Philanthropy

The Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers are among baseball's leaders — and this time we're not talking about the standings. Those teams, though widely separated in geography, tradition and fan base, have stepped up to the plate where it's mattered most — in their communities, by giving of their time and treasure. In Phoenix, the Diamondbacks, who like most teams already were giving away more than 100,000 tickets a season to various organizations, also have awarded more than $250,000 in season tickets and food vouchers to needy fans over the last four years.

Since he was elected to City Hall nearly 10 years ago, Michael R. Bloomberg has usually made large charitable donations anonymously — an effort to avoid blurring his roles as mayor and grand benefactor. But as he serves his final term as mayor, Bloomberg, a multibillionaire who is among America's top 10 philanthropists, has been more overtly leveraging his wealth to bolster what he believes in. On Thursday, Bloomberg announced that his family foundation would contribute to a groundbreaking $127-million city initiative to help young black and Latino men, who too often end up uneducated and jailed.

I could just see the eyebrows rising around the room. I was moderating a panel on philanthropy not long ago, and on my left, Premal Shah, the president of Kiva.org , was talking animatedly about how much fun Kiva donors had, competing with each other, in teams, to see who could do the most good. Fun? This is not your father's philanthropy. Shah"s online matchmaking philanthro-banking site lets people in the donor door for as little as $25. Kiva posts loan appeals from thousands of worldwide "entrepreneurs" on the site -- Shah doesn't call them "the needy" or any other such term.

She's recording a new album and getting ready to star in a remake of the musical "Gypsy," but Barbra Streisand isn't too busy to be honored this week by MusiCares, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences foundation that aids musicians in crisis. "I love musicians," she explains. "I love people who create music, play music, sing music — whatever. It is a very unified profession. We admire each other's work. " FOR THE RECORD: Streisand tribute: An article in the Feb. 8 Calendar section about a musical program honoring Barbra Streisand, to be presented Friday by the MusiCares foundation of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, misspelled the last name of Diana Krall as Krull.

As the head of the California Endowment, the state's largest healthcare foundation, Robert Ross wields the kind of political power that comes with giving away $165 million a year. A pediatrician by training, Ross has delved into issues as varied as childhood obesity, prison reform and the future of the beleaguered Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. But what has made Ross, 56, into a powerful force in California philanthropy is not just the money he gives away: it's his approach to big-ticket giving that his organization has made a central part of its mission.

John Legend, the Grammy Award-winning musician, was in search of a charitable cause last year. An African village he supported was thriving, but the Ohio-born singer, fresh from volunteering in the Obama campaign, wanted to do something domestically ? something, he recalled, "for people who don't have a voice. " Legend hired a consulting firm, and a month and a half later, he had a cause: education reform. "My time is very hard to come by and you have to delegate sometimes," Legend said in a phone interview from his European tour.

The American Institute of Philanthropy graded these breast-cancer charities based on the efficiency of their fundraising efforts and the proportion of revenue they devote to their missions. The grades are below, along with the cost for each organization to raise $100: Breast Cancer Research Foundation, A+, $7 National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund, A, $12-$13 Breast Cancer Fund, A-, $13 Susan G. Komen for the Cure, B+, $6-$17 Breast Cancer Network of Strength, B-, $24 Avon Foundation/Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, C+, $21-$39 American Breast Cancer Foundation, F, $43-$67 United Breast Cancer Foundation, F, $48-$69 Coalition Against Breast Cancer, F, $81 Breast Cancer Relief Foundation, F, $76-$86 Chicago Tribune

Pink toothbrushes, pink bottles of wine, pink debit cards ? there's a chance to donate to breast cancer pretty much everywhere you shop. But how can you tell how much good comes from each piece of pink? It's a reasonable question, considering the complexity of charitable giving and the millions of dollars involved. "People of every age are very sympathetic to breast cancer and willing to help, and fundraisers take advantage of that," says Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy, a nonprofit organization in Chicago that helps donors make informed giving decisions.

The New York Yankees had reclaimed what they consider their rightful place, atop baseball's throne. They celebrated on opening day, the champions with their rings, and George Steinbrenner came in for a little teasing from the man he had appointed as captain of the team. The owner had worn his Ohio State ring. Derek Jeter told him to take it off and replace it with that shiny new Yankees ring. "Those are the memories that you remember," Jeter said, "those intimate moments."

You don't need to sign up for a U.N. mission, deliver medical aid to a developing country or renounce your possessions to improve the planet. By enjoying a vacation with a charity-minded tour operator, you're already helping humanity. Many such companies give back to the far-flung destinations their leisure clients visit. Take Boston-based Grand Circle Corp., which typically sends more than 100,000 travelers, mostly 50 and older, on trips each year. Since 1992, its nonprofit arm, Grand Circle Foundation, has donated or pledged $47 million to educational and humanitarian efforts around the world, a significant part financed by tour proceeds, said spokeswoman Priscilla O'Reilly.