 million last year.

Several foundations have been forced to close their doors as a result, including the JEHT Foundation, which blamed its investments with Madoff in a heartfelt letter to supporters, and the Picower Foundation, which had previous assets of $1 billion, from which it gave generously to institutions such as M.I.T. and the New York Public Library.

When the JW Marriott in Washington D.C. offered a 'build-your-own-inaugural-ball' for $1 million, Earl W. Stafford jumped at the chance to host a cross-section of our country's disadvantaged during Barack Obama's inauguration. The Marriott's package includes 300 rooms, four suites, $200,000 worth of food and drink, and a view overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue's parade route. Stafford, a Virginia business man, wants to 'bless those who otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity' including the terminally ill, wounded veterans, and both socially and economically distressed individuals. Funded through his family's non-profit, The Stafford Foundation, the festivities are planned for Jan. 18-20 with a breakfast, luncheon, three-night's-lodging, and two-balls to boot.