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 Growth and Giving Estimates, Current Outlook (2009 Edition)
March 2009
In the midst of a deepening economic crisis, the more than 75,000 U.S. grantmaking foundations increased their giving 2.8 percent in 2008 to an estimated $45.6 billion, according to Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates: Current Outlook (2009 Edition). While giving increased modestly, it did not grow as much as had been expected due to the extreme nature of the economic downturn. Over 67 percent of foundations surveyed said they expect to reduce their 2009 giving.
Key estimates for 2008 giving include:
- Independent and family foundations — which represent close to nine out of 10 foundations — increased their giving 2.5 percent to $33 billion.
- Corporate foundation giving held steady at $4.4 billion.
- Community foundation giving rose 6.7 percent to $4.6 billion, surpassing corporate foundations for the first time.
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Foundation Giving Trends (2009 Edition)
February 2009
Foundation support for eight of the 10 major subject areas rose in 2007, despite the first signs of an economic downturn in the latter half of the year, according to Foundation Giving Trends (2009 Edition). Funding for the environment and animals rose fastest, up 28.5 percent from the prior year — more than double the 13.2 percent rise in overall grant dollars.
Key findings include:
- Foundations awarded a record 188 grants of $10 million or more in 2007. Of the 10 largest, eight 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 23.4 percent of total grant dollars awarded.
- Among specific populations, the economically disadvantaged benefited from the largest share of grant dollars, rising to a record $5.3 billion.
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Foundation Yearbook: Facts and Figures on Private and Community Foundations (2008 Edition)
July 2008
Foundation Yearbook, 2008 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 10 percent in 2007 to an estimated $42.9 billion
- Giving by the nation's more than 72,000 grantmaking foundations increased 7.1 percent in 2006 to $39 billion
- Assets of all active U.S. foundations were up 11.6 percent to a record $614.7 billion in 2006
- The West posted the fastest rate of growth in number of foundations, total giving, and assets in 2006
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Other New Reports
Key Facts on Community Foundations
May 2009
Despite the worsening economy, community foundations raised their giving by an estimated 6.7 percent in 2008 to a record $4.6 billion, surpassing corporate foundation giving for the first time on record. While community foundations have benefited in recent years from strong increases in asset values and from new gifts and bequests, undoubtedly they will have to reduce giving in 2009. Close to three-fourths of those responding to our forecasting survey expect to decrease their giving this year.
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Key Facts on Corporate Foundations
May 2009
Charitable giving by the nation's nearly 2,500 corporate foundations remained virtually unchanged in 2008, according to Key Facts on Corporate Foundations, a new Foundation Center report. Giving totaled an estimated $4.4 billion last year. Corporate foundation giving will most certainly decline in 2009, with the banking and finance industries accounting for about one-quarter of corporate foundation support in recent years and corporate earnings down across the board. Slightly more than half of corporate foundations responding to the Center's survey said they expect to reduce their giving this year.
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Key Facts on Family Foundations
January 2009
Giving by America's family foundations reached over $18 billion in 2007, a 13 percent increase from the previous year, according to the Foundation Center's new report, Key Facts on Family Foundations (2009 Edition). Among a subset of the largest family foundations, 30 percent of their giving provided a specific benefit for the economically disadvantaged.
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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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