Oil and Anguish: Alaska, Nigeria, and the Gulf Coast

Within a week of the Exxon Oil spill in 1989, currents and winds pushed the slick 90 miles from the site of the tanker, out of Prince William Sound into the Gulf of Alaska. It eventually reached nearly 600 miles away from the wreck contaminating 1,500 miles of shoreline – about the length of California's coast and was described as the "largest oil spill to date in U.S. waters." In June of 1989 I was dispatched to Cordova, Alaska in my new role as an advisor to a donor. Eleven...

Media Misinformation Impacts Entire Progressive Agenda

In the rich and varied landscape of important issues about which progressives care, there are many that currently stand out in the news:  drilling, immigration reform, and foreign policy are just a few. One issue that has become a constant backdrop for all the others is misinformation in the media—and it doesn't get the attention it deserves.  While some of you may know a lot about this topic and stay up to date on what right wing media is doing, many of you may have less information. We at Tides do not profess to be experts or have all the answers, but we do hope...

Gulf Coast Crisis: A Call for Action from the Philanthropic Community

A shrimp boat drags booms to gather oil in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, Louisiana, on May 5. Photo Credit: AP

The foundation community – and the public at large – can do little to prevent the devastation of the Gulf of Mexico, its coastline and its communities as a result of BP's Deepwater Horizon blowout. Tremendous damage has been done, and more will be done over the next days, weeks, and months.  We stand in sympathy and outrage as...

Vatican shifts blame to homosexuals. Who cares?

Sometimes homophobia makes us wince. Sometimes it can bring tears to our eyes. And sometimes it makes us want to grab the bat from the basher. This is one of those moments.

The recent comments from a Vatican official deflecting attention from the Church's complicity in child sexual abuse by linking homosexuality to pedophilia has us on a bit of a rampage. A homophobic institution that failed to protect children from sexual abuse is under fire and is turning around and blaming LGBT people....

A Defining Moment for Health Philanthropy

Tom David is a Senior Strategist at Community Clinics Initiative, a project of Tides that was started in partnership with The California Endowment and has granted over $100 million to more than 90 percent of California's community clinics. David recently wrote a rousing commentary for last week's Grantmakers...