International Giving by Foundations
Reached a Record $3.8 Billion in 2005
New York, NY—October 9, 2006.
Estimated giving by U.S. foundations for international purposes reached a record $3.8 billion in 2005, according to International Grantmaking Update, released by the Foundation Center in cooperation with the Council on Foundations. This increase represented a nearly 12 percent inflation-adjusted gain over 2002—far surpassing the 2 percent rise in overall giving in the same period.
"Recent growth in international giving owes much to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's strong support for global health," commented Loren Renz, vice president for research at the Foundation Center and co-author of the report. "In addition, more grantmakers are engaged in international activities, and many foundations have stepped up their giving in response to international disasters."
International Grantmaking Update provides the latest data on international giving by private and community foundations. Among other key findings:
- International giving by sampled funders grew faster than overall giving regardless of foundation type, with community foundations reporting the fastest growth in international grant dollars.
- Exceptionally large grants boosted the share of international grant dollars in the field of health from less than one-third in 2002 to nearly one-half in 2004.
- The largest share of foundation grant dollars targeted global health (49 percent), while international development ranked first by number of grants awarded (22 percent).
- Between 2002 and 2004, giving to organizations in other countries declined 3 percent; in contrast, grants to U.S.-based international and global programs increased 49 percent.
"As this study shows, the continued growth in international grantmaking reflects the increasingly globalized world in which we live," noted Steve Gunderson, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations. "That growth is all the more significant because it took place during a challenging period for international grantmakers due to the slow economic recovery and regulatory uncertainty resulting from terrorism concerns."
International Grantmaking Update analyzes patterns of giving by foundation type, region, and subject focus. Findings are based on the Foundation Center's tracking of fiscal and programmatic information on close to 68,000 grantmaking foundations and roughly 6,000 public charities; and on the giving patterns of nearly 1,200 of the nation's largest foundations. The report can be downloaded at no charge from the Gain Knowledge area of the Foundation Center's web site: foundationcenter.org.
About the Foundation Center
Established in 1956, and today supported by more than 600 foundations, the Foundation Center is the nation's leading authority on organized philanthropy, connecting nonprofits and the grantmakers supporting them to tools they can use and information they can trust. The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. grantmakers and their grants and conducts research on trends in foundation growth and giving. It also operates education and outreach programs that help nonprofit organizations obtain the resources they need. More than 37,000 people visit the Center's web site each day, and thousands more are served in its five regional learning centers and through its national network of more than 280 Cooperating Collections. For more information, visit foundationcenter.org or call 212-620-4230.
About the Council on Foundations
The Council on Foundations is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit membership association of more than 2,000 grantmaking foundations and corporations, with assets totaling more than $282 billion. The Council provides the opportunity, leadership, and tools needed by philanthropic organizations to expand, enhance, and sustain their ability to advance the common good. For more information on the Council, visit its web site at www.cof.org.
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