New York Times’ fund looks outward to support neediest outside the USA
Howard Lake | 17 November 2016 | News
The Neediest Cases Fund, the charitable arm of the New York Times, is expanding its support outside the USA for the first time. It will support the global work with refugees of the International Rescue Committee.
Over 100 years old the Neediest Cases Fund, which raises funds from readers, has traditionally provided assistance for people in need in New York. Now, it is targeting its support on “some of the most forlorn, victimised, scapegoated and voiceless people in the world – refugees”.
The change in focus is a conscious plan to look beyond its own geographical base. The newspaper is expanding its global coverage of news ” when so many nations and institutions have chosen to look inwards”. Its charitable fund is following this outward-looking approach.
Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times columnist, announced the expansion of the fund in the newspaper. He wrote:
“[I]n 1912, … since our community at that time was New York City, it made sense to focus on our back yard. Today we’re part of a global community and so The New York Times is reaching out to include the I.R.C.”
About the Neediest Cases Fund
The Neediest Cases Fund was created in 1912, a year after Adolph S. Ochs, the publisher of The New York Times, had given a stranger money for shelter and new clothes on Christmas Day.
The first Christmas fundraising campaign in the newspaper raised $86,575 in nine days from 117 contributors.
The newspaper pays the fund’s administrative costs, with the result that all donations go directly to the beneficiary organisations.
This year’s reader appeal will accept donations until 10 February 2017.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.