Today at 4PM PT: @glengalaich.bsky.social joins @ibramxk.bsky.social on @talkshoplive.bsky.social to discuss CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short. Tune in and join the conversation. https://talkshop.live/watch/FMkA4tNWQZ32

Reminder: RSVP for @glengalaich.bsky.social ’s TalkShopLive with @ibramxk.bsky.social on March 11, 4PM PT. They’ll discuss CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short and the $2T sitting idle in charitable accounts. Pre-order a signed copy and ask questions live. https://talkshop.live/watch/FMkA4tNWQZ32

Reminder: March 11, 4PM PT. @glengalaich.bsky.social joins @ibramxk.bsky.social on TalkShopLive to talk CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short. Tune in to preorder a signed copy and ask questions live.https://talkshop.live/watch/FMkA4tNWQZ32 Learn more about CONTROL: https://stupski.org/CONTROL/

Big Giving has a problem: control. This book calls it out. 📘 "CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short" exposes the most urgent issue in US Big Giving—and how to address it. ▶️ Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG3G0RE_tHY 📖 https://stupski.org/control

Season 2 of Break Fake Rules is a wrap. @glengalaich.bsky.social + producer Claire Callahan revisit the biggest rule-breaking moments—and yes, Season 3 drops in January with some major changes coming. Thanks for rocking with us. See you next year. 🎧 Full episodes wherever you get your podcasts

“Private philanthropy is a symptom of a deeply inequitable society.” — Farhad Ebrahimi. On Break Fake Rules, he urges funders to prioritize movements over foundations. 🔗 stupski.org/break-fake-rules/ 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts @glengalaich.bsky.social @solidaire.bsky.social

Break Fake Rules went live at California Donor Table’s 20th Anniversary Celebration with @glengalaich.bsky.social + Ludovic Blain. CDT honored 20 years of impact + looked ahead to a new progressive era. Subscribe on YouTube or your favorite podcast app to catch it when it drops!

🎙️ New Break Fake Rules: Stupski’s Malila Becton Consuegra + Ari Datta share what went into the decision to accelerate our spend down—and why bold action matters when communities can’t wait. 🎧 Listen wherever you get podcasts

What if leadership wasn’t about titles, but about listening + serving? @ctlhawaii helps youth flip the script—building futures rooted in kuleana, love of place + collective action. Read the blog A Future of Stewardship: https://stupski.org/changecantwaitblog/ctl-thefuture/

🎙️ This Black Philanthropy Month, Marc Philpart of @blackfreedomfund.bsky.social reminds us: racial justice needs long-term investment. Progress is under attack—now is the time to stay the course. 🎧 Listen to the new Break Fake Rules episode wherever you get podcasts

In 2012, I led a delegation to Rwanda that turned deeply concerning as we realized how authoritarian leader Kagame was consolidating power. I share these lessons today as I watch Trump's DC takeover escalate and am hit by a sickening sense of déjà vu. whogives.substack.com/p/lessons-fr...

Lessons from Rwanda: Philanthropy’s Role Fighting Authoritarianism

What I saw in Rwanda is a warning

whogives.substack.com

When students feel safe, valued & connected, they show up. Strong attendance starts with schools where every child knows they matter. Let’s surround students with support: You Belong. Be Here. 👉 Join the campaign: sparksfpublicschools.org/behere #BeHereSF #YouBelongHere

What stops philanthropy from speaking up? In ep. 6 of Break Fake Rules, Richard Tate of @calwellness.bsky.social shares why using our voice—despite the risk—is vital in the face of rising authoritarianism. 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts

To my friends in philanthropy: It's go time. We need to move billions of 💵 within weeks + months, not years, to meet the crises our communities are facing. ➡️ Can you tap your endowment? ➡️ 4x your payout? ➡️ Frontload as much payment as possible to orgs? whogives.substack.com/p/five-alarm...

A five-alarm funding fire is approaching

What I’m hearing from the frontlines

whogives.substack.com

76% of our remaining allocated grant dollars, awarded this year. Why? Because change can't wait. Read our full statement → https://stupski.org/changecantwaitblog/stupski-foundation-accelerates-grantmaking-in-response-to-threats-to-our-communities-and-democracy/

Robert Reich’s final lecture at @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social becomes a powerful reflection on education, democracy, and what we stand to lose. 🎬 "The Last Class", from @InequalityMedia, is out now. Find a screening or host your own: thelastclassfilm.com

Our government is abandoning its duty to provide vital public goods and services. The scale of this year's cuts is beyond what philanthropy can—or should—fix, but we do have a role to play. whogives.substack.com/p/559529e2-8...

Nonprofits in SF are facing cuts to federal funding and attacks on DEI, education, media, and the arts. Join us for a panel with local leaders sharing how they’re protecting their missions in uncertain times. 👇 REGISTER TODAY https://bit.ly/Stupski-Foundation-Panel-Discussion

From Poland to Brazil, anti-authoritarian movements show that when coalitions unite to win material gains for everyday people, they can topple “strongman” leaders. Mamdani’s NYC win shows it’s possible here, too. Here’s my latest on moving from defense to offense. open.substack.com/pub/whogives...

Our CEO, Glen Galaich, returns to the Playfull Podcast for another thoughtful convo with host Kristine Mitchie. Tune in as they dive deeper into the work, lessons, and relationships that continue to shape our journey toward equity.

The proposed increase to the excise tax for private foundations in the tax bill has been dropped. But the bill has a long way to go, and it could get reinstated by the House. If it does, this shouldn’t be philanthropy’s focus. Here’s what we should do instead. whogives.substack.com/p/philanthro...

🤔Philanthropy “defines the American spirit”?

True generosity doesn’t demand a receipt

whogives.substack.com

As the so-called “big beautiful” tax bill moves through Congress, foundations are going hard against ONE part of the bill—the part that would tax our investment earnings. This is not a good look for us. Here’s what I'm seeing and how we can make it right… open.substack.com/pub/whogives...

Foundations found lightning speed for one issue. The others? Not so much.

Can we do more?

open.substack.com

Have you encountered a “frustrating funder”? Have you ever been one? What’s the solution? Tune into #BreakFakeRules to hear how rethinking RFPs, showing up in the community, and breaking down the fake silos of funding streams can help transform frustrating funding practices into impactful ones.

Stupski Foundation@stupskifoundation.bsky.social · last yr.

“I wasn’t going to be a frustrating funder.” Dr. Sulma Gandhi on Break Fake Rules talks ditching RFPs, shifting power, & investing in local wisdom for community-led care. Trust isn’t a checklist. It’s how we show up. Watch/listen to the full ep: https://stupski.org/break-fake-rules/

I’ve spoken in the boardrooms of 10 foundations, and all have chosen to do what the Gates Foundation recently announced: forego perpetuity and spend down. Why? As I shared with Proximate, there's real joy and opportunity for immediate impact in a spend-down. www.proximate.press/latest-stori...

The Gates Foundation is Spending Down. Will Others Follow?

We spoke with Glen Galaich on what Gates' plans mean for the debate over philanthropic perpetuity

proximate.press

Gates is showing our sector that perpetuity isn't the only way. It's time to take an honest look at if, how, and when our foundations can spend down. And if not with our full endowment, then how much can we each move *right now?* open.substack.com/pub/whogives...

“[T]ake the money and spend it now” – Bill Gates

What Gates’ spend down means for every foundation

open.substack.com

The claim that public news is “radical, woke propaganda” would be laughable if it weren’t part of a deadly serious strategy to strangle the pursuit of truth. The administration's real message is: We decide what you hear. Great to see @npr.org & @pbs.org fighting back! www.npr.org/2025/05/02/n...

Trump says he's ending federal funding for NPR and PBS. They say he can't

In an executive order, President Trump directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to stop funding NPR and PBS. They say he can't. PBS chief Paula Kerger calls it "blatantly unlawful".

npr.org

It keeps me up at night to know that a sign of our times is a vindictive administration using an outrageously false pretext of fighting “radical ideology” to attack life-saving vaccine and other health programs built by the Gates Foundation.

As Trump Cuts Foreign Aid, What Does It Mean for the Gates Foundation? (Gift Article)

As the Trump administration dismantles foreign aid, Bill Gates, whose philanthropy is devoted to global health, is trying to talk to anyone with the president’s ear.

nytimes.com

Dr. Carmen Rojas—one of my all-time favorite fake-rule-breakers—is showing us HOW. IT. IS. DONE.  This investment represents > 15% of Marguerite Casey Foundation’s total assets. For context, most foundations only give 5%/yr. I hope this inspires a tidal wave of giving. apnews.com/article/marg...

Marguerite Casey Foundation dips into endowment to grant out $130M this year

The Marguerite Casey Foundation plans to significantly increase donations this year to $130 million to help nonprofits respond to policy changes from the Trump administration.

apnews.com

I’ve been lucky to know Dimple since we both found ourselves running foundations around the same time in the SF Bay Area. Over the years, our conversations about philanthropy—what’s broken, what’s possible—have been some of my favorites. Now, you get to hear her brilliance on #BreakFakeRules.

Stupski Foundation@stupskifoundation.bsky.social · last yr.

In this episode of Break Fake Rules, Dimple Abichandani lays out why philanthropy can’t afford to stay safe—or silent. “These dollars weren’t meant to be preserved—they were meant to transform lives.” 🎧 stupski.org/break-fake-r... 📘 dimpleabichandani.com/book

I got a call last week from a longtime friend and colleague whose pro-democracy organization had its budget cut by $40M overnight. What she's facing isn't a one-off. It's a pattern. Here's how philanthropy can respond... open.substack.com/pub/whogives...

Her budget was cut by $40M overnight: What we do from here

When democracy is dismantled in silence, we’ve got to get louder

open.substack.com