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Customer Connections - The Heart of the Hedge

By Chris McMahon

While hedge funds are better known for seeking alpha than philanthropy, many channel their generosity through innovative non-profit organizations and foundations. They just do not usually talk about it.

With the economy limping, charities are concerned. The 2008 Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy found that between 2005 and 2007, charitable giving increased for nearly all high net-worth households, except for those with $5 million or more in income. The study said charitable giving dropped 9.7 percent, to $80,249, for those households in 2007 from $88,845 in 2005, after adjusting for inflation. That was before the recession. 

While many fear charitable giving will decline even more in the face of the global economic downturn, hedge-fund sponsored philanthropies appear to be weathering the storm better than most. Philanthropy professionals say it is due in large part to the active participation by hedge fund leadership in such organizations.

<< Read the story at CMEGroup.com >>  

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