The third volume in our Foundations Today Series, Foundation Yearbook: Facts and Figures on Private and Community Foundations (2009), provides data on the number of private and community foundations in the country and on their giving and assets through 2007. Using a survey of 1,225 large and mid-size foundations, as well as year-end fiscal indicators for all grantmaking foundations, the Yearbook also provides estimates of giving by private and community foundations for 2008. Further projections for foundation giving and assets for 2009 are also analyzed in this report.
In 2007, there were more than 75,000 grantmaking foundations, and foundation giving rose 13.8% over the previous year to $44.4 billion. In 2008, giving rose 2.8% to an estimated $45.6 billion, while foundation assets declined an estimated 21.9%. Based on this and other indicators, the Foundation Center projects that giving by foundations will fall by up to 13% in 2009. “The outlook beyond 2009 remains unclear, and much depends on when the economy and stock market begin a consistent recovery. At present, it appears likely that foundation giving will decline further next year” (Foundation Yearbook, highlight, p. 1).
New York and California held the largest share of foundation assets at 16%; while New York private and community foundations provided the largest share of giving overall. In terms of giving by foundation type, in 2007, 73% of all giving was done by independent foundations, which also had 83% of total foundation assets. With 8% of overall assets and only 1% of the total number of foundations in the country, community foundations made 10% of all giving. Representing only 3% of the total number of foundations, company-sponsored foundations also provided 10% of total giving.
See for yourself! Please download the free highlights and order the full report and the complete series from our web site.
