Where can I find information on corporate giving?
Corporations may donate to charity by means of a company-sponsored foundation, through a separate corporate giving program, or both. Please refer to the FAQ entitled "What is the difference between a company-sponsored foundation and a corporate giving program?" for more information and definitions.
Company-sponsored foundations report to the IRS anually by means of Form 990-PF. It may be difficult, however, to get information on corporate giving programs, since no disclosure is required. Corporate giving programs are often managed by a company's community or public relations departments. Corporate giving whether by means of a foundation or not, usually is limited to programs of benefit to employees, their families, or residents of specific locations where the company conducts business. Geography plays a significant role in corporate grantmaking, and employee matching gifts programs are increasingly common vehicles for giving.
Cash donations are not the only type of corporate support. In-kind support such as the donation of equipment, the use of corporate facilities, printing or design services, or access to staff expertise are common forms of corporate giving as well.
When approaching corporate grantmakers, always consider the self-interest of the funder. A proposal to a corporation should emphasize how its support of your project will help it achieve its goals.
You may want to refer to some of the following resources on corporate giving, available at Foundation Center libraries, at some Cooperating Collections, and on the Internet:
Electronic Resources on Corporate Giving
- FC Search: The Foundation Center's Database on CD-ROM can be used to locate corporate funders. It is searchable by grantmaker type (company-sponsored foundations and corporate giving programs), subject, type of support, and many other searchable fields.
- The Foundation Directory Online, available on a subscription basis, allows you to perform online searches on nearly 80,000 foundations, corporate givers, and grantmaking public charities. Use the terms "Company-sponsored foundation" or "Corporate giving program" from the "Type of Grantmaker" index to focus on corporate funders.
- Hoover's Online is a user-friendly tool for finding basic company information and news.
- The Company/Executive Info section of David Lamb's Prospect Research Page is an excellent collection of links that may prove useful in pinpointing information on a specific corporation's charitable giving interests.
- The Internet Prospector's Reference Desk on Corporations is also a good starting point for researching companies. Click on the current newsletter or the archives for profiles of other Web resources focusing on corporate giving.
- Philanthropy News Digest (PND), an online compendium of weekly news abstracts on foundations, corporate giving and grants. Use the PND Archives to search past issues of the Philanthropy News Digest archive, dating back to January of 1995.
- The Foundation Center's RFP Bulletin provides listings of Requests for Proposals (RFPs). Each listing provides a brief overview of a current funding opportunity offered by corporate funders and other grantmaking organizations. You can subscribe for free to an e-mail version of this weekly posting.
Print Resources on Corporate Giving
- Abshire, Michael (ed.) Giving by Industry: A Reference Guide to the New Corporate Philanthropy. 2003 ed. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers, 2002.
- Corporate Philanthropy Report, issued by Aspen Publishers, is a useful periodical for keeping up-to-date on corporate giving.
- Directory of International Corporate Giving in America and Abroad. 11th ed. Farmington Hills, MI: The Taft Group, 1999.
- Funding Sources for Community and Economic Development 2005/2006: A Guide to Current Sources for Local Programs and Projects. 11th ed. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 2005.
- "The Good Company: A Survey of Corporate Social Responsibility." Economist 374 (22 January 2005). This special section is composed of four separate articles that question the merit and appropriateness of corporate philanthropy and its newer iteration, corporate social responsibility. The argument put forward is that society is better off when companies compete successfully and prosper.
- Kotler, Philip and Nancy Lee. Corporate Social Responsibility: Doing the Most Good for Your Company and Your Cause. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. 2005. Numerous corporate executives provide real-world examples and best practices related to various types of corporate philanthropy, including cause-related marketing, employee volunteer programs, and socially responsible business practices, among others. Directed to other corporate leaders, Kotler and Lee tell how corporations have successfully integrated socially responsible practices into the business environment.
- National Directory of Corporate Giving. 12th ed. New York: The Foundation Center, 2006.
- Thompson, Verne (ed.) Corporate Giving Directory. 28th ed. Farmington Hills, MI: The Taft Group, 2005.
- Scott, Sheldon K. Successful Corporate Fund Raising: Effective Strategies for Today's Nonprofits. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 2000.
- National Directory of Corporate Public Affairs. 24th ed. Washington, D.C.: Columbia Books, Inc., 2005.
For other books and articles on corporate giving, try searching our Catalog of Nonprofit Literature (CNL), the Center's bibliographic database. You could start searching on the subjects "Corporate philanthropy", "Corporate foundations" or "Corporate giving programs".
Many of the books and articles found through CNL can be located in Center Libraries and some Cooperating Collections. It is best to call ahead to verify a specific library's holdings.
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