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.
Research Advisories
Our new research advisories address growing concerns about the impact of the current economic downturn on foundation giving and the financial outlook for the nonprofit sector.
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Foundations Today Series
Foundation Giving Trends (2010 Edition)
June 2010
Among the major areas of activity, health, education, arts and culture, and human services captured the largest shares of grant dollars awarded by sampled foundations in 2008, according to Foundation Giving Trends (2010 Edition). By number of grants, human services continued to rank first, with sampled funders allocating 26.4 percent for the field.
Key findings include:
- Foundations awarded a record 214 grants of $10 million or more in 2008. Of the 10 largest, six were made by the Gates Foundation mainly for health-related activities and international development.
- International giving — which cuts across all areas and includes grants awarded directly to overseas recipients and to U.S.-based international programs — reached a record 24.4 percent of total grant dollars awarded.
- Among specific populations, the economically disadvantaged benefited from the largest share of grant dollars, rising to a record $6.9 billion.
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Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates, Current Outlook (2010 Edition)
April 2010
The recent economic crisis caused the nation's more than 75,000 grantmaking foundations to cut their 2009 giving by an estimated 8.4 percent-by far the largest decline ever tracked by the Foundation Center. Grant dollars fell from $46.8 billion to $42.9 billion. Yet according to Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates (2010 Edition), released today by the Foundation Center, this cutback totaled less than half the 17 percent loss in foundation assets recorded in the prior year.
Key estimates for 2009 giving include:
- Independent and family foundations — which represent close to nine out of 10 foundations — reduced their giving 8.9 percent to $30.8 billion in 2009.
- Corporate foundation giving decreased 3.3 percent to $4.4 billion in 2009.
- Community foundation giving declined 9.6 percent to $4.1 billion in 2009, exceeding decreases by independent and corporate foundations.
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Foundation Yearbook: Facts and Figures on Private and Community Foundations (2009 Edition)
July 2009
Foundation Yearbook, 2009 Edition, provides an overview of the state of foundation giving in the current year and beyond, comparisons of foundation activities by foundation size, and breakdowns of foundation resources by geographic location and grantmaker type. Foundation Yearbook is part of the Foundations Today Series of annual research reports on foundation growth and trends in foundation giving.
The edition's key findings include:
- Overall foundation giving rose by an estimated 2.8 percent in 2008 to $45.6 billion
- Foundation assets dropped an estimated 21.9 percent in 2008, setting a record
- Estimated 2009 foundation giving will decrease by 8 to 13 percent
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Other New Reports
Key Facts on Community Foundations
April 2010
According to Key Facts on Community Foundations (2010 Edition), 2009 saw the first decline in current-dollar community foundation giving recorded since 1994. Community foundations also appear to be somewhat more pessimistic about
the outlook for their giving in 2010. However, despite reductions in giving, community foundations have been leaders in
responding to needs generated by the economic crisis, with 35 percent of respondents to a Foundation Center survey engaging in special initiatives to help their communities cope with repercussions from the
economic downturn, such as rising unemployment and homelessness.
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Key Facts on Corporate Foundations
April 2010
Corporate foundations reduced their giving by an estimated 3.3 percent in 2009, according to Key Facts on Corporate Foundations (2010 Edition), a new Foundation Center report. Grant dollars slipped to $4.4 billion, falling below the record $4.6 billion posted in 2008 but matching the level of corporate foundation giving reported in 2007. Looking ahead, three out of five (60 percent) corporate foundations responding to the Foundation Center's annual forecasting survey expect to either increase or maintain their giving in 2010.
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Key Facts on Family Foundations
April 2010
According to the Foundation Center's new report, Key Facts on Family Foundations (2010 Edition), giving by America's family foundations rose 14.4 percent between 2007 and 2008, far surpassing the 5.4 percent increase for foundations overall. Several leading foundations accounted for a significant part of that growth, and the top 25 family foundations together posted close to 25 percent growth in giving.
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What Drives Foundation Expenses and Compensation? Results of a Three-Year Study
February 2008
Foundation type, size, staffing patterns, and operating activities are the key factors that consistently drive foundation expense and compensation patterns, according to a new report issued jointly by the Urban Institute, the Foundation Center, and GuideStar. What Drives Foundation Expenses and Compensation? Results of a Three-Year Study shows that even under changing or volatile economic conditions, the administrative expense and compensation patterns of U.S. foundations are consistent and predictable. The report presents final results from the first large-scale, long-term study of independent, corporate, and community foundations' expenses and compensation.
Key findings include:
- Foundations differ greatly in their structures, resources, and operating characteristics and these differences significantly affect their expense levels.
- Employment of staff is the single most important factor affecting expense levels, followed by staff size and level of program activities.
- Most foundations do not compensate board members; those that do are most often staffed and independent.
- There is relatively little year-to-year change in the factors that drive expense ratios and in how foundations allocate their charitable administrative expenses.
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