Skip to main navigation

Catalogue Blog

Single Ray

A single ray of light from a distant star falling upon the eye of a tyrant in bygone times may have altered the course of his life, may have changed the destiny of nations, may have transformed the surface of the globe, so intricate, so inconceivably complex are the processes in Nature. (February 1983)

The scientific man does not aim at an immediate result. He does not expect that his advanced ideas will be readily taken up. His work is like that of the planter — for the future. His duty is to lay the foundation for those who are to come, and point the way. He lives and labors and hopes. (July 1934)

Serbian-American physicist Nikola Tesla, born today in 1856

Lessons Learned

From last week’s “Leading women offer lessons for work in philanthropy” in The Atlantic:

Katie Couric, special correspondent for ABC News and cancer advocate: “To really pour yourself into something, you have to be moved by it.”

Laurie Tisch, president of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund: “The lesson I learned is about patience and about agreed upon measures of success … You’ve got to be flexible with grantees. They also have to be honest with you.”

Ann Friedman, board chair of the SEED Foundation: “I would make a plea, if you are on a board and you have a passion and you want to fund something … please also give unrestricted donations to that non-profit. It’s how they turn the lightbulbs on.”

What do you have to add, both for nonprofits and for those that support them?

Agent Of Progress

WILDE: “… But the artist is the secret criminal in our midst. He is the agent of progress against authority […]

I made art a philosophy that can look the twentieth century in the eye. I had genius, brilliancy, daring, I took charge of my own myth. I dipped my staff into the comb of wild honey. I tasted forbidden sweetness and drank the stolen waters. I lived at the turning point of the world where everything was waking up new.”

The Invention of Love (1997) by British dramatist Tom Stoppard,
born today in 1937.

Immeasurably Rich

[…] I chose to be a lawyer and ultimately a judge because I find endless challenge in the complexities of the law. I firmly believe in the rule of law as the foundation for all of our basic rights.

For as long as I can remember, I have been inspired by the achievement of our founding fathers. They set forth principles that have endured for than more two centuries. Those principles are as meaningful and relevant in each generation as the generation before.

It would be a profound privilege for me to play a role in applying those principles to the questions and controversies we face today.

Although I grew up in very modest and challenging circumstances, I consider my life to be immeasurably rich.

— Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Sonia Sotomayor, born today in 1954

Catalogue: By The Numbers

By Marie LeBlanc, Community Partnerships Coordinator

The Catalogue for Philanthropy is excited to celebrate its tenth year of publication this year with the 2012/13 Catalogue. The following figures give a snapshot of the Catalogue, its applications, and community of nonprofits since the first Catalogue was published in 2003. We are also extremely proud to announce that as of this month, the Catalogue for Philanthropy has helped raise over $18 million for our nonprofits during the past 10 years!

In the past ten years …
– Over 2000 applications have been submitted for the Catalogue for Philanthropy, including 788 applications from new nonprofits and 360 applications to be re-listed in the Catalogue.
The Catalogue has maintained around a 30% acceptance rate since 2004.
480 unique organizations have been featured in the Catalogue since 2003 — over 500 including the Class of 2012/13. About 50% of Catalogue nonprofits are featured more than once.
– Of the 71 nonprofits featured in the first Catalogue in 2003, 32 nonprofits are still active members of the Catalogue network and have been relisted multiple times.

In 2012 …

204 total applications were reviewed by the Catalogue?s team of over 100 reviewers.
74 nonprofits were accepted into the print catalogue — 31 are new to Catalogue and 43 are relisted organizations. 11 organizations will be re-featured online.
– This year, 42% of nonprofits in the print catalogue are new, which is on par with past years. The odds have increased slightly in favor of re-lists over time. With so many quality organizations featured in the past 10 years, it’s hard to turn them down for a second or third feature!
– Of the 31 new nonprofits this year, 12 organizations had applied for the first time, but 14 organizations had applied unsuccessfully in the past before their acceptance this year — some as many as 4 or 5 times! 5 other nonprofits were previously featured in the Catalogue before 2008.
7 nonprofits have grown beyond the Catalogue’s budget threshold of $3 million and will also be re-featured online.

To learn more about the 2012/13 Catalogue nonprofits, check out the list here, and stay tuned for our updated website coming this fall!

What Kind of Life

What is a scientist after all? It is a curious man looking through a keyhole, the keyhole of nature, trying to know what’s going on. (1971)

We have to prepare for what life could become in 40 years. We need to outline what is possible and what is impossible with the non-renewable resources of the Earth. What role will technological improvement play? Taking all this into account, what kind of life can we produce in the best way for 10 billion people? That’s a problem that needs to be solved. (2004)

— Jacques-Yves Cousteau, French researchers & naval officer, born today in 1910

Learn more about Catalogue’s nature nonprofits right here.

That Swing

It don’t mean a thing, if it ain’t got that swing
It don’t mean a thing all you got to do is sing
It makes no difference
If it’s sweet or hot
Just give that rhythm
Every little thing you’ve got …

music by Duke Ellington, born this past Sunday in 1899 in Washington, DC

You can learn about the Ellington Fund, which ensures a dynamic arts and academic experience for students at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, right here.

Of Invention

O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend
The brightest heaven of invention,
A kingdom for a stage, princes to act
And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!
(Henry V)

O, wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in’t!
(The Tempest)

— William Shakespeare, whose 1564 birth is observed today