Rick Cohen

After almost 8 years as the executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP), Rick Cohen became Nonprofit Quarterly as NPQ's national correspondent in 2006.  Prior to joining NCRP, he was vice president of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) in charge of strategic planning.  He also served as vice president under Jim Rouse at the Enterprise Foundation (now Enterprise Community Partners), directing Enterprise's field programs.  Rick has also worked in the public sector as Director of Jersey City's Department of Housing and Economic Development and served as a consultant to numerous government agencies and nonprofits.  He began his professional career as a planner with Action for Boston Community Development, one of the nation's original anti-poverty agencies.  Rick has also authored or co-authored three books and numerous articles and op-eds for professional journals and newspapers, testified at Congressional committees and roundtables, and appeared on radio and television including the CBS Evening News, the ABC Evening News, the British Broadcasting Company, Fox News (including "the O'Reilly Factor"), CNN's American Morning, the Public Broadcasting System ("Religion and Ethics"), National Public Radio ("All Things Considered", "Morning Edition", and "Marketplace"), and others.  In 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, Rick was named to the NPT Power & Influence Top 50 list by The Nonprofit Times.  In addition to Rick's regular columns in Nonprofit Quarterly magazine, the NPQ Newswire, and NPQ's Cohen Report (http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org), he also writes investigative pieces for the Blue Avocado (http://www.blueavocado.org/).  In 2010, Rick won the gold National Azbee "news analysis/investigative" award of the American Society of Business Publication Editors (for his Youth Today article on the Promise Neighborhoods program and minOnline's Editorial and Design Award for Freelance Editorial and Design (for his Blue Avocado series on the demise of the Vanguard Public Foundation).

An old baseball indicates importance of support of baseball to the Knights of Columbus.
The Knights of Columbus, Charity, and Baseball

The history of the Knights of Columbus and that of baseball are intimately intertwined, telling a story of sportsmanship, charity, and love of the game.

Foundation grants proposals and program fitting into general fundraising for nonprofits
Should foundation grants be a part of your fundraising strategy?

Establishing a good foundations program can be daunting, but the initial investment of time and energy pays off in the long run.

Foot with veritas engraved, indicating universities' proper mission as bastions of truth.
Truth-Seeking in an AI-Influenced World

In a culture marked by bias and riven by ideology, institutes of higher education must return to their original mission: the pursuit of truth.

School choice enables parents to make education savings accounts and strengthens civil society
School Choice: Educating Students, Building Communities

By expanding school choice and offering education savings account programs, states can increase access to high-quality education while strengthening civil society in the process.

People with mouths taped over representing donor anonymity and free speech in charitable giving being violated
Salesforce CEO Understates the Importance of Free Speech in Giving

Donors should be afforded the chance to donate anonymously, but that right is under fire from both sides of the political aisle.

Biden’s proposed budget vilifies wealth and threatens philanthropy

The president’s war on donor-advised funds imperils the flexibility and innovation that help truly effective philanthropy thrive.

“I Thirst”—Would You Offer Him a Drink?

How Jesus’s Good Friday words call on us across the millennia, encouraging us to engage in charity to alleviate suffering.