Chinese-language Resources for Funders Now Available
1/16/13
Thirty-one guides widely used by grantmakers in the U.S. have been translated into Chinese for free distribution. The titles are part of GrantCraft, which taps the collective knowledge of funders to share insights to help them hone their craft.
- Read the press release
- Download guides at GrantCraft
Philanthropy and the Social Economy: Blueprint 2013
1/7/13
Philanthropy and the Social Economy: Blueprint 2013, written by leading philanthropy scholar Lucy Bernholz, predicts big data-related shifts this year for donors and "doers." The Blueprint — a GrantCraft publication — provides more than a dozen examples of foundations embracing data and predicts data will be transformative for philanthropy in the future, in terms of both practice and policy.
- Read the press release
- Download Philanthropy and the Social Economy:
Blueprint 2013 Free
Foundation Center Aligns With World Bank Institute, Endorses Open Aid Partnership
11/14/12
The Foundation Center has endorsed the World Bank Institute's Open Aid Partnership and its efforts to improve the openness and effectiveness of development assistance worldwide. The Center will contribute data and analysis on global philanthropy in this effort to produce a collaborative map to help improve coordination, efficiency, transparency, and accountability of development assistance.
- Read the press release
IssueLab Knowledge Sharing Platform Now Contains 11,000 Resources
11/8/12
IssueLab provides free access to resources that analyze the world's most pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges and their potential solutions. Its 11,000 documents represents one of the largest collections of social sector knowledge. Search and browse the database by social issue area, author, publishing organization, or geography.
- Read the press release
- Visit IssueLab
New Reports Shed Light on Payout Practices and Expense Patterns of U.S. Foundations
10/23/12
Two new reports provide an authoritative, unbiased source of knowledge to help the public, policymakers, and foundations better understand payout practices and spending patterns of more than 1,000 larger U.S. independent foundations. Understanding and Benchmarking Foundation Payout finds that 46 percent of endowed foundations reported payout rates in the range of 5 to 5.9 percent, on average. Benchmarking Foundation Administrative Expenses finds that whether a foundation employs paid staff is the single most important factor affecting its expense levels.
- Read the press release
Foundation Center and TechSoup Global Form Strategic Alliance
10/18/12
The Foundation Center and TechSoup Global — an organization that connects nonprofits around the world with donated technology products and educational resources — have announced a strategic alliance that will leverage their expertise in data management, analysis, and visualization to unlock the power of information for the social sector worldwide.
 - Read the press release
GuideStar and Foundation Center Offer New Benefits to Charitable Organizations
10/16/12
In a new partnership that promotes knowledge sharing and strengthens the nonprofit and grantmaking sectors, GuideStar and the Foundation Center will support each other's activities and share information to enhance effectiveness and efficiency across the sector. The partnership kicks off with offers of discounts on specific products to supporters, members, and stakeholders.
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"Reporting Commitment" Opens Up Grants Data
10/9/12
A group of the largest U.S. foundations have formally committed to release their grant information in a consistent, open, and frequent manner, in an effort to more effectively address the issues facing our communities and our world. To date, 15 foundations have partnered with the Foundation Center and agreed to open up their grantmaking data in this initiative known as the "Reporting Commitment."
- Read the press release
- Visit "Reporting Commitment" at Glasspockets
New Research on Philanthropy Directed to Black Males in U.S. Reveals Important Trends
10/1/12
Where Do We Go From Here? Philanthropic Support for Black Men and Boys is the first report of its kind to document philanthropic activity for black males. The research reveals that annual funding designated for black men and boys has been rising steadily, from $10 million in 2003 to $29 million in 2010. Education is a top funding priority for this group: between 2008 and 2010, education garnered 40 percent of these grant dollars.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
Foundation Center Launches "Eye on the Giving Pledge"
8/1/12
The Giving Pledge is an effort that encourages wealthy Americans to commit the majority of their assets to philanthropic causes. "Eye on the Giving Pledge," a new feature at Glasspockets, offers an in-depth picture of Giving Pledge participants, their charitable activities, and the potential impact of the Giving Pledge. With a combined net worth of roughly $400 billion, the commitments made by the current 81 Giving Pledge participants could bring an estimated $200 billion or more to charity over time, representing a dramatic increase in philanthropic giving.
- Read the press release
- Visit "Eye on Giving Pledge"
Foundation Center Acquires IssueLab
6/11/12
In the coming months, the Foundation Center's PubHub and IssueLab will be combined to provide open access to 12,000+ documents. It will be one of the largest collections of social sector research for nonprofit practitioners, grantmakers, policymakers, and researchers.
- Read the press release
Foundation Giving Lost Ground to Inflation in 2011
6/7/12
Giving by U.S. foundations totaled an estimated $46.9 billion in 2011, surpassing the $46.8 billion pre-recession peak recorded in 2008. Yet, after accounting for inflation, contributions by the nation's more than 76,600 foundations were down slightly from 2010. According to Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates (2012 Edition), if the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation were excluded from the totals, 2011 giving would actually have gone down by roughly 3 percent after inflation.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
Giving in Illinois
6/1/12
Illinois is home to more than 4,000 grantmaking foundations and their giving totaled a record $2.4 billion in 2010 according to Giving in Illinois. The report examines the Illinois foundation community and giving priorities all foundations giving in the state; it was produced in cooperation with Chicago's Donors Forum.
- Download the report Free
Foundation Center and Development Gateway Announce Strategic Partnership
4/23/12
The Foundation Center and Development Gateway have announced a breakthrough partnership that will link their expertise in global philanthropy and global development to produce a clearer picture of international aid flows. Data from both organizations will power online platforms that will make collaboration between foundations, foreign aid programs, and nonprofits more efficient and effective.
- Read the press release
Foundation Support for Water-related Issues Growing
3/20/12
Foundation Funding for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene finds that between 2003 and 2010 the number of active WASH funders tripled, and the number of organizations receiving their grants--totaling $144 million in 2009-2010--increased five-fold. While WASH funding as a proportion of international grantmaking overall has grown from 0.2 percent in 2003, it remains very small (1.7 percent in 2010).
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
Giving by U.S. Family Foundations Recovering Slowly
2/8/12
America's family foundations contributed more than $20 billion in 2010 to organizations and people working for the public good, but total giving did not reach its pre-recession peak of $21 billion in 2008. According to the Foundation Center's latest edition of Key Facts on Family Foundations, the 1.1 percent increase in family foundation giving between 2009 and 2010 marks a reversal of the previous year's 3.4 percent decline.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
Unexpected Surge in Giving by Georgia Foundations
1/18/12
Key Facts on Georgia Foundations finds that giving by the state's foundations rose an unexpected 7 percent in 2009, due in large part to increased giving by several key funders. The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta led all other foundations in terms of total giving, with an organization-high $142 million in grants awarded for the year. This increase in giving occurred despite a modest growth in assets of Georgia foundations and a slight decline in the number of the state's foundations.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
First-Ever Study on Foundation Funding for Hispanics/Latinos
12/13/11
Foundation Funding for Hispanics/Latinos in the United States and for Latin America finds that over the past decade foundation giving explicitly designated to benefit Hispanics and Latinos has remained virtually unchanged, even as the Hispanic population in the U.S. has grown significantly over the same period. The first study of its kind, the report examines foundation giving in the United States by funder type, issue area, geographic area, and type of support, and in Latin America by issue area.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free in English | en español
- Read an important clarification about the findings
February 2012
Diminishing Dollars for Social Justice Philanthropy
11/17/11 
Diminishing Dollars: The Impact of the 2008 Financial Crisis on the Field of Social Justice Philanthropy finds that a small but important subset of grantmakers — those who work on issues ranging from human rights to environmental justice — has been disproportionately impacted by the global financial crisis and their recovery remains in jeopardy. The report examines historical trends, describes strategies used by foundations to cope with depleted assets, and presents projections through 2015.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
More Foundations Use Investment Assets To Achieve Their Missions
10/26/11 
Key Facts on Mission Investing finds that one-in-seven surveyed foundations are directing their endowment dollars to market-rate mission-related investments (MRIs) and/or below-market-rate program-related investments (PRIs). These grantmakers hold 20 percent of all U.S. foundation assets. More than half of those making MRIs began doing so within the past five years.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
New Web Site Helps Donors Meet Global Water Challenges
10/19/11 
WASHfunders.org is a hub of information and resources for grantmakers working to improve water access, sanitation, and hygiene, around the globe. It addresses a critical challenge in philanthropy — knowing who is funding what, and where — so that the community of funders can more effectively, and collectively, meet global challenges. WASHfunders.org provides free access to a broad set of knowledge resources, including a mapping tool, WASH strategies of leading foundations, case studies of WASH projects around the world, tools for assessing project outcomes; and a searchable archive of research reports.
- Read the press release
- Visit WASHfunders.org
Charity Fundraising Results See No Change in First Half of 2011
9/29/11 
The 2011 Nonprofit Fundraising Survey from the Nonprofit Research Collaborative (NRC) finds that 44 percent of nonprofits increased their fundraising in the first half of 2011, which is comparable to the same period in 2010. The NRC includes the Foundation Center, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Blackbaud, the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, Giving USA Foundation, GuideStar USA, Inc., and the Urban Institute's National Center for Charitable Statistics.
- Download the survey
- Read the press release
Patrick McCarthy and John Colborn Elected to Foundation Center Board
9/21/11 
Patrick McCarthy, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and John Colborn, vice president, operations, at the Ford Foundation, have been elected to the Foundation Center's Board of Trustees. McCarthy is a champion of data as an essential tool for policymakers and nonprofits working for positive change, and Colborn is responsible for overseeing grants administration, information technology, and operations for the second largest private foundation in the U.S. Their service on the Board will begin in November 2011.
- Read the press release
- View the Foundation Center's Board of Trustees
Foundations Feel the Impact of States' Budget Gaps
9/15/11 
Nearly ninety percent of America's largest foundations report that at least some of the nonprofit organizations they support have been severely affected by state budget cuts. One-quarter report having grantees that have been forced to suspend operations. Foundation Leaders Address the State Budget Crises is the latest report in a series based on surveys of our Grantmaker Leadership Panel.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
Bay Area Foundation Giving Grew Faster Over
Last Decade
6/23/11 
Since 2000, foundations in the Bay Area reported faster growth in total giving and assets compared to California and U.S. foundations overall. According to Key Facts on Bay Area Foundations, these grantmakers awarded $3.1 billion in 2009, a 77% increase over 2000, and their assets rose 34% during the same ten years, despite a steep decline
in 2008.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
Lisa Philp To Join the Foundation Center as
Vice President for Strategic Philanthropy and
Director of GrantCraft
6/22/11 
On October 1, Lisa Philp, formerly managing director and global head of philanthropic services for the J.P. Morgan Private Bank in New York, will join the staff of the Foundation Center in the new position of vice president for strategic philanthropy and director of GrantCraft. She will oversee the work of GrantCraft and will help donors and their advisors use our other knowledge resources to help them be more effective in their work.
- Read the press release
One-Third of European Foundations Support
Women and Girls
5/25/11 
While 37 percent of surveyed European foundations actively supported programs that benefit women and girls in 2009, 90 percent of the same foundations express an interest in issues related to this population group. This landmark study, Untapped Potential: European Foundation Funding for Women and Girls, examines the scope and distribution of European-based funding for women and girls and notes the gap that exists between European foundations' stated interests and their actual engagement.
- Read the press release
- Download the highlights Free
- Download the full report Free
Foundation Giving for Economic Development in Ohio on the Rise
5/5/11 
According to Spotlight on Economic Development Grantmaking in Ohio, foundation grant dollars
for economic development activities increased from $24.5 million in 2005 to $62 million in 2008, a 152 percent upswing. As a share of total giving in Ohio, economic development grants doubled, from 7 to 14 percent.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
- Visit Focus on Economic Development
Grantmaking in Ohio
Foundation Funding for U.S. Indigenous Peoples
in Decline
5/3/11 
Over the past decade, U.S. foundation support benefiting Native Americans declined from 0.5 percent to 0.3 percent of total foundation giving. According to Foundation Funding for Native American Issues and Peoples, total grant dollars targeting Native Americans dropped 30.8 percent in the latest year, compared to a 14.1 percent overall downturn in foundation giving.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
Foundation Giving Held Steady in 2010
4/7/11 
The country's more than 76,000 grantmaking foundations gave an estimated $45.7 billion in 2010, virtually unchanged from 2009. According to Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates (2011 Edition), 2010 giving remained just 2.1 percent below the record high of $46.8 billion awarded by foundations in 2008, despite the fact that foundation assets were still close to 10 percent below their 2007 peak.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
Two-Thirds of Surveyed Charities Report Fundraising Results Held Steady or Improved in 2010
3/22/11 
A national survey from the Nonprofit Research Collaborative — of which the Foundation Center is a partner organization — finds a majority of charities surveyed saw their fundraising revenue remain stable or increase last year. The survey also showed that strong fundraising results were more likely when organizations invested resources in fundraising staff and infrastructure, including volunteer management.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
Sara Gould Joins the Foundation Center as
Visiting Fellow
2/15/11 
Sara K. Gould, former president and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women, has joined the Foundation Center as The Atlantic Philanthropies Senior Fellow. In this role, she will undertake research and other activities to increase the philanthropic sector's focus on social justice philanthropy and advance thinking in key related areas, such as leadership development.
- Read the press release
The Foundation Center and European Foundation Centre Are New Leaders of GrantCraft
2/7/11 
GrantCraft is a groundbreaking enterprise that equips grantmakers with an array of tools to help them hone their craft and be more effective. Established by the Ford Foundation ten years ago, the Foundation Center and European Foundation Centre will usher in a new phase in its development to help grantmakers worldwide keep pace with the demands of the changing philanthropic landscape.
- Read the press release
- Visit GrantCraft
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