Ameriprise Financial recently announced that it has awarded more than $1.1 million to nonprofit organizations as part of its first funding cycle of 2010. A total of 72 grants were made under the company's three funding platforms: volunteer-driven causes, supporting community vitality and meeting basic needs.

A new issue brief from the Foundation Center has made recommendations for states seeking to collaborate with foundations applying for Race to the Top funding from the U.S. Department of Education.

The Starr Foundation has recently announced a $20 million gift to New York Law School for its "Breaking New Ground. Again." campaign. The law school says this is the largest gift it has ever received.

The White House has recently made it clear that the Social Innovation Fund is one of its top priorities. On Thursday, it sponsored an event to announce that grant makers have pledged almost $50 million to support the new federal grants program, reports the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

The Oregon Community Foundation recently announced that it has gifted $16,277,000 to boost nonprofit fundraising throughout the state. The donations are focused on recession relief.

In 2009, charitable donations declined and nonprofit fundraising fell short of what many charities needed in operational costs - let alone in project initiatives. Many organizations were forced to shut down, even with sufficient project funding, because they could not afford to keep staff and were not allowed to use too many donated funds on operational costs.

Nonprofit organizations and small businesses alike struggled to find funds in 2009. Both entrepreneurs looking for startup funds and charity leaders trying to initiate projects saw significant declines in the heat of the recession.

The PNC Foundation announced it has made a $2.1 million grant to the Detroit Public Schools Foundation, the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts and the Detroit Science Center. The money will be used to help create new science and art programs for preschoolers in the Detroit Public Schools.

The Bay Citizen, a San Francisco-based public media organization, recently launched a new website featuring enterprise reporting. The organization is made possible by donations from foundations and locals.

Madlyn and Leonard Abramson have been contributing funds to Penn Medicine for years, but recently, the couple gave a very large gift - the largest in the institute's history. The Abramsons awarded $25.5 million to support cancer research in the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute.