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: Facts and Figures on Private and Community Foundations (2008 Edition)
July 2008
Foundation Yearbook, 2008 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 rose 10 percent in 2007 to an estimated $42.9 billion
- Giving by the nation's more than 72,000 grantmaking foundations increased 7.1 percent in 2006 to $39 billion
- Assets of all active U.S. foundations were up 11.6 percent to a record $614.7 billion in 2006
- The West posted the fastest rate of growth in number of foundations, total giving, and assets in 2006
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Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates: Current Outlook (2008 Edition)
May 2008
The country's more than 72,000 grantmaking foundations increased their giving to $42.9 billion in 2007, an estimated 10 percent gain over 2006, according to Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates: Current Outlook (2008 Edition). Contributing to this rise was close to 12 percent growth in foundation assets in 2006 — the first double-digit gain in assets recorded since 1999.
Key estimates reported include:
- Independent and family foundations — which represent almost nine out of 10 foundations — raised their giving by 12.7 percent in 2007, up from an increase of 9 percent in 2006.
- Corporate foundation giving rose 6.6 percent in 2007, following a modest 2.6 percent increase in 2006.
- Community foundations raised their giving by 13.9 percent in 2007, up from 11.8 percent growth in 2006-the fourth consecutive year of double-digit increases.
- Read the press release
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- View the presentation
Foundation Giving Trends, 2008 Edition
February 2008
The nation's largest foundations increased funding for all major subject areas in 2006, with a record number of exceptionally large grants helping to drive this growth. According to the Foundation Center's new report, Foundation Giving Trends (2008 Edition), six out of 10 fields posted double-digit rates of growth in the latest year, led by the field of international affairs/development/peace, which grew 72.5 percent. For the first time ever, health surpassed education based on the share of grant dollars received.
Key findings include:
- International giving overall increased 48.4 percent, driven by strong gains in funding for international affairs/development/peace and health.
- Foundations awarded a record 386 grants of $5 million or more in 2006.
- The 16.4 percent growth in grant dollars awarded by sampled foundations in 2006 followed a far more modest 6.1 percent gain in the prior year.
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Other New Reports
Key Facts on Community Foundations
May 2008
Estimated giving by the nation's 717 grantmaking community foundations rose 14 percent in 2007 to a record $4.1 billion, according to Key Facts on Community Foundations, the Foundation Center's new report. Nearly two-thirds of the community foundations surveyed expect to increase their giving in 2008. Findings based on final 2006 data show that community foundations accounted for 1 percent of U.S. grantmaking foundations but were responsible for 9 percent of giving.
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Key Facts on Corporate Foundations
April 2008
Giving by corporate foundations increased 6.6 percent in 2007 to an estimated $4.4 billion, according to Key Facts on Corporate Foundations, a new Foundation Center report. Fifty-four percent of corporate foundations surveyed expect their giving to increase in 2008. At the same time, corporate foundation giving continued to grow at a slower rate than giving by other foundations.
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Key Facts on Family Foundations
March 2008
America's family foundations gave $16 billion in 2006, a 13 percent increase over 2005, according to the Foundation Center's new report, Key Facts on Family Foundations (2008 Edition). Since 1998 — the first year for which statistics on family foundations are available — giving by these grantmakers has more than doubled. The report identified 37,800 independent foundations with measurable donor or donor-family involvement.
- Read the press release, revised 4/22/08
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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.
- Read the press release
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- Download the Highlights
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