Happy to live here?

The Problem: Healthy, vibrant cities

Who: Urban Ecology Institute

Why are they special? Provides public school students with opportunities to learn about urban ecology

Where: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Started: 1998

What the top person makes: $75,000 (2009)

General site: Home

Charity Navigator report.. Charity Navigator has determined this charity requires you to opt out of their sharing your information. (Unbelievable.)

Link to help: Donate

Deductible? Doesn't state


Image courtesy of Maggie Smith

Basketball doing good

The Problem: Funding cancer research

Who: The V Foundation

Why are they special? Founded by a basketball coach, the foundation has funded cancer research in 38 states and the District of Columbia.

Where: Cary, North Carolina

Started: 1993

What the top person makes: $169,177 (2009)

General site: Home

Charity Navigator report.

Link to help: Donate

Deductible? Yes


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Equality

The Problem: Women's issues

Who: Women's Way

Why are they special? Raises money for 31 agencies involved in "women’s equality, safety, self-sufficiency and reproductive freedom."

Where: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Started: Mid-1970s

What the top person makes: $100,508 (2009)

General site: Home

Charity Navigator report.

Link to help: Contribute

Deductible? Doesn't state


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Buying new ideas

The Problem: Innovation

Who: X Prize Foundation

Why are they special? They give large awards for the first people to achieve various goals they set.

Example: " A total of $30 million in prizes are available to the first privately funded teams to safely land a robot on the surface of the Moon and have that robot travel 500 meters over the lunar surface and send images and data back to the Earth."

One of the challenges they might set is to diversify their board--29 people, 3 of whom are women.

Where: Playa Vista, California

Started: 1995

What the top person makes: $312,962 (2009)

General site: Home

Charity Navigator report.

Link to help: Support

Deductible? Doesn't state


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Ever think getting away for a bit would help your art?

The Problem: Artists

Who: Yaddo-NY

Why are they special? Artists selected by panels of professional artists are awarded residencies (2 weeks-2 months), including room, board and studio.

"Its mission is to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment."

Where: Saratoga Springs, New York

Started: 1900

What the top person makes: $188,462 (2009)

General site: Home

Charity Navigator report.

Link to help: Support

Deductible? Doesn't state


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Cars saving lives

The Problem: At-risk kids

Who: Youth Automotive Training Center

Why are they special? Avenues of hope by teaching basic auto repair, academic and job skills

A 2005 study showed that 85% of those who graduated between 1997 and 2004 were employed full time or in school. 26% had become supervisors or business owners.

As of 2009, 491 people have reportedly graduated from the program.

Where: Deerfield Beach, Florida

Started: 1984

What the top person makes: $113,957 (2009)

General site: Home

Charity Navigator report.

Link to help: Give

Deductible? Doesn't state


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A charity adapts

The Problem: Homeless people

Who: The Road Home

Why are they special? There used to be Travelers Aid Societies around the US, helping stranded travelers. Apparently nobody gets stranded anymore. The Societies have re-invented themselves.

The Salt Lake City branch now helps the homeless. First, they meet basic, immediate needs. Then they work on a housing plan.

Where: Salt Lake City, Utah

Started: 1923

What the top person makes: $91,316 (2009)

General site: Home

Charity Navigator report.

Link to help: Give

Deductible? Doesn't state


Image courtesy of Mantas Ruzveltas

The crumbling ruins

The Problem: Endangered architectural and cultural heritage sites

Who: World Monuments Fund

Why are they special? Say they've worked on preserving such sites in 90 countries

Where: New York, New York

Started: 1965

What the top person makes: The president makes $256,100 (2009). The European president makes $291,341 (2009).

General site: Home

Charity Navigator report.. Charity Navigator has determined this charity requires donors to opt out of having their information shared.

Link to help: Donate

Deductible? Doesn't state


Image courtesy of Suat Eman

When your own painting collection is a little small ....

The Problem: Art

Who: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Why are they special? "2,500 paintings, sculptures, tapestries, furniture, manuscripts, rare books and decorative arts" set in a Venetian-style palace

Where: Boston, Massachusetts

Started: 1903

What the top person makes: $266,106 (2009)

General site: Home

Charity Navigator report.

Link to help: Donation

Deductible? Doesn't state


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Korea

The Problem: US-Korea understanding

Who: Korea Society

Why are they special? Promotes "greater awareness, understanding, and cooperation between the people of the United States and Korea."

Provides fellowships, classes, lectures, school visits, exhibits.

Organizes the annual New York Korean Film Festival.

Where: New York, New York

Started: 1957

What the top person makes: $218,400 (2009)

General site: Home

Charity Navigator report.

Link to help: Donation

Deductible? Yes


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No money today -- requiem for a charity

The Problem: Missing children

Who: Vanished Children's Alliance

Why are they special? Educated so kids didn't disappear, helped families of those who did, assisted in finding. Claimed that 90% of the 30,000+ cases they helped with were found. If true, they were extraordinarily successful.

After 28 years, this charity closed its doors in 2009, unable to survive the recession.

According to Wikipeida, "It was the oldest organization devoted to missing children in the United States and was recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children."

So a big thank you for all those years of hard work. Sorry to see you go.

Where: San Jose, California

Started: 1981

What the top person makes: $81,832 (2008). The executive director and assistant director shared a last name. Their combined salaries equaled about 12% of the charity's expenses. That was a high ratio for a nonprofit.

General site: Home

Charity Navigator report.

Link to help: N/A

Deductible? N/A


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What if you couldn't read?

The Problem: Illiteracy in India (61% of Indians over the age of 15 can read and write, according to the CIA. The female literacy rate is 47.8%.)

Who: Pratham USA

Why are they special? Supports the efforts of the organization in India to teach children to read, write and do basic math. They estimate 100 million Indian children cannot.

Where: Houston, Texas

Started: 1999

What the top person makes: Not compensated. This the first time we've seen this happen!

General site: Home

Charity Navigator report.

Link to help: Donate

Deductible? Yes


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Can I bring my IPod???

The Problem: Young people

Who: City Year

Why are they special? Young people donate a year of service in 3 countries. They learn "skills and opportunities to change the world."

Where: Boston, Massachusetts

Started: 1988

What the top person makes: $245,931 (2009)

General site: Home

Charity Navigator report.

Link to help: Donate

Deductible? Yes


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Summer reading list

The Problem: Thinking of summer reading lists

Who: New York Public Library

Why are they special? Said to be the third largest library in North America. What this means is unclear--they have the third largest library collection in the world (behind the Library of Congress and the British Library).

The Library actually consists of 89 libraries, 84 of which are neighborhood branch libraries.

If you use the search on their site (and search nypl.org, not the catalog) there is a wide variety of pages on summer reading lists.

Where: New York, New York

Started: 1895

What the top person makes: $673,341 (2009)

General site: Home

Charity Navigator report.. Charity Navigator has determined you must opt out of the Library's sharing your name and contact information.

Link to help: Donate

Deductible? Yes


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