Archive for the ‘Health’ Category

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Fund Scientific Research at 3AM

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011

cut-science-funding.jpg
(photo credit: Mark Ramsay)

Heard of Kickstarter? That new site where anyone with an idea and a plan to make it happen can raise money from the unwashed masses? Well until now it’s mostly been used to help bands record their breakout albums, help designers raise capital to manufacture life-improving products, and help slightly off do-gooders pay for various swing-installation projects.

But now scientists are getting in on the action. From the Kickstarter-funded Mexican quail research expedition to the new academics-only crowdfunding site Open Genius, the doors are open for promising researchers to avoid the pain of securing traditional government and foundation funding.

Which means that you have a unique opportunity to directly impact research you care about. It’s one thing to donate to a cancer research fund (which is a totally awesome thing to do, by the way), but it’s another thing entirely to choose the lab you want to support.

This is also a great opportunity to exercise your advocacy muscles. With just a little prodding and a link to a well-designed website, you can double, triple, or quadruple your donation by talking to friends or posting your pitch online.

Never underestimate the power of peer pressure and one-click donations.

Why We Give: Brett Kopelan and the Worst Disease You’ve Never Heard Of

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

Everyone gives for their own reasons – compassion, anger, or sometimes just the tax deduction. But some people have personal experiences that change them forever – and compel them to fight for a cause they truly believe in.

Brett Kopelan is the Executive Director of Debra, a charity that funds research for a terrible disease called Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB for short). Debra also runs programs that help families whose children are afflicted with the disease. Brett has an M.A. in Child Psychology from Columbia University and a daughter with ED. His personal experience with the disease inspired him to make it his life’s work to combat the disorder and support families like his own.

>> TILE brings you exclusive opinions, explanations, and interviews from experts in every industry.

Progress in Genetic Testing Leads to a New Cancer Treatment

Friday, June 10th, 2011

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(photo credit: micahb37)

When you or someone you love develops a terminal illness, you’re often motivated to do everything you can to fight for a cure. But progress can be frustratingly slow, and it can be hard to know which projects and organizations to donate to.

But there’s a new frontier on the fight against cancer, and it’s all due to advances in DNA sequencing. Now cancer researchers are using genetic information about individual patients to engineer targeted treatments – treatments that appear to be more effective than current methods.

The treatment still has to gain FDA approval, but it’s being prioritized because of its potentially revolutionary results.

The fight goes on, of course, but this is a nice reminder that funding research and development really does get results.

If you’re interested in helping out, check out TILE’s partner nonprofits that focus on health. If there’s an organization close to your heart that isn’t listed, just send us a message to let us know.

Putting Energy (and Investment) to Good Use

Friday, April 1st, 2011


(photo credit: Evan Prodromou)

We all know that carbo-loading is essential for running a marathon (or staying up all night writing papers/ playing video games). So why expect lasting social change to run on a cookie here, a handful of peanuts there?

“45% of the population of rural India live in villages with no electricity.” So it was only a matter of time before capitalist do-gooders found an opportunity to profit from lighting up the countryside. Providing affordable clean energy solutions is potentially a $2 billion industry in India alone. And it’s not just the entrepreneurs who profit: locals suddenly have light to study and work by, cleaner air and water, and a new job market for selling and repairing solar lanterns and other green gadgets.

Sounds like a pretty neat social venture to us. What do you think?

When it comes to supporting causes you care about, are you more likely to fund emergency projects, like disease and hunger relief, or longer-term strategies for change, like electricity?

Smart Philanthropy in the Wake of a Disaster

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011


(photo credit: Kei!)

When something really bad happens in the world, we all feel hurt. And helping each other out is one of the best ways to alleviate that pain. But that common sense advice about not shopping when you’re hungry and not investing when you’re anxious also applies to giving.

Saundra Schimmelpfennig at the Chronicle of Philanthropy shared some advice on how to give smart in an urgent time of need. She encourages “disaster philanthropists” to think carefully before pledging their money to an emotionally compelling cause.

Here are some of her points that we think are especially important:

  • Make sure the organization you’re donating to actually has permission to operate in the affected area. (This is a no-brainer, but some governments refuse or limit access to foreign aid organizations.)
  • Consider giving to organizations that were operating successfully in-country before the disaster. They may have more resources and connections than many of the big-name international nonprofits.
  • Don’t be sucked in by projects that tug at your heartstrings. Sure, donating to an animal shelter seems like the natural thing to do after seeing this picture, but does directing your resources there really address the most critical needs on the ground?
  • Give aid organizations the freedom to choose what your donation pays for. They know better than you what the most important projects are.
  • Don’t forget about the disaster as soon as the news outlets do. Most of the expense and hard work happens after the initial emergency relief efforts end. Rebuilding houses, schools, communities, and lives can take years. Your donation will mean just as much in six months as it does today.

Ready to make an impact? Text a friend and ask them to donate with you. With two researchers on the job, you can probably find a perfect organization – and double your donation in the process!

As Seen on the Web… Money, Health, and One Crazy Statistician

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

Seriously, we’ve never been so excited to watch someone talk about statistics.

In just four minutes, learn everything you need to know about the relationship between income and lifespan, and how the wildly the world has changed since 1810. Very cool.

The Government Says Your Life Is Worth Saving…

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

“WASHINGTON — As the players here remake the nation’s vast regulatory system, they have been grappling with a subject that is more the province of poets and philosophers than bureaucrats: what is the value of a human life?

The answer determines how much spending the government should require to prevent a single death.

To protests from business and praise from unions, environmentalists and consumer groups, one agency after another has ratcheted up the price of life, justifying tougher — and more costly — standards.

The Environmental Protection Agency set the value of a life at $9.1 million last year in proposing tighter restrictions on air pollution. The agency used numbers as low as $6.8 million during the George W. Bush administration.”

What do you think?

How much is YOUR life worth? (We’re not just talking about your net worth, either!)

What An “Advanced Economy” Really Looks Like

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

“It’s time for us to stop lying to ourselves about this country.

America is great in many ways, but on a whole host of measures — some of which are shown in the accompanying chart — we have become the laggards of the industrialized world. Not only are we not No. 1 — “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” — we are among the worst of the worst.” (from the original opinion piece)

Click here to see the chart.

What do you think?

Are we as bad as the chart says? Where do you see room for improvement?

How can you, as a philanthropist, help the U.S. improve its standing?

High Cost Of Food Causing Riots, Widespread Poverty Around The World

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

“The World Bank says food prices are at “dangerous levels” and have pushed 44 million more people into poverty since last June.

According to the latest edition of its Food Price Watch, prices rose by 15% in the four months between October 2010 and January this year.

Food price inflation is felt disproportionately by the poor, who spend over half their income on food.”

What do you think?

As a philanthropist, how would you approach the problem of unaffordable food?

And I Would Have Gotten Away With It, Too, If It Weren’t For That Rascally Ecuadorean Judge…

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

“CARACAS, Venezuela — A judge in a tiny courtroom in the Ecuadorean Amazon ruled Monday that the oil giant Chevron was responsible for polluting remote tracts of Ecuadorean jungle and ordered the company to pay more than $9 billion in damages, one of the largest environmental awards ever.”

What do you think?

Is $9 billion enough to cover large-scale destruction of the environment and irreparable damage to human health? Is it too much?

And would knowing that BP has already pledged $20 billion to pay for damages related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill change your mind?

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