UniversalGiving

What does philanthropy mean to you? Has your response to this question changed over time? https://www.youtube.com/watch

What is Human Trafficking? Going back to the basics: https://sites.duke.edu//human-trafficking-philanthropy-an/

It’s got to stop. I know we are all thinking about a virus, but a different kind of deadly virus out there: Assad, the current leader of Syria. We’re hoping it’s getting harder and harder for him to oppress the beautiful Syrian people. Latest news is that America has strong sanctions on Syria by way of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act. The act was named after a reporter known as Caesar, a photographer who documented torture of civilians and released the pictures in ...a report so that the world can see all the oppression and killing of the Assad leadership. The Caesar act targets any company, organization, or institution that does business with Assad or his allies. The act bans them from any kind of collaboration with or funding of Assad’s regime, no matter where they may be located. Syria has been suffering through nearly a decade of war. Nearly 400,000 people have perished. Yet the people have courage. They chant god, the nation, and freedom as they fight to get back their beloved country and their beloved rights. At the same time, local Syrians are beset with poverty. They can’t seem to get a way out. Corruption, social inequality, and political persecution staves off any true economic growth. We have to remember that sanctions against Assad also affect the local people. Not long ago, Syria was known as a middle income country. Now it’s among the lowest ranks of the developing countries as more than 80% of people perish in poverty. GDP is 1/3 of what it was 2 decades ago. It has regressed, regressed, and regressed and the people suffer. We have to hope for a positive solution and continue to grow our support. You can do so today by giving to DOVA International Charities, Ltd, 501c3 Non-Profit Charity, an organization that works to support refugees from Syria. https://www.universalgiving.org//i_save_christi/id12437.do See more

"Here are just some of the ways in which black entrepreneurship is being supported to make that change a reality." https://bundl.com//how-black-entrepreneurs-are-finally-ge/

Larry Gennar writes that a just society is key to economic opportunity. "And that requires a greater awareness and openness to supporting entrepreneurs of color.. According to recent data from Axios, Black men represent a mere 2% of leadership positions at VC firms, and Black women less than 1%. Moreover, historically Black college and university endowments are rarely limited partners in VC funds. No wonder a mere 1% of VC-backed founders between 2013 and 2018 were Black." https://www.bizjournals.com//gennari-black-lives-matter-an

Exciting news! We are so happy for young people in San Francisco. Juvenile crime has fallen 3x!!! It was at a high point in 1994. Isn’t this amazing? Even now, our youth population is growing so this statistic is even more significant. This means that we are now closing a lot of our juvenile departments. That saves a ridiculous amount of money; it costs $2 million per year per youth to house them in juvenile facilities. It’s completely overstaffed. It doesn’t mean that youth ...no longer need our support. Closing the juvenile halls opens up other ways to provide work and study opportunities that provide positive experiences. A nearby county in Alameda had just over 30 youths in juvenile hall. Last year it had double. A decade ago, they had 300+. We have to celebrate this good news that our world is getting better. To learn more about criminal justice reform, check out the Prison Policy Initiative and their research on youth in the criminal justice system here: https://www.prisonpolicy.org/research/youth/ See more

We are so happy to feature Rajasthan Samgrah Kalyan Sansthan RSKS INDIA, an NGO that fights for women’s empowerment, girls’ education, child welfare, agriculture, and environmental and water sustainability. They have been advocating for women, girls, and youth since 1992. https://www.universalgiving.org//give_cooperati/id10111.do

Sogorea Te Land Trust is an urban Indigenous women-led land trust that facilitates the return of Indigenous land to Indigenous people. Their vision is to rematriate the Bay Area, or restore indigenous peoples to their rightful place in sacred relationship with their ancestral land. Sogorea Te' Land Trust works to preserve and renew their cultural knowledges and practices through communication education and also runs an energy response hub to respond to climate change and natu...ral disasters. If you are a non-indigenous person living in the Bay Area, you can contribute to the Shuumi Land Tax, which is a regular contribution to itheir organization. Shuumi means gift in Chochenyo. Giving to the land tax honors the long history of injustice towards indigenous peoples of the Bay Area, whose ancestral land we are guests on. You can give here: https://sogoreate-landtrust.org/shuumi-land-tax/ See more

What's an Indigenous land acknowledgement and why does it matter? Find out here and consider writing one for your organization. https://nativegov.org/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowled/

A few years ago, our CEO and Founder Pamela Hawley spoke with a class of students at UC Berkeley on philanthropy and volunteering. Going out to volunteer or making a donation is all part of the process, but so is daily kindness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stjlaqh14Ak

Tribal communities are leading as entrepreneurs in sustainable development. How can investors partner with them to achieve a more sustainable future. https://www.colorado.edu//green-money-journal-indigenous-p

Our friends at Reach Out support women and youth in Buea, Cameroon by creating access to community health, class mobility, and capacity building. They have been empowering economically and politically disadvantaged groups since 1996. Donate to their women’s entrepreneurship program here: https://www.universalgiving.org//keep_a_girl_al/id12681.do

The challenges that the global pandemic, in addition to rising racial and socioeconomic inequality, poses to mental health prompts a question about mental health that was serious before COVID-19 and imperative now: Where is the philanthropic community? https://www.insidephilanthropy.com//more-than-ever-mental-