Where Most Needed

Harvard, Unbuilt and Unloved

Civil society (the local Cambridge version) puts a damper on architectural visions, while on the other side of town MIT manages to soar with the eagles. 

Charities Gain Little from Charity Property Tax Exemption

Hospitals and universities are the big winners and a few cities that rely heavily on property tax income are the losers. 

National Gallery Parners with Wal-Mart Heiress for Eakins Masterpiece

Details have not been worked out about sharing of "The Gross Clinic" between Washington and the new museum in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Hawaii Foundation Selling Off Affordable Housing to Benefit School

Tenants in the 857 units are suing because the nonprofit owner wants to prepay its HUD mortgage to release it from a commitment to affordable rents, and a board member (son of the founder) is speaking out against it. 

Church-related Businesses Win Property Tax Exemption and Tax Exempt Loan Financing

Part III of New York Times investigative report turns up more on the preferences given to church-based enterprise by courts and legislatures. 

Religious Freedom Begets Faith-Based Free Pass

New York Times has major feature on how churches lobby successfully for legal exemptions that give them a competitive leg up against secular charities and for-profit businesses—and in finds cases of abuse and neglect in exempted program. 

Donors Get the Deduction, Charities Get the Headaches

Donors get charitable deductions for toxic waste dumps and land with unexploded ordinance—if they can find a charity willing to go along. 

Managing MoMA in a PostM Century

With two million visitors a year and a staff of eight hundred, it's not surprising that a New Yorker story  portrays the director as a CEO. 

Artist Thinks Contemporary Art Museums Have Sold Out

Promoting contemporary artists has blurred the line between museum and commercial galleries.

Minister Goes to Prison for Church Loan Fraud

When one loan came due he applied for another to pay it off, using the same collateral.