The Gift


Foundation: Barr Foundation, Rasmuson Foundation, Surdna Foundation, Ford Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, William Penn Foundation, Irvine Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies

credit: Flickr

When Detroit's historic North End was being ravaged by blight, Patrick Bouchain and Jean Louis Farges decided to turn a abandoned warehouse into a community library.

But instead of accepting a $250,000 grant from the philanthropic foundation that had offered it, Bouchain and Farges returned the money.

"It was a sobering declaration that the complexities of producing social impact design within communities marred by long-standing neglect, and highlighted the nuanced, occasionally fraught, nexus between philanthropy and the practice of architecture and urban design," they write at the Detroit Free Press.

"Thus, this story is as much about a project that never was as it is about ongoing discussions of the role of design in fostering social change, the stewardship of philanthropic resources, and the often challenging, contested paths to positive urban transformation," they continue.

Bouchain and Farges say they wanted to create a place where people could learn, work, and play.

But in Detroit, "the promise of collectivity and democratic resource distribution persistently clashes with reality," they write.

"The local government, stretched thin across a vast urban territory in decline, is ill-equipped to provide the very basics: public education, stable housing, transportation, and access to healthcare for its residents."

So they turned to Detroit-based nonprofit Const

Read the Entire Article


Selected Foundation News

A customized collection of news from foundations from around the Web.

Gntc'S Adult Education Program Prepares Students for Success

When it comes to getting a high school equivalency diploma, Georgia Northwestern Technical College has a program for you. Or at least that's what the state wants you to do. The Atlanta...more

1St National Youth Innovation Achievement Trading Platform Launched in Shanghai

Shanghai has launched the country's first youth innovation trading platform, the South China Morning Post reports. According to the Communist Youth League of China's Shanghai Committee, the...more

Perceived Effectiveness of the Person–Environment–Occupation Innovative Teaching Model ...

If you're an aspiring rehab therapist in China, you may want to steer clear of the classroom for a while. A study published in the journal BMC Medical Education found that students who took a...more

November Is Entrepreneurship and Innovative Thinking Month

The University of Manitoba is kicking off its Entrepreneurship and Innovative Thinking Month with a bang. Students are invited to submit "big ideas that help mitigate climate change, bolster...more

New Dime Platform Validates Digital Health Software

"The burden of derisking software purchase decisions remains unacceptably and unsustainably high for end users," Jennifer Goldsack, CEO of DiMe, tells Healthcare IT News. That's why DiMe is...more

Apree Health Leaders to Be Featured at the 2024 National Committee for Quality Assurance ...

When it comes to the American health care system, there's plenty of room for improvementbut there's also plenty of room for red tape, according to a new report from the Center for Science in the...more

Aha Podcast: Unifying Health Care Employees to Implement Patient-Focused Improvements

If you're in need of a new set of wheels, the American Hospital Association has just the thing. The not-for-profit group is rolling out a new set of wheelsthe first of its kind in the countrythat...more

Osf Healthcare Announces a Change in Chief Financial Officer

Illinois' OSF HealthCare, a not-for-profit faith-based hospital chain, has announced that its president and CEO will step down from his post at the end of the year, the Chicago Tribune...more

Massachusetts School Takes New Approach to Classroom Behavior

"If kids are not emotionally regulated, if they don't feel safe, if they don't feel connected, there's no way we're going to teach them anything having to do with math or reading," a Massachusetts...more

We Are Reshaping Health Care: Highlights from the 2024 Annual Report

If you've ever dreamed of being a doctor, Washington State University may have just the program for you. The university's College of Medicine is now accepting applications from medical students...more







Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight



New Age of Philanthropy: #GivingTuesday


A part of a series produced by The Huffington Post in celebration of #GivingTuesday, which will take place this year on December 3, Kathy Calvin and Henry Timms vouch that we are living in a new era of philanthropy.




Federal Government Grant and Assistance Programs



Edited by: Michael Saunders

© 2008-2024 Copyright Michael Saunders