Profile of the Funding Community

Each year the Foundation Center analyzes and interprets the entire body of data collected on active grantmaking foundations. Specifically, the Center measures the dimensions of U.S. grantmaking foundations by overall growth, state and region, foundation type, and period of establishment. This information is published in Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates and Foundation Yearbook. Summary statistics for the latest year include the following:

• In 2005, 71,095 foundations awarded grants totaling $36.4 billion and held assets of $550.6 billion.
• Between 2004 and 2005, total giving increased 14.3 percent to a record high (from $31.8 billion), while assets rose 7.8 percent (from $510.5 billion).
• Gifts to foundations from their donors were up nearly one-third, from $24 billion to $31.5 billion.