In a well written article published today in the Wall Street Journal is this quote: "Several academics have estimated that not more than 3% to 5% of all foundation money goes to organizations serving the poor, people of color, women and children at risk, gays/lesbians, disabled and troubled youth—almost 50% of the American population."

The article is titled "What's Wrong With Charitable Giving—and How to Fix It," and every board member or staff member of a nonprofit organization should read this and form your own opinion about it. The premise is that nine changes in the way foundations operate could make a huge difference in today's challenging environmentfor nonprofits. For example, the author suggests that government can best help troubled nonprofits by simply raising the minimum level of distributions that foundations must distribute every year from 5% to 6%, freeing up perhaps $10 billion a year in additional grants. Some of the other ideas include changes in the process of awarding grants, precipitated by the contention that today the vast majority of grants go to universities and colleges, medical organizations, and arts and cultural institutions, Whether you believe the premise of this piece or not, this is "must read" stuff in my view.

And after reading it you should want to write to someone and express your opinions about it. That's what I plan to do. How about you?

As always, your thoughts and feedback are appreciated.