This week's roundup includes news from the Ballmer Group about a $150 million investment into affordable housing; the Packard Foundation announced its 2025 science and engineering fellowships; and the recipients of the 2025 Citi Foundation's Global Innovation Challenge recipients. For more great content, including news, RFPs, reviews and commentary, visit us at philanthropynewsdigest.org.
Split between the Vistria Group’s Affordable Housing program and Avanath’s Affordable Housing Renaissance Fund, the investment is aimed at building and preserving thousands of low- and middle-income homes for American families….
Launched in 1988, the program provides 20 early-career scientists and engineers with unrestricted awards of $875,000 over five years to pursue their research….
Grants of $500,000 each over two years were awarded to 50 community organizations around the world in support of efforts to pilot or scale innovative employment solutions for low-income youth....
The State of Obesity 2025: Better Policies for a Healthier America report from the Trust for America’s Health found that while 19 states had adult obesity rates at or above 35 percent in 2024, down from 23 states in 2023, the nation’s overall obesity rate of 4 in 10 adults remains high....
The bond issue from the nonprofit operator of the Virginia living museum will refinance $310 million in debt with $20 million directed to restoration efforts and to improve access for the century-old museum’s 3.5 million annual visitors....
In their own words
“Energy is central to nearly every facet of our daily lives, and we have to prepare now for an evolving energy future. With the rapid growth of AI and other fast-moving innovations, we have a responsibility to ready the next generation of energy leaders and solutions....”
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Michael Crow, president, Arizona State University (“ASU launches Global Institute for the Future of Energy with $50 million gift from alumnus Robert Zorich.” Arizona State University press release 10/21/2025)
A Wallace Foundation-funded report found that programs geared toward school-age youth who have fewer opportunities for enrichment and academic advancement and need public investment to ensure access to high-quality programming….
The award recognizes Soros’s decades-long commitment to advancing the rights, dignity, and empowerment of Europe’s Roma communities—the continent’s largest and most disadvantaged ethnic minority....
News and staff announcements from community foundations in California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, South Dakota, Virginia, and West Virginia....
This week's roundup includes news from the Ruth Mott, William T. Grant, Hertz, and Jessie Smith Noyes foundations as well as the Children's Defense Fund and the International Center for Journalists....
PND poll
PND Poll: Where can philanthropy make the biggest impact on youth summer programs?
