The figures were reported recently by the Giving USA Foundation, using research from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. The fact that Americans gave nearly half a trillion dollars per year in the past two years is particularly impressive, and important, because the pandemic hurt many people economically in the U.S. and around the ... Read More»

Hispanic writers, painters, actors, singers, filmmakers and fashion designers are prominent in the U.S. arts scene. These eight greats have drawn on their Latin American roots as well as the complexity and richness of their American experience to shape the artistic landscape Read More»

Before nominating a candidate, the White House reviews his or her qualifications, finances, career and personal life. U.S. officials also engage the receiving foreign nation to ensure the candidate is acceptable in a process called "agrèment", which is codified in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Read More»

Rock, rap and hip-hop may rule the charts, but jazz, with roots in the spirituals of African-American slaves, is still America’s gift to the world. “There is no better example of democracy than a jazz ensemble: individual freedom but with responsibility to the group,” a primer from the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz explains. Jazz isn’t heard ... Read More»

From fiddle and blues music to Native American beadwork and canoe building, a March 4 celebration by the 2020 National Heritage Fellows showcased many forms of American folk and traditional arts. Acting Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts Ann Eilers praised the fellows’ art for illustrating that “there are many versions of American life, and ... Read More»

California’s Silicon Valley is known for its startup culture. So are commercial hubs in the Northeast — think Boston and New York — or Seattle in the Pacific Northwest. Startups in these tech corridors have long benefited from the investment of venture capitalists. But Americans in every part of the country love to innovate. Investors increasingly ... Read More»