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Grantmakers are an important audience for us, and the Foundation Center provides resources and services tailored to your special needs.
How Can We Help You?
We have answers to your questions about the services of the Foundation Center and how we can help your organization. Peruse our FAQs, submit a question to our Online Librarian, or consult one of our topical resource lists.
Help us to ensure that grantseekers are finding current information about your programs. We make it easy for you to submit your grants electronically, update your record, create a web site, and inform the public about news, jobs, and grant opportunities.
Refer your grantees and applicants to us! We can help them improve their funding research and proposal writing skills, and identify alternate funding sources.
Are you new to the foundation world? Let us help you understand the basics of foundations, grants, and the 990-PF.
We have the latest research on U.S. foundations and their giving, white papers on best practices for grantmakers, and a catalog of online reports sponsored by foundations.
What's New
First-Ever Study on Foundation Funding for Hispanics/Latinos
12/12/11
Foundation Funding for Hispanics/Latinos in the United States and for Latin America finds that over the past decade foundation giving explicitly designated to benefit Hispanics and Latinos has remained virtually unchanged, even as the Hispanic population in the U.S. has grown significantly over the same period. The first study of its kind, the report examines foundation giving in the United States by funder type, issue area, geographic area, and type of support, and in Latin America by issue area.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
Diminishing Dollars for Social Justice Philanthropy
11/17/11
Diminishing Dollars: The Impact of the 2008 Financial Crisis on the Field of Social Justice Philanthropy finds that a small but important subset of grantmakers — those who work on issues ranging from human rights to environmental justice — has been disproportionately impacted by the global financial crisis and their recovery remains in jeopardy. The report examines historical trends, describes strategies used by foundations to cope with depleted assets, and presents projections through 2015.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
More Foundations Use Investment Assets To Achieve
Their Missions
10/26/11
Key Facts on Mission Investing finds that one-in-seven surveyed foundations are directing their endowment dollars to market-rate mission-related investments (MRIs) and/or below-market-rate program-related investments (PRIs). These grantmakers hold 20 percent of all U.S. foundation assets. More than half of those making MRIs began doing so within the past five years.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
New Web Site Helps Donors Meet Global Water Challenges
10/19/11
WASHfunders.org is a hub of information and resources for grantmakers working to improve water access, sanitation, and hygiene, around the globe. It addresses a critical challenge in philanthropy — knowing who is funding what, and where — so that the community of funders can more effectively, and collectively, meet global challenges. WASHfunders.org provides free access to a broad set of knowledge resources, including a mapping tool, WASH strategies of leading foundations, case studies of WASH projects around the world, tools for assessing project outcomes; and a searchable archive of research reports.
- Read the press release
- Visit WASHfunders.org
Patrick McCarthy and John Colborn Elected to Foundation Center Board
9/21/11
Patrick McCarthy, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and John Colborn, vice president, operations, at the Ford Foundation, have been elected to the Foundation Center's Board of Trustees. McCarthy is a champion of data as an essential tool for policymakers and nonprofits working for positive change, and Colborn is responsible for overseeing grants administration, information technology, and operations for the second largest private foundation in the U.S. Their service on the Board will begin in November 2011.
- Read the press release
- View the Foundation Center's Board of Trustees
Foundations Feel the Impact of States' Budget Gaps
9/15/11
Nearly ninety percent of America's largest foundations report that at least some of the nonprofit organizations they support have been severely affected by state budget cuts. One-quarter report having grantees that have been forced to suspend operations. Foundation Leaders Address the State Budget Crises is the latest report in a series based on surveys of our Grantmaker Leadership Panel and also includes an essay, "How Grantmakers Can Respond to the State Budget Crises," by Doug Bauer, executive director of New York's Clark Foundation.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
Bay Area Foundation Giving Grew Faster Over Last Decade
6/23/11
Since 2000, foundations in the Bay Area reported faster growth in total giving and assets compared to California and U.S. foundations overall. According to Key Facts on Bay Area Foundations, these grantmakers awarded $3.1 billion in 2009, a 77% increase over 2000, and their assets rose 34% during the same ten years, despite a steep decline in 2008.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
Lisa Philp To Join the Foundation Center as Vice President for Strategic Philanthropy and Director of GrantCraft
6/22/11
On October 1, Lisa Philp, formerly managing director and global head of philanthropic services for the J.P. Morgan Private Bank in New York, will join the staff of the Foundation Center in the new position of vice president for strategic philanthropy and director of GrantCraft. She will oversee the work of GrantCraft and will help donors and their advisors use our other knowledge resources to help them be more effective in their work.
- Read the press release
One-Third of European Foundations Support
Women and Girls
5/25/11
While 37 percent of surveyed European foundations actively supported programs that benefit women and girls in 2009, 90 percent of the same foundations express an interest in issues related to this population group. This landmark study, Untapped Potential: European Foundation Funding for Women and Girls, examines the scope and distribution of European-based funding for women and girls and notes the gap that exists between European foundations' stated interests and their actual engagement.
- Read the press release
- Download the highlights Free
- Download the full report Free
Foundation Giving for Economic Development in Ohio
on the Rise
5/5/11
According to Spotlight on Economic Development Grantmaking in Ohio, foundation grant dollars
for economic development activities increased from $24.5 million in 2005 to $62 million in 2008, a 152% upswing. As a share of total giving in Ohio, economic development grants doubled, from 7 to 14 percent.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
- Visit Focus on Economic Development
Grantmaking in Ohio
Foundation Funding for U.S. Indigenous Peoples in Decline
5/3/11
Over the past decade, U.S. foundation support benefiting Native Americans declined from 0.5 percent to 0.3 percent of total foundation giving. According to Foundation Funding for Native American Issues and Peoples, total grant dollars targeting Native Americans dropped 30.8 percent in the latest year, compared to a 14.1 percent overall downturn in foundation giving. This report, prepared by the Foundation Center and Native Americans in Philanthropy, documents trends in giving based on actual grants awarded by over 1,000 of the largest U.S. foundations.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
Foundation Center Releases Updates on Corporate and Community Foundations
4/25/11
 
The 2011 editions of our essential fact sheets on corporate and community foundations provide critical statistics on the resources and giving priorities of these distinct types of U.S. grantmakers. The reports find that corporate foundation giving remained nearly unchanged in 2010 and that 2010 saw the first consecutive-year decline in community foundation giving recorded since 1981.
- Download Key Facts on Corporate Foundations Free
- Download Key Facts on Community Foundations Free
Foundation Giving Held Steady in 2010
4/7/11
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.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
Key Facts on Social Justice Grantmaking
4/1/11
According to Key Facts on Social Justice Grantmaking (2011 Edition), social justice giving accounted for more than 14 percent of grant dollars awarded by the largest U.S. foundations in 2009. The top 25 social justice funders gave 70 percent of the total in the latest Foundation Center's annual grants sample.
- Download the report Free
Sara Gould Joins the Foundation Center as Visiting Fellow
2/15/11
Sara K. Gould, former president and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women, has joined the Foundation Center as The Atlantic Philanthropies Senior Fellow. In this role, she will undertake research and other activities to increase the philanthropic sector's focus on social justice philanthropy and advance thinking in key related areas, such as leadership development. Ms. Gould will also serve as an advisor to the GrantCraft project, as well as to the Center's work with global women's funds.
- Read the press release
Read and Comment on the Center's New Strategic Plan
2/7/11
"Foundation Center 2020" is the Foundation Center's just-launched strategic plan, which looks a decade down the road. Because we recognize that the world may look very different 10 years from now, we designed this plan to evolve over time. The interactive format enables you to comment on our plans and the direction of the field of philanthropy in general - feedback which will help us make course corrections in the future.
- Read and comment on the plan now
The Foundation Center and European Foundation Centre Are New Leaders of GrantCraft
2/7/11
GrantCraft is a groundbreaking enterprise that equips grantmakers with an array of tools to help them hone their craft and be more effective. Established by the Ford Foundation ten years ago, the Foundation Center and European Foundation Centre will usher in a new phase in its development to help grantmakers worldwide keep pace with the demands of the changing philanthropic landscape.
- Read the press release
- Visit GrantCraft
New Tools, Resources Launched at "Foundations for Education Excellence"
1/5/11
Foundations for Education Excellence helps grantmakers identify promising practices and partnerships in the education field nationwide.
The site has been revamped with new tools and features that facilitates funders' search for high-
impact programs in education.
- Read the press release
- Visit Foundations for Education Excellence
Grantmaking to Communities of Color in Oregon
12/30/10
This groundbreaking report uses the most comprehensive database ever assembled on Oregon foundation giving. It examines the extent to which grantmaking by Oregon's 779 foundations reached the state's communities of color in 2008, providing important baseline data about foundation giving in the context of the state's changing demographics. Grantmaking to Communities of Color in Oregon was prepared by the Foundation Center for GRANTMAKERS of Oregon and Southwest Washington, a regional association group.
- Download the report Free
Key Facts on Foundations’ Public Policy-related Activities
12/15/10
The Foundation Center’s first report benchmarking the level of engagement of U.S. foundations in policy-related activities reflects an increase in grantmaker support for research, public education, and resources to policymakers in recent years. Key Facts on Foundations’ Public Policy-related Activities finds that one-quarter of the more than 1,300 foundations that responded to a survey either fund or are engaged in such activities, with larger foundations far more likely to participate than smaller ones. In fact, more than half of those who engage in public policy-related activities increased their levels of support over the last five years.
- Download the report Free
International Grantmaking Update: A Snapshot of U.S. Foundation Trends
12/13/10
Giving by U.S. foundations for international purposes held virtually steady last year, generating $6.7 billion, down just 4 percent. According to International Grantmaking Update: A Snapshot of U.S. Foundation Trends, a new report prepared by the Foundation Center in cooperation with the Council on Foundations, this decrease was less than half the 8.4 percent estimated decline in foundation giving overall last year.
- Read the press release
- Download the report Free
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Use 990 Finder to look up the IRS returns of your applicants and grantees.
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Philanthropy In/Sight™
Our interactive mapping tool illustrates philanthropy's impact around the world. Create customized maps with demographic overlays to show funding patterns worldwide.
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E-Updates for Grantmakers
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Foundation Center Updater
Help ensure that grantseekers are finding the most current information about your programs — and you'll receive a free subscription to Foundation Directory Online!
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Free Web Sites
for Foundations
Our "Foundation Folders" program provides free web sites to foundations, to make information about their foundations more widely available.
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Best Practices for Grantmakers
Gain fresh perspectives and useful advice on core areas of foundation practice with Practice Matters: The Improving Philanthropy Project.
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