It's no secret that states and the federal government have found themselves in a financial pinch when it comes to higher education. After years of recession and sluggish recovery, states have slashed per-pupil public spending on higher education by 14.6 percent since 2008. At the federal level, though money for Pell Grants has more than doubled…

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is closing its online-education grant program, and some college officials are concerned that the decision will leave a fast-growing sector of American higher education without a major source of support. The New York City-based foundation has funneled roughly $80-million into online-education ventures around the…

Medical scientists just starting at universities have been, more and more often, left empty-handed when the federal government awards grants. To offset this, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to medical research, announced a new program that will award $300-million to as many as 70 young scientists. The Early…

As protesters across the Arab world demand an end to autocratic regimes that have drained universities of resources and suffocated critical thinking, scholars see some hope of an Arab renaissance and a new opening for American involvement. From the ancient Library of Alexandria to a new Islamic-arts museum in Qatar that holds 700-year-old…

Plants that bear less familiar names such as switch grass, "Miscanthus," and kenaf, are not much to look at, having weathered Iowa's winter snows. But Iowa State researchers see these crops as seeds of change in alternative fuels. Rows of experimental crops line the test plots at Iowa State University's research farm. Although corn is…

The 162 largest gifts and bequests of $1,000,000 or more, the institutions receiving them, the donors, and the periods of the bequests (if applicable) are listed. (MSE)

The 55 foundations making the largest grants to institutions are ranked, and data are given on their donation totals in 1983 and 1984 and their 1984 asset totals. (MSE)

Describes how private philanthropies are abandoning higher education, citing other priorities and a sense that colleges are not needy. (EV)

The dollar amounts of grants made by 50 large foundations in 1992, and their assets for the same period, are listed. The organizations are ranked by grant totals. (MSE)

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and Pew Charitable Trusts have halved the number of black colleges eligible to apply for grants, which some claim creates two classes of institution, the financially strong and the financially weak. Black colleges find the targeting policy insensitive. (MSE)

Now in improved financial circumstances, the Ford Foundation has begun a major review of all of its grant-making and program activities in this country and around the world, an effort usually undertaken during a period of retrenchment rather than of increased resources. (MSE)

Most of the 50 colleges and universities cited for top foundation grant levels are on the list yearly, and are the nation's wealthiest and most prestigious institutions. Generally, they have staff to pursue funding and faculty with high-profile research projects. Some observers say foundations like to be associated with those colleges. The 1994-95…

The politically conservative John M. Olin Foundation, which provides financial grants to individuals and groups on U.S. campuses, has become part of the debate over "political correctness" in academia. The foundation is accused of being linked with the Republican Party and of distorting intellectual debate. (DB)

At many colleges, contributions are up in nearly all categories including: alumni gifts, corporate and foundation grants, and planned giving. While the market crash delivered a strong jolt to donor confidence, the 1986 Tax Reform Act has had more impact on giving. (MLW)

Reviews the activities and research projects in education supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Foundation's current emphases are on the humanities, campus diversity, granting fellowships, and working with premier institutions. Recent publications by Mellon staff have increased the visibility of the Foundation's activities. (DB)