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 Yearbook (2011 Edition)
December 2011
Foundation Yearbook, 2011 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 was nearly unchanged from 2009 at $45.7 billion
- Foundation assets rose by 4.7 percent to an estimated $618.1 billion in 2010
- Foundation giving in 2011 is expected to remain flat
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Foundation Giving Trends (2011 Edition)
September 2011
Among the major areas of activity, education, health, human services, and public affairs/society benefit captured the largest shares of grant dollars awarded by sampled foundations in 2009, according to Foundation Giving Trends (2011 Edition). By number of grants, human services continued to rank first, with sampled funders allocating 27 percent for this area.
Key findings include:
- Foundations awarded 186 grants of $10 million or more in 2009. Of the 10 largest, five were awarded by the Gates Foundation, mainly for health and education.
- International giving — which cuts across all areas and includes grants awarded directly to overseas recipients and to U.S.-based international programs — accounted for nearly 24 percent of total grant dollars awarded.
- Among specific populations, the economically disadvantaged benefited from the largest share of grant dollars (29 percent) and grants (25 percent).
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Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates: Current Outlook (2011 Edition)
April 2011
The country's more than 76,000 grantmaking foundations gave an estimated $45.7 billion in 2010, virtually unchanged from 2009. According to Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates (2011 Edition), 2010 giving remained just 2.1 percent below the record high of $46.8 billion awarded by foundations in 2008, despite the fact that foundation assets were still close to 10 percent below their 2007 peak.
Key estimates for 2010 giving include:
- Independent and family foundations — which represent the vast majority of U.S. foundations — reduced their giving by less than 1 percent to $32.5 billion in 2010.
- Corporate foundation giving remained basically unchanged at $4.7 billion in 2010.
- Community foundation giving dipped 2.1 percent to $4.1 billion in 2010, the first consecutive-year decline on record.
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More New Reports
Key Facts on Family Foundations
February 2012
America's family foundations gave $20.6 billion in 2010, but their total giving did not reach its pre-recession peak of $21.1 billion in 2008. According to the Foundation Center's Key Facts on Family Foundations, the 1.1 percent increase in family foundation giving between 2009 and 2010 marks a reversal of the previous year's 3.4 percent decline. The report examines family foundation giving by issue area, type of support, population group served, and geographic location. It also details differences in the size of the boards of family foundations.
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Benchmarking Foundation Administrative Expenses: How Operating Characteristics Affect Spending
April 2011
Benchmarking Foundation Administrative Expenses: How Operating Characteristics Affect Spending explores how variations in foundations' characteristics, activities, and giving levels influence charitable (program-related) administrative expense levels. The report builds on the groundwork laid by a broader study of 2001 to 2003 foundation expenses, but focuses specifically on large independent foundations. The study's goals are to inform policy debates and foundation practices by documenting program-related administrative expenses and assessing the factors that drive these expenditures.
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The Nonprofit Fundraising Survey 2011
September 2011
The latest survey from the Nonprofit Research Collaborative (NRC) finds that 44 percent of nonprofits increased their fundraising in the first half of 2011, which is comparable to the same period in 2010. It also finds that larger nonprofits report greater fundraising success than those with smaller budgets. The NRC includes the Foundation Center, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Blackbaud, the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, Giving USA Foundation, GuideStar USA, Inc., and the Urban Institute's National Center for Charitable Statistics.
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Key Facts on Community Foundations
April 2011
According to Key Facts on Community Foundations (2011 Edition), 2010 saw the first consecutive decline in community foundation giving recorded since 1981. Giving by community foundations declined an estimated 2.1 percent in 2010 following a 7.1 percent reduction in 2009. Looking ahead, community foundations appear optimistic with half that responded to the Foundation Center's annual forecasting survey anticipating increases in giving in 2011, while another 16 percent expect it to remain steady.
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Key Facts on Corporate Foundations
April 2011
Corporate foundation giving remained mostly unchanged in 2010, according to Key Facts on Corporate Foundations (2011 Edition). Grant dollars rose 0.2 percent to $4.7 billion. Despite the severity of the economic downturn, corporate foundation giving remains at its highest level on record. Looking ahead, just over half (52 percent) of corporate foundations responding to the Foundation Center's annual forecasting survey expect to increase their giving in 2011.
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The 2010 Nonprofit Fundraising Survey: Funds Raised in 2010 Compared with 2009
March 2011
A survey from the Nonprofit Research Collaborative (NRC) finds that a majority of charities surveyed saw their fundraising revenue remain stable or increase last year. The survey also showed that strong fundraising results were more likely when organizations invested resources in fundraising staff and infrastructure, including volunteer management. The NRC includes the Foundation Center, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Blackbaud, the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, GuideStar USA, Inc., and the Urban Institute's National Center for Charitable Statistics.
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The Nonprofit Fundraising Survey
November 2010
A survey from the Nonprofit Research Collaborative (NRC) finds that nonprofits have seen a slight turnaround in giving so far this year that mirrors the slow economic recovery. But the small rebound hasn't been enough to help many that are grappling with staff and service cuts even as demand for their services has increased. The NRC includes the Foundation Center, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Blackbaud, the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, GuideStar USA Inc., and the Urban Institute's National Center for Charitable Statistics.
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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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