The Grants Classification System tracks 24 major beneficiary groups. If the intended beneficiary includes more than one population group, the grant is added to the total amount reported for each applicable category. Because grants may be counted more than once, each category is analyzed as a percentage of the total grant dollars and number of grants reported in the sample.
- Fewer than half (45 percent) of foundation grants in the sample were targeted to specified beneficiary groups in 2009, while the majority of grants were unspecified or intended to benefit the general public.
- The economically disadvantaged accounted for the largest share of giving in 2009—29.4 percent of grant dollars and 25 percent of grants.
- Children and youth benefited from the largest share of grants in 2009, receiving 23.8 percent of all grants.
- For a matched set of 502 grantmakers*, single parents showed the largest percentage gain, followed by ethnic or racial minorities.
- In contrast people with AIDS, men & boys, and substance abusers experienced the largest percentage declines in funding.
View chart on Major Grant Beneficiary Groups, 2009 (PDF)
*The matched set analyzes year-to-year changes in giving by sampled grantmakers. Over time, the sample size has changed, which could distort year-to-year fluctuations in grant dollars and grants targeting specific activities or populations. To account for these potential distortions, changes in giving are analyzed only for a matched set of funders included in both the 2008 and 2009 samples.
