Philanthropy in the News

Over the last two decades, the quantity of news coverage of foundations has gradually risen, but its quality remains highly superficial, according to this report by Philanthropy Awareness Initiative and University of Minnesota professor David Fan. In fact, nearly 99% of more than 40,000 stories since 1990 have been transactional in their content -- focused on grants made and dollars out the door, not on benefits achieved

Making American Foundations Relevant

The work and impact of foundations is not registering with critical audiences, according to philanthropy leaders and observers interviewed for this Philanthropy Awareness Initiative report. To find the solution, foundations need to look in the mirror, they argue, and make changes to their communications culture and practice

Working Conditions of the Nursing Workforce Excerpts from a Policy Roundtable at AcademyHealth's 2003 Annual Research Meeting

The role of nursing in the delivery of health care has emerged as a complex and cross-cutting issue ripe for inquiry and multidisciplinary research. Indeed, problems in the nursing workforce have risen high on the agendas on many influential organizations, including the American Academy of Nursing, the Institute of Medicine, the National Quality Forum, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and others. In an effort to clarify current research issues and advance an agenda for future investigations, Dr. Peter Buerhaus at Vanderbilt University organized a round table focused on the working conditions of the nursing workforce at the AcademyHealth 2003 Annual Research Meeting in Nashville, Tenn. Chaired by the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Public Health's Jack Needleman, the “Working Conditions of the Nursing Workforce” roundtable proved to be a provocative exchange of views among researchers and users of research. Participants shared background about their role in advancing the research, identified gaps in current research, and suggested specific areas for further research. What follows is an edited transcript of the Roundtable that, in addition to Dr. Needleman, included Ellen Kurtzman, National Quality Forum; Barbara Mark, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Lori Melichar, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; and Donald Steinwachs, Johns Hopkins University