Philanthropy Front and Center - New York

New Research Advisory Gives Long-Term View of Foundation Giving

In September 2009, the Foundation Center conducted a follow-up to its January 2009 giving forecast survey to determine foundation expectations for giving beyond 2009. The survey responses from over 600 grantmakers have been analyzed and indicate that giving from foundations is expected to decline by more than 10 percent in 2009, and continued reductions are expected in 2010. "Foundations will be giving less than they expected at the beginning of the year," said Bradford K. Smith, president of the Foundation Center. "But many are rethinking their grantmaking so that fewer dollars will not necessarily mean less impact."

Foundations' Year-end Outlook for Giving and the Sector is the latest in the Center's research advisory series that explores the impact of the economic downturn on the nonprofit sector. The advisories and the online chart "In Their Own Words: 2009 Foundation Giving Forecast" are available at the Center's Focus on the Economic Crisis web page.

The report can be downloaded at no charge from the Gain Knowledge area of the Center's web site.

Steven Lawrence, Senior Director of Research at the Foundation Center and the author of the advisory, will be discussing this study and its specific findings at the New York library/learning center's 4th annual Open House, to be held on Tuesday, November 17.
Learn more about this program and sign up to attend today>>

Just in! Giving USA 2009

Researched and written at The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, and published by the Giving USA Foundation, Giving USA 2009 is an annual statistical analysis of charitable contributions in the United States, the sources of these contributions, and the uses to which the charitable contributions were put. The report analyzes the philanthropic giving of individuals, their bequests, foundations, and corporations. Contributions to the following areas are compared for various periods up to 2008: religion; education; foundations; health; human services; arts, culture, and humanities; public-society benefit; environment/animals; and international affairs. Of particular note are the listings of gifts of $10 million or more by individuals.

Analyses of the economic crisis and its effect on philanthropy and tips for fundraising in recessionary times are new in Giving USA 2009.

Looking for facts on U.S. philanthropy? Come to the Foundation Center's New York library and use Giving USA 2009 today.

New Study Examines Funding for Women and Girls and the Importance of Women's Funds

Accelerating Change for Women and Girls: The Role of Women's Funds, a study published jointly by the Foundation Center and the Women's Funding Network, examines institutional giving to projects targeting women and girls and explores the growing influence of women's funds in the philanthropic landscape.

According to the report, which draws on the Foundation Center's grants data, fiscal summaries, and survey research, the rate of foundation giving for women and girls has grown faster than foundation giving in all areas. The role of women’s funds has also gained in significance in recent years, both in terms of actual grantmaking and in terms of bringing attention to “…the catalytic power of investing in women and in women-led solutions” (Highlights, p. 2).

"Women are a rising force in philanthropy," said Christine Grumm, president and CEO of the Women's Funding Network. "This report demonstrates the power women-led solutions have in creating sustainable change in communities."

In conjunction with the release of the new study, Josie Atienza, assistant director of research at the Foundation Center, and Grumm presented report highlights to a group of more than 60 grantmakers and nonprofit organizations. Other speakers were Bradford K. Smith, president of the Foundation Center; Larry McGill, senior vice president for research; Ana Oliveira, president and chief executive officer of the New York Women's Foundation; and Merble Reagon, executive director of the Women’s Center for Education and Career Advancement.

For a free executive summary of Accelerating Change for Women and Girls: The Role of Women's Funds and information on ordering the full report, visit the Gain Knowledge area of the Foundation Center's web site.

Read the New Research Advisory on Foundations and the Economy

Findings from the Foundation Center's recent survey of the largest foundations in the country show that nearly two-thirds of the more than 1,200 respondents expect to give fewer or smaller grants in 2009. According to Foundations Address the Impact of the Economic Crisis, foundations are also looking to provide more technical assistance, emergency or bridge funding, and advocacy for the nonprofit organizations they support. Among the foundations responding to the survey, close to 40 percent also plan to draw at least in part on their endowments to fund grants and another 14 percent will reallocate grant budgets to fund economic crisis grants.

"Foundations are not rolling over in the face of adversity," said Steven Lawrence, the Center's senior director of research and author of the advisory. "The new survey shows foundations being creative, strategic, and willing to dig deep to ensure that their agendas move forward while this crisis persists."

This Foundation Center research advisory is the fifth in a series that explores the impact of the economic crisis on foundations and the nonprofit organizations they support. Read a summary of the new report in our press release or download it in full at no charge from the Gain Knowledge area of the Center's web site.

Philanthropy Annual: 2008 Review

Highlights of News and Issues That Shaped the Year
The Foundation Center has just released Philanthropy Annual: 2008 Review, our yearly overview of the news, issues, people, organizations, and giving trends shaping the field. The new edition "serves as a permanent record of the ups and downs we've faced together in 2008 and the efforts of so many people to strive for something better," says Bradford K. Smith, the Center's president, in the Annual's introduction. Contents are drawn in part from Philanthropy News Digest, our daily online news service, as well as from selected Center research findings and other sources. Available for free use in our libraries, the Annual can also be downloaded or purchased ($19.95) at our web site.

New York by the Numbers

Need a new view of what the Big Apple looks like to a statistician, city planner, or donor? Try the New York City Map Portal. This mapping tool allows you to visualize what your neighborhood looks like, find the local after-school programs, day care and Headstart programs, firehouses, libraries, senior centers, and Wi-Fi Hotspots. New York City Map Portal links to a wealth of government data resources, including the NYC Census Fact Finder, Community District Profiles, NYC Health Profiles, and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.

Savvy proposal writers also use other online resources such as the InfoShare Online database (from Community Studies of New York, Inc.) to study neighborhood profiles and compare social indicators.

NYCStats is the City’s one-stop-shop for data and statistics on City services, and includes the My Neighborhood Statistics database, which allows the public to track how City agencies are performing in each community.

A soon-to-come online tool is NYCStat Stimulus Tracker. This database launches at the end of March and will provide accountability and details on the use of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) money in New York City. For economic data, try the economic snapshots from the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

Know of other sources of facts and figures? Pass them along to your nonprofit colleagues by posting a comment here.

Susan Shiroma, Senior Librarian, Foundation Center-New York