Our funding trends reports provide the latest data available on every aspect of
U.S. foundation philanthropy. Our team of research experts analyzes and interprets the data on foundations that we collect — providing a national data source unique for its scope, depth, and historical value.
Reports available for download are provided in PDF format, which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Recent Reports
Benchmarking Diversity: A First Look at New York City Foundations and Nonprofits
October 2009
New York City foundations and nonprofit organizations have racially diverse staffs, according to a new report by Philanthropy New York and the Foundation Center, but this diversity decreases at higher levels of seniority. A substantial number of foundations and nonprofits are tracking information about the racial and ethnic makeup of the grantees and populations that they respectively serve. The study is the first of its kind in New York City and the nation to examine "both sides" of the equation — with survey data from 95 grantmaking foundations and 540 nonprofit organizations in the
five boroughs.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
Giving in the Aftermath of the 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes: Profile of the Ongoing Foundation and Corporate Response (2007-2009)
August 2009
Private and community foundations awarded an additional $125 million in grant support for recovery and rebuilding efforts from January 2007 to mid-2009. The report reveals shifts in the giving priorities of 112 independent, corporate, and community foundations that provided new or ongoing support in the January 2007 to mid-2009 period. Economic and community development captured the largest share of support dollars (24 percent), whereas in the immediate aftermath the largest share was committed to human services relief.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
- Visit the "Focus on Gulf Coast Hurricane Relief" portal
Building Diversity: A Survey of California Foundation Demographics, Policies and Practices
August 2009
A new Foundation Center report shows that people of color make up more than 40 percent of the staff of independent California foundations surveyed, and most (57 percent) are tracking the demographic composition of the populations served by their grantmaking. Nearly one quarter of chief executives hired since 2001 have been people of color. This is the second study commissioned by Northern California Grantmakers, Southern California Grantmakers, and San Diego Grantmakers to provide an overview of diversity in philanthropy in the state. The first, Embracing Diversity: Foundation Giving Benefiting California's Communities of Color, was released in June 2008.
- Download the report (PDF) Free
- Download the survey
Social Justice Grantmaking II
July 2009
After a number of years of declining faith in the efficacy of social justice philanthropy, grantmakers and practitioners alike are showing renewed optimism, according to Social Justice Grantmaking II, a benchmarking study by the Foundation Center that provides an in-depth look at current attitudes and giving patterns of social justice philanthropists. Grantmakers and practitioners interviewed cite a changed political environment, the success of community organizing in the recent election, and new ideas and energy in the field among a number of factors reinvigorating a commitment to social justice philanthropy.
- Read the press release
- Download the Highlights (PDF)
- Order the report
Vital Signs: Arts Funding in the Current Economy
July 2009
This special edition of Grantmakers in the Arts' GIAreader examines the impact of the economic crisis on the arts funding community. Excerpts include “The Outlook for Foundation Giving," prepared by the Foundation Center, which offers perspective on the prospects for giving by foundations that fund the arts in 2009 and 2010; and "Public Funding for the Arts: 2009 Update," prepared by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, which documents the outlook for public funding of the arts through 2009.
- Download the Report (PDF)
Accelerating Change for Women and Girls: The Role of Women's Funds
June 2009
The first of its kind, this report by the Foundation Center and the Women's Funding Network examines giving patterns and trends among larger private and community foundations and the distinctive contributions of women's funds to philanthropy. Accelerating Change for Women and Girls: The Role of Women's Funds finds that foundation giving targeted to benefit women and girls climbed 223 percent between 1990 and 2006 (after adjusting for inflation), compared to an overall giving increase of 177 percent.
- Read the press release
- Download the Highlights (PDF)
- Order the report
Perpetuity or Limited Lifespan: How Do Family Foundations Decide?
April 2009
The first large-scale examination of foundation lifespan planning, this study benchmarks the intentions, practices and attitudes of nearly 1,100 active family foundations in 2008. Perpetuity or Limited Lifespan: How Do Family Foundations Decide? reports that while existing in perpetuity continues to be the norm for the majority of existing family foundations, a small segment (12 percent) plan to limit their lifespan or are in the process of spending down, and a quarter are currently undecided. The study also examines the impact of foundation characteristics — e.g., size, age, staffing, and location — on lifespan planning options.
- Read the press release
- Download the Highlights (PDF)
- Download the report (PDF) Free
- Download the surveys
Embracing Diversity: Foundation Giving Benefiting California’s Communities of Color
June 2008
A new analysis of grantmaking by 50 of the state’s largest independent foundations finds that at least 39 percent of California-focused grants benefited populations of color. According to Embracing Diversity: Foundation Giving Benefiting California's Communities of Color, in 2005 alone, these 50 California-based foundations awarded a minimum of 2,700 grants totaling nearly $300 million to support health, education, social services, and other programs that serve ethnically or racially diverse populations.
- Download the report (PDF) Free
Proceedings From the First Annual Researcher/Practitioner Forum: The State of Research on Diversity in Philanthropy
May 2008
This report summarizes the discussions that took place at the first annual Researcher/Practitioner Forum which was held on September 27 and 28, 2007 at El Pomar Foundation’s Penrose House conference facilities in Colorado Springs, CO. The Forum was co-sponsored by the Council on Foundations, ARNOVA and the Foundation Center and was made possible by a grant from the Lumina Foundation. The first annual Researcher/Practitioner Forum brought together 25 researchers and foundation representatives to discuss the state of research on diversity in philanthropy.
- Download the report (PDF) Free
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