Posted on January 21, 2006

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Aspen Institute Announces Grants to Study Foundation Practices

The Nonprofit Sector Research Fund of the Aspen Institute has announced $275,000 in grants for research that examines the extent to which U.S. foundations award unrestricted support to nonprofits and cover their management and fundraising costs.

Part of an NSRF initiative that addresses large gaps in knowledge about organized philanthropy, the research will explore how different forms of foundation support affect the financial health, adaptability, and overall effectiveness of nonprofits. In addition to supporting new research, the initiative will communicate its findings to practitioners and policy makers.

The grants will fund studies at three institutions. They are the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, which was awarded $136,419 for its study, "Differential Impact of Foundations' Overhead Payment Policies on Social Service Agencies and Educational Institutions," by Patrick Rooney; the Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management at the University of San Francisco, which received $96,805 for "The Practices and Policies of California Foundations Regarding Grants to Nonprofit Organizations for General Operating Support," by Kathleen Fletcher; and the Center for Effective Philanthropy in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which was received $40,000 for "Unrestricted and Program-Restricted Foundation Support: The Grantee Viewpoint," by Phil Buchanan and Ellie Buteau.

"This is groundbreaking work," said NSRF director Alan Abramson. "We expect our researchers to uncover information that will help foundations and nonprofits better understand the impact of various grant options."

“NSRF Awards $275,000 to Study Foundation Practices on Nonprofit Grantees.” Aspen Institute Press Release 1/12/06.

Primary Subject: Philanthropy and Voluntarism
Location(s): California, Cambridge, Indiana, Indianapolis, Massachusetts, National, San Francisco

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