Komen Foundation bows to social media firestorm, reverses Planned Parenthood funding cut - San Jose Mercury News Komen Foundation bows to social media firestorm, reverses Planned Parenthood funding cut

A national uproar fueled by social media prompted the nation's largest breast cancer advocacy organization Friday to reverse its decision to eliminate grants to Planned Parenthood.

The Susan G. Planned Parenthood received $680,000 from Komen in 2011.

"We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives," a Komen statement said.

Many questioned that commitment three days ago in a firestorm of debate when Komen announced it would exclude Planned Parenthood from future grants because the organization was under government investigation.

The Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation has awarded a $5,000 grant that will assist in the ongoing preservation and restoration of The Cooley House in Monroe.

Lisa Picone said the grant is designed to provide seed money for The Cooley House Foundation to reprint the book The Louisiana Architecture of William King Stubbs, written by northern Louisiana architect Lestar Martin, so proceeds from the books sale will provide ongoing funding.

Our grants are unique in that they require an earned income component, said Picone, economic opportunity fund director for the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation.

The Cooley House was designed in 1908 by international architect Walter Burley Griffin for Gilbert Brian Captain Cooley and his wife, Selena, but it wasnt built until 1926. Its the only example of Griffins Prairie School designs built in the South.

In 1912, Griffin skyrocketed to fame when his design was chosen for Australias new capital city, Canberra.

The city of Monroe now owns The Cooley House, and the city and Cooley House Foundation are securing funding to restore it completely to serve as a museum.

We especially liked the application because the project is so culturally significant in Monroe, Picone said.

Picone said the New Orleans-based foundations directors are also interested in broadening their impact beyond southern Louisiana.

We want to expand our outreach to all areas of the state, she said.

The foundation awarded 32 grants this year.

We are grateful to the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation for the opportunity to reprint the book The Louisiana Architecture of William King Stubbs, written by F.

Steven Tyler Auctions Opportunity To Join His Table at the Elton John Aids Foundation's 20th Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party - MarketWatch

3, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) is very pleased to announce that Steven Tyler, a generous Foundation supporter and an Event Chair for EJAF's 20th annual Academy Awards Viewing Party, is working with EJAF to help make its 20th Oscar-night event especially successful.

ELTON JOHN AIDS FOUNDATION: The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) was established as a nonprofit organization in the United States in 1992 and as a registered charity in the United Kingdom in 1993 by Sir Elton John.

Since 2006, American Airlines has generously served as the official sponsoring airline of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

February 3, 2012, 10:52 am

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In a statement this morning, Komen rescinded its decision to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood for breast health programs a decision whose announcement 48 hours earlier had unleashed a clamor of protest, rapid reaction and retaliation. All of this makes it even more perplexing, given Komens acknowledged success and savvy, that it would have undertaken such a risky and as it proved, potentially destructive step.

While disagreement with the initial decision was certainly not universal, the overwhelming sentiment was an angry sense of betrayal that a foundation dedicated to protecting womens health should allow political pressure to dissuade it from supporting a long- established program that gives low-income, marginalized women breast screenings they could not access elsewhere. Komen to fight breast cancer in memory of her sister, at first maintained the position that the decision reflected a tightening of grant-making procedures that were intended to make grantee organizations more accountable, but the indications that Planned Parenthood had been singled out mounted as the controversy escalated. Planned Parenthood has been a lightning rod for political controversy in recent years, and the arrival of political figures in Komen leadership and the departure of Mollie Williams, managing director of community health programs coinciding with the decision on Planned Parenthood, heightened concern that the underlying agenda was political.

The Susan G.

LIVESTRONG(R) Joins Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Philanthropic Partners in Their Efforts to Preserve Access to Cancer Screening for Women With a $100,000 Donation to Planned Parenthood - World News Report LIVESTRONG(R) Joins Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Philanthropic Partners in Their Efforts to Preserve Access to Cancer Screening for Women With a $100,000 Donation to Planned Parenthood Today, LIVESTRONG is joining Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the philanthropic community in their efforts to preserve access to cancer screening for women throughout the United States by donating $100,000 to Planned Parenthood.

Created as the Lance Armstrong Foundation in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the organization is now known publicly by its powerful brand -- LIVESTRONG -- and is a leader in the global movement on behalf of 28 million people around the world living with cancer today. Today Armstrong announced his Foundation is joining Mayor Bloomberg and philanthropic partners in their efforts to preserve access to cancer screening for women with a $100,000 donation to Planned Parenthood.

SAGINAW The Saginaw Community Foundation gave a $10,000 grant to Great Start University.

The program helps parents improve their parenting skills through a 10-week course. CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region started the education program in 2010, and now council President Suzanne Greenberg hopes to continue to expand it.

"The program utilizes the Parenting Wisely curriculum, which teaches new skills for handling typical child development phases such as parenting your child when he or she interrupts you while on the phone, taking your child to the grocery store and so much more," Greenberg said. "Frankly, we have so many requests for these classes that we are grateful to receive this investment in providing consistent parenting support across Saginaw County."

About 250 parents will enter the free program this year.

Saginaw Community Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Renee Johnston said it is important support Great Start University because it helps children go on to be successful students and college graduates.

For more information about Great Start University, email Vera Harrison at or call 752-7226

LIVESTRONG(R) Joins Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Philanthropic Partners in Their Efforts to Preserve Access to Cancer Screening for Women With a $100,000 Donation to Planned Parenthood - MarketWatch

Created as the Lance Armstrong Foundation in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the organization is now known publicly by its powerful brand -- LIVESTRONG -- and is a leader in the global movement on behalf of 28 million people around the world living with cancer today.

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We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities, the statement continues.

The statement left some ambiguity, however, because it did not mention a second reason Komen has given for ending Planned Parenthoods funding: that the group did not provide direct mammogram services but instead referred patients to other providers.

On Thursday, Komen President Elizabeth Thompson told reporters that the funding decision was unrelated to an ongoing congressional investigation into whether Planned Parenthood was illegally using federal funds to pay for abortions.

Komen founder Nancy Brinker said the organization wants to support groups that directly provide breast health services, such as mammograms. The initial decision to change its funding criteria, resulting in Planned Parenthood getting cut off, thrust it into the midst of the national abortion debate and set off a deluge of both protest and support in social media.

Some of Komens affiliates publicly criticized the decision, calling on the national organization to reverse the new rules.

Planned Parenthood celebrated Fridays news as a victory.

We are enormously grateful that the Komen Foundation has clarified its grantmaking criteria, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Komen partners, leaders and volunteers, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said in a statement.

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