The Rita Allen Foundation’s support for innovation in media impact measurement is mentioned in an article published today on MediaShift, a website that covers the changing media landscape. The piece describes how news outlets, both nonprofit and commercial, are experimenting with a variety of audience metrics. It highlights…
Christopher Walsh (Photo: Katherine C. Cohen/Boston Children’s Hospital) Christopher Walsh, a 1993 Rita Allen Foundation Scholar, is the recipient of the 16th Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize awarded by the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. “Dr. Walsh’s study of genetic mutations and gene functions associated…
Fund for Shared Insight today announced its inaugural cohort of Listen for Good grantees, which includes a diverse group of 19 nonprofits that directly serve people in communities across the U.S. Listen for Good, a collaborative effort among several funders, is dedicated to building the practice of listening to the…
Many animals, from birds to humans, learn complex behaviors by observing and mimicking their parents. Male zebra finches learn elaborate mating calls from their fathers, and this process has become a model system for exploring the mechanisms of learning and memory. Michael Long(Photo: NYU Langone Medical Center)…
The Fund for Shared Insight today announced it will award over $2.6M in 2016 to five existing grantees to continue their work improving philanthropy and to one new grantee for feedback research. The original round of grants was awarded to a group of 14 nonprofits in 2015 to strengthen feedback systems…
A new website aims to make scientific research on the causes and treatment of chronic pain more accessible to patients and the general public. RELIEF offers news, feature articles and interviews with leading experts, and will soon add podcasts and webinars. Chronic pain affects up to one-third of…
David Tuveson was born a naturalist. Growing up in Michigan, he says, “I was always outside—looking under a rock, going out on the water to observe and catch things and let them go…I’ve loved science ever since I was conscious.” David Tuveson(Photo: Courtesy of David…
A new multimedia, interactive resource provides practical tips, case studies and collaboration strategies for those seeking to help communities prepare for and recover from disasters. The Disaster Philanthropy Playbook is a joint project of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and the Council of New…
Thanks to the growing use of digital technologies, people everywhere now have access to a spectacular wealth of information. New technologies also hold untapped potential to broaden access to government, scientific research and other knowledge. Civic tech innovators are building tools to help open up policymaking, budgeting and voter information…
This month, the Council on Foundations blog features aQ&A with Elizabeth Good Christopherson, President and CEO of the Rita Allen Foundation. Here, Ms. Christopherson sums up our approach to investing in innovation: We look for promise, openness to collaboration, hunger for leadership—not proof that ideas will work. If…