donation

Art collector Charles Saatchi is famous for his patronage which has made the careers of British artists like Tracy Emin and Damien Hirst, fueling the trend for young British artists in the 1990s. Now the ad man has announced that his lifetime of collecting will be Britain's gain. He has announced plans to donate his London gallery and 200 works as a new public art museum. The impressive gift is worth more than 25 million pounds. The Saatchi Gallery will be renamed the Museum of Contemporary Art, London.

Pieces being donated include Emin's "My Bed" and Richard Wilson's "20:50," a room filled with oil. Saatchi, who is married to celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, is an insatiable collector and even after the donation he will still own many, many works. The donation, no doubt, will allow him to go on collecting while helping insure that contemporary art has a place in Britain's future. The works that Saatchi favors are at time controversial and often challenge the nature of what really makes something "art."According to an article in Art Daily, Rebecca Wilson, associate director of the Saatchi Gallery, said that the gift also includes other works that can be sold to buy new acquisitions to help grow the collection. She referred to is as being a "very agile collection that can respond quickly to developments in contemporary art from all over the world."

The owner of the building that houses the gallery on London's King's Road, Cadogan Estate is hoping that the new museum will stay put in the same place. The staff and management team are also staying the same. What is changing is the name and the knowledge that the gallery, while still the result of one man's obsessive art collecting, is now a gift to the city he lives in.

Hawaiian charities got a big boost this week when eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam announced a plan to donate $50 million over six years to the Hawaii Community Foundation. The donation is said to be the largest single gift by a living donor in Hawaii's history. The money will be used to fund community initiatives. The Omidyar Ohana Fund has been set up at the Foundation to enable the Omidyars and the Foundation to work together on key projects. Of particular issue lately is the effect that the economy has had on the state. Hawaii's tourism-based economy has taken a hard hit in the past year.

Since the Omidyars returned to Hawaii in 2006 (they both grew up at least partly in Hawaii) they have supported a number of causes including backing the expansion of Ma`o Organic Farms in Wai`anae and its farm-to-school program for young adults. They also launched the Ulupono Initiative, a social investment organization that makes nonprofit grants and investments that address local sustainability issues such as renewable energy, local food production and waste reduction.

[via Honolulu Advertiser]

Charitable giving is an obvious casualty of any economic downturn. Even when people want to give - or maintain their previous rates of donation - the realities of a shrinking portfolio force themselves into the decision-making process. Of course, a rather unique charity is struggling with this issue now. Koryo Tours, which takes westerners on rare excursions into North Korea, is looking to raise a mere $6,700 for two projects to benefit the people of North Korea. One involves buying braille dictionaries (which haven't been available in that part of the world), and the other is to buy playground equipment for an orphanage in Wonsan, North Korea.

If Koryo Tours is able to raise the funds necessary for the dictionaries, which is the first priority, it will be the first time that North Korean blind children will have this type of resource available -- the books currently do not exist.

If the Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra was on your calendar ... well, it isn't any more. There will be no more concerts this season. The entire 2009/10 season has been canceled. But, there is hope for 2011.

April 17, 2009, it seems, is the day the music died. Cause of death: budgetary shortfall from a drop in donations.

J. Barclay Collins II, chairman of the Brooklyn Philharmonic's board, won't reveal exactly how far donations have fallen, but the results are clearly shy of the organization's $3 million annual budget. He did say, however, that he expects the music to return in 2011. Fortunately, it's only the concerts that have been canceled. The Brooklyn Philharmonic will still operate its educational programs – at a cost of approximately $750,000 a year.

The decision to suspend the concerts comes following two years of financial difficulty. For its fiscal year ending June 30, 2007 (the last for which financial information is available), the group had a deficit of $121,925. A full-time staff of 23 people has been slashed by 70 percent.

While we are constantly reminded of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we often lose site of the people serving. Sure, we support the troops and lament the fact that some are separated from their families for a year or longer ... with unfortunate regularity. But, these concepts remain abstract from those who don't don the uniform every day. Many have a friend or family member serving, but the vast majority is another step removed from the sacrifice. Chuck Ley, founder of the organization Cigars for Soldiers, is bridging the gap. His effort has added a personal and genuine touch to a "support the troops" message that the mainstream media has forced into cliché too soon.

Ley, like me, was a soldier. While my service entailed comfy pencil-pushing positions in Uijongbu, South Korea and Fort Gordon, Georga, he was an infantryman – the real deal – wounded in action in Mogadishu, Somalia. It wasn't the event immortalized in Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down, but few realize that we fought more than once over there. Though back in civilian life for more than a decade, Ley has not forgotten his time in uniform, and many of his friends continue to serve.

From time to time, Ley would get a phone call or e-mail from overseas, a friend in some far-flung place. The tone varied from casual inquiry to begging to near-demand: send cigars. How could a cigar-smoking former soldier refuse?

Cigar company Payne-Mason, Cleveland Golf and the Wounded Warrior Project are working together to help service members who have been severely injured. Through a joint six-month program, proceeds from the sale of cigars at more than 1,000 golf courses across the country – in addition to prestigious tournaments and on some sports talk radio shows – will be used to support troops in need.

The promotion began this month and will run through Labor Day. Keep in mind, of course, that it's only the sale of Payne-Mason cigars that will contribute to the cause. Fortunately, additional donations will be made by participating golf facilities. So, if you need to deviate from your favorite brand to help a soldier, it's worth doing even if only once.

Today's Charity of the Day is co-owned by none other than Madonna herself. When Michael Berg and Madonna founded Raising Malawi (RM), their goal was to help over one million orphaned children in Malawi that suffer from deadly diseases, extreme poverty and the effects of severe drought. Raising Malawi volunteers are hard at work, fund-raising, conducting research, and raising awareness. Check out this organization's website, there is a heartwarming and educational letter that Madonna wrote about Malawi and the children that reside there.

Adopt-A-Minefield (AAM) is a charity that helps clear some of the tens of millions of land mines that contaminate our world, as well as providing medical care and support to victims of land mines and their families. Landmines are brutal weapons that maim or kill 15,000 to 20,000 civilians every year! Adopt-A-Minefield currently provides mine clearance in six countries: Afghanistan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, Mozambique and Vietnam. AAM is always in search of generous sponsors to adopt minefields that the United Nations has identified as being in desperate need of clearance. Every dollar raised is forwarded to the United Nations for mine clearance. To learn more about how your donation can help the urgent global landmine crisis visit their website.

We love the stories of big donations, this one comes from Scotland. Duncan Bannatyne, a panellist on BBC One's Dragons' Den, has announced that he is setting up a foundation to give his money away. He has promised to leave most of his £200 million fortune, made through nursing homes and health clubs, to charity. The Scotsman quotes Bannatyne as saying that he believes giving away the money you make is the best reason for making it in the first place.

Bannatyne, who has six children, has also made a documentary called Britain's Rich List: Giving It Away which will show him meeting other wealthy people, finding out what they are doing with their money and persuading them to give more money to charity.

Cosmetics heir Leonard Lauder, chairman of the Estée Lauder Companies, has made New York's Whitney Museum of American Art feel pretty this week. He has donated $131 million which is the largest donation ever received by the museum in its 77-year history.Lauder is also the museum's chairman and donated the money through his arts foundation, The American Contemporary Art Foundation Inc. The money was given partially to ensure that museum will keep the Marcel Breuer-designed building on Madison Avenue at 75th Street even though it plans to open a satellite museum in the meatpacking district. The Whitney specializes in 20th and 21st- century American art and has the largest body of work by Alexander Calder in any museum. Lauder had a net worth of $3.2 billion in 2007 according to Forbes.

By now we've all heard about the devastating effects of global warming, (I picture a polar bear trying to find his favorite ice berg that just isn't there anymore). The Alaska Marine Conservation Council (AMCC) is based in Anchorage, and it's members include marine scientists and conservationists, as well as concerned citizens from across the globe. While the rapid loss of ice in the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean is a main concerns of the AMCC, they also focus on helping the local economy and preserving coastal traditions. Protecting local bays from certain types of damaging fishing practices are also among their efforts to preserve the beautiful coastal area. The AMCC receives much praise for their work and they rely on the growing concern of the general public to help them further their achievements. Visit the website to sign up for their quarterly newsletter, Sea Change to learn more. Simple practices like turning off lights around your house or buying products that have earned the "energy star" are easy ways you can help preserve Alaskas fragile costal environment.

Oprah recently had a episode about a movement of people that live solely on goods they can obtain for free. They call themselves Freegans, and consume a diet based primarily on foods that have been thrown away by grocery stores and restaurants. The amount of fresh, packaged and not expired food that is thrown away everyday in the US, is shocking! The Food Gatherers charity operates on the same principal. Food Gatherers goal is to alleviate hunger and eliminate its cause by reducing food waste through the rescue and distribution of perishable and non perishable food. Food Gatherers currently supplies the Salvation Army and other organizations that feed the hungry, with enough goods for 7,700 meals A DAY! Food that would have otherwise been thrown away!

The food is gathered from local markets and restaurants in the Michigan area where the program is run. Food Gatherers is growing by the day, expanding through the purchase of more vehicles which allows them to deliver more food, to more places. Food Gatherers is the top food bank in the Nation, and was recently recognized as a top-performing charity by Charity Navigator. The organization also sits in the number one spot on the Nation's best "food banks, food pantries and food distribution" category. Hopefully one day every city will have a similar program! Check out foodgatheres.org for ways you can help.

The International Exotic Animal Sanctuary, or IEAS, was founded in 1988 in Boyd Texas and is currently home to 58 felines (bobcats, cougars, jaguars, leopards, lions, tigers) and 7 bears. The goal of IEAS is to care for exotic animals that have been confiscated from places (circuses, animal shows, zoos) where they were being abused, exploited, neglected or otherwise mistreated. With a highly trained staff comprised of animal behaviorists and veterinarians, many sick and injured lions and tigers receive the expensive care they require at this amazing facility. The sanctuary is green and as cage free as possible with every effort being made to make these magnificent animals feel at home. Due to the high cost of caring for the animals the facility has to turn down animals each day! Programs are available for individuals or groups to sponsor an animal that desperately needs to live at the sanctuary.

I researched this charity to make sure it is spending it's funds properly, and it is! In fact it comes highly recommended by the charity navigator (your guide to intelligent giving) website, which rates charities. Always verify a charity's history before giving, sadly some organizations take advantage of peoples generosity.

Please check out the sanctuary's website here (bigcat.org) and see for yourself the second chance at life the animals are being given.

Bad news for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and other institutions, billionaire Eli Broad has announced that he is not giving away any of his 2,000 art works to them. Instead Broad has decided that his art will be retained by his Broad Art Foundation. His foundation, which was established in 1984 and has made 7,000 loans of art to institutions around the world. Broad, who is 74 and a founder and former chief executive officer of the homebuilder KB Home and insurer SunAmerica Inc., sees his foundation as an art lending library which could be a model for other collectors who are worried that their pieces, once donated, will end up in storage rather than taking pride of place in a museum. Broad's foundation in Santa Monica currently has 20,000 square feet for showing the art that is not loaned out.

Broad's status as a collector (he is one of the world's top ten collectors) means that his decision will have an impact on how other aging collectors think about their future plans for art, wondering if they too should find an option that will make sure that their accrued works don't end up in a museum's storage. What makes Broad's decision particularly interesting is the timing, next month the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is opening the $56 million Broad Contemporary Art Museum, a building designed by Renzo Piano and financed by Broad, ostensibly for the purpose of showcasing his art. The new museum will still have favored nation status so much of the art will hang there but there is a big differenc between loaned art and owned art, especially in terms of the leverage that a large and important collection provides. Museums often go through elaborate courting processes with big fish donors spending a great deal of time and money in the hopes of getting a valuable donation.

One thing I wonder is whether or not Broad will get the same tax breaks for leaving the art in his own foundation versus donation.

Established in 1995 and existing on 2,700 acres in Hohenwald, Tennessee, The Elephant Sanctuary is devoted to providing a safe refuge for endangered Asian and African elephants that are old, needy, and sick after being retired from zoos and circuses. It is also passionate about educating others on the crisis facing these large and gentle creatures, and working to stop the capture and training of elephants from their natural habitats to perform in circuses and safaris. They have 23 elephants total in the sanctuary, and you can meet them all by name and picture and either send a general donation or sponsor a specific "girl" after reading each of their bios and getting to know them in photo albums.