Philanthropy Front and Center - Washington, DC

Listen! Brad Whitehead Discusses Philanthropy's Role in Economic Competitiveness

Brad Whitehead discusses economic development grantmaking and shares information about Cleveland's Fund For Our Economic Future, where Mr. Whitehead serves as president. A philanthropic collaboration of more than 70 foundations and agencies, the Fund has taken on activities aimed at increasing economic competitiveness across a 16-county area. Mr. Whitehead provides insights from the Northeast Ohio experience that may be useful to other philanthropic communities that may be grappling with how to leverage finite resources in response to significantly altered economic landscapes. Listen>>

Find other Foundation Center podcasts here. You can also subscribe to Foundation Center podcasts on iTunes or get the RSS feed here.

Brad Whitehead discusses economic development grantmaking and shares information about Cleveland's Fund For Our Economic Future, where Mr. Whitehead serves as president. A philanthropic collaboration of more than 70 foundations and agencies, the Fund has taken on activities aimed at increasing economic competitiveness across a 16-county area. Mr. Whitehead provides insights from the Northeast Ohio experience that may be useful to other philanthropic communities that may be grappling with how to leverage finite resources in response to significantly altered economic landscapes. Listen>>

Find other Foundation Center podcasts here. You can also subscribe to Foundation Center podcasts on iTunes or get the RSS feed here.

New Foundation Center Map of Cross-border Giving

Our new Map of Cross-border Giving allows grantseekers to access a wealth of information on grants awarded by U.S. foundations to non-U.S. recipients. This interactive database includes detailed descriptions of grants awarded to over 12,000 international organizations totaling more than $8.5 billion. With this new resource, users can:

• Browse grants from U.S. grantmakers to non-U.S. recipient organizations using the interactive world map.
• Filter grants by fiscal year, grantmaker type, primary subject, recipient type, or type of support.
• View descriptions of over 30,000 grants to international organizations with information on the recipient, amount awarded, duration, type of support, description, and subject.
• Access detailed profiles of more than 1,400 funders, including contact information, giving interests and limitations, key financial data, and full copies of IRS returns for past years.
• Copy, print, or save maps for future reference. Data can also be exported as a spreadsheet file for further manipulation.

The Foundation Center's Map of Cross-border Giving is available by monthly or annual subscription. For more details, go to crossborder.foundationcenter.org or visit the Marketplace section of our web site.

New Digital Publication - Celebrity Foundation Directory

The Foundation Center has just published the first edition of the Celebrity Foundation Directory.

This new title includes detailed descriptions of thousands of foundations started by VIPs in the fields of business, entertainment, politics, and sports. Through their private foundations, many notable individuals have made significant contributions to help underserved populations and provide support for medical research, green technology, and countless other causes they care about. Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, and Michael J. Fox are just a few examples of individuals who have made headlines for their support to philanthropic causes.

This new directory links celebrities with their grantmaking organizations and will help you identify which individuals or organizations may have an interest in funding your programs and activities. The interactive digital format allows for faster access to foundation profiles and includes links to additional grantmaker data online. The directory is also fully indexed for quick reference to information on individuals and foundations.

The Celebrity Foundation Directory is available for purchase at our web site. Buy now >>

Visit the Marketplace section of our web site for more information on this and other Foundation Center publications.

Decline in 2009 Foundation Giving Steeper Than Anticipated, According to New Foundation Center Survey

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.

New Partnership for Two DC Health Funders Simplifies Application Process

The Meyer Foundation recently announced that it is beginning a new partnership with the Consumer Health Foundation (CHF), the leading health funder in the Greater Washington region. Beginning next year, CHF will manage the application process for Meyer's health and mental health grants.

These two foundations have worked closely together for nearly a decade and have overlapping interests in their funding priorities and grantees. This partnership will allow them to share knowledge and will help to streamline and simplify the application and reporting processes. CHF will accept proposals for Meyer's health related funding by invitation only starting in 2010. You can find more details about this collaboration on the Meyer Foundation web site.

This partnership serves as an excellent example of grantmakers working to improve the application process for grantseekers -- which is the main goal of Project Streamline. Project Streamline is a collaborative effort of organizations from both sides of the grantmaker/grantseeker divide who are studying grant application and reporting practices, their impact on grantseekers and grantmakers, and the implications for the field.

The Meyer Foundation and the Foundation Center, along with many  other organizations, are participating in this discussion to explore ways to simplify the application process and reduce costs on both sides. You can visit the Project Streamline web site to review recommendations issued by this group, download its report Drowning in Paperwork, Distracted from Purpose [pdf], or register for an online newsletter to keep up with new information.

Pulse Check 3: How Are Nonprofits Doing?

As a follow-up to our earlier Pulse Check posts in March and July, here is another round-up of the latest surveys and studies indicating how the nonprofit sector is handling the effects of the recent economic downturn.

Glass Half Full or Half Empty? Results of GuideStar's Latest Nonprofit Economic Survey (August 2009)
GuideStar’s most recent nonprofit economic survey takes a look at the financial health of charitable organizations from March-May 2009. They found that since the last update, covering October 2008-February 2009, the percentage of nonprofits reporting decreased contributions has remained steady at 52%. Other findings showed that:

• 18% of responding nonprofits saw their contributions increase, while 29% reported that their contributions had stayed about the same from the previous survey period.
• Nonprofits reported that the decrease in giving was the result of the following:
  • Fewer individuals gave (69%)
  • Gifts from individuals were smaller (68%)
  • Corporate gifts were smaller (38%)
  • Private foundation grants were smaller (37%)
  • Read more>>

Volunteering in America: Research Highlights (August 2009) [PDF]
The Corporation for National and Community Service collects information on the American volunteer landscape in an effort to track changes and developments that may be useful for civic leaders and nonprofit organizations. Some of the key findings showed that:

• In 2008, 61.8 million Americans or 26.4 percent of the adult population contributed 8 billion hours of volunteer service worth $162 billion, using Independent Sector’s 2008 estimate of the dollar value of a volunteer hour ($20.25).
• As the economy slows and nonprofit organizations struggle to provide services on smaller budgets, volunteers become even more vital to the health of our nation’s communities. Between September 2008 and March 2009, more than a third (37%) of nonprofit organizations report increasing the number of volunteers they use, and almost half (48%) foresee increasing their usage of volunteers in the coming year. Almost no nonprofit organizations are showing a decrease in their volunteer usage.
• Volunteers were much more likely than non-volunteers to donate to a charitable cause in 2008, with 78.2 percent contributing $25 or more compared to 38.5 percent of non-volunteers.
• Read More [PDF]>>

Nearly 30% of Nonprofit Leaders Took a Pay Cut This Year; Pay in 2008 Grew Quickly (Sept. 2009)
The Chronicle of Philanthropy conducted a survey of 325 organizations that raised the highest amounts of donations from private sources in 2008, as well as grantmakers holding the highest assets that year. The results of the survey revealed that:

• 57 charities and foundations—29 percent of the 195 groups that responded—reported that their top executive had taken a pay cut this year due to the recession, declined raises or bonuses, or had his or her pay frozen. The median pay cut was 10 percent.
• The median compensation for chief executives at the organizations surveyed was $361,538, based on information from 253 groups that provided data for both 2007 and 2008. In 2007 the median compensation was $330,395.
• Read more>>

Nonprofit Finance Fund's and Business Volunteers Unlimited's Nonprofit Survey - Northeast Ohio (August 2009)
Locally, the Nonprofit Finance Fund and Business Volunteers Unlimited recently conducted a survey of Northeast Ohio nonprofits and found that nonprofits are struggling to balance falling revenues and an increase in demand as they plan for 2010. Read a summary of the survey for more information about the findings.

Have you read other enlightening reports and survey findings? Tell us about them.

Thanks to Cindy Bailie, Director, Foundation Center-Cleveland, for sharing this post.

From The Answer Desk: What is Microfinance?

A: According to a Forbes article on the World's Top Microfinance Institutions, private investor microfinance funding totaled $2 billion in 2006. So what is microfinance and who benefits? MIX Market, a web-based information portal that disseminates information on public and private funds that invest in microfinance globally, introduces the idea of microfinance in these terms:

"To most, microfinance means providing very poor families with very small loans (microcredit) to help them engage in productive activities or grow their tiny businesses. Over time, microfinance has come to include a broader range of services (credit, savings, insurance, etc.) as we have come to realize that the poor and the very poor who lack access to traditional formal financial institutions require a variety of financial products."

In case anyone wonders whether microfinance is a profitable venture, the Capco Institute reported in the Journal of Financial Transformation that of a sample group of about 700 microfinance institutions (MFIs), the top 176 MFIs experienced a return on equity (RoE) of 17.2%. But what of the effects of the global financial crisis? A new survey by the UK-based Centre for the Study of Financial Information reports that while the sector itself has a growing client base, microlending may be faced with its first major "stress test", tackling the immediate concerns of liquidity shortages, bad loans and credit risk.

In the US, microlending seemed to be making an upswing in the midst of the recession among small business entrepreneurs, according to a February MSNBC article. One of the major global microlending institutions, Kiva, recently launched Online Microfinance in the US, which enables individual lenders to make small loans to US-based entrepreneurs.

Other major players in the arena, both nationally and internationally, include ACCION and The Grameen Foundation, both of which provide stories and updates on their websites of ongoing microlending projects and opportunities around the globe. 

Do you have a question? Ask Us!

(This post is from Katie Artzner, the Foundation Center's online librarian)

A: According to a Forbes article on the World's Top Microfinance Institutions, private investor microfinance funding totaled $2 billion in 2006. So what is microfinance and who benefits? MIX Market, a web-based information portal that disseminates information on public and private funds that invest in microfinance globally, introduces the idea of microfinance in these terms:

"To most, microfinance means providing very poor families with very small loans (microcredit) to help them engage in productive activities or grow their tiny businesses. Over time, microfinance has come to include a broader range of services (credit, savings, insurance, etc.) as we have come to realize that the poor and the very poor who lack access to traditional formal financial institutions require a variety of financial products."

In case anyone wonders whether microfinance is a profitable venture, the Capco Institute reported in the Journal of Financial Transformation that of a sample group of about 700 microfinance institutions (MFIs), the top 176 MFIs experienced a return on equity (RoE) of 17.2%. But what of the effects of the global financial crisis? A new survey by the UK-based Centre for the Study of Financial Information reports that while the sector itself has a growing client base, microlending may be faced with its first major "stress test", tackling the immediate concerns of liquidity shortages, bad loans and credit risk.

In the US, microlending seemed to be making an upswing in the midst of the recession among small business entrepreneurs, according to a February MSNBC article. One of the major global microlending institutions, Kiva, recently launched Online Microfinance in the US, which enables individual lenders to make small loans to US-based entrepreneurs.

Other major players in the arena, both nationally and internationally, include ACCION and The Grameen Foundation, both of which provide stories and updates on their websites of ongoing microlending projects and opportunities around the globe. 

Do you have a question? Ask Us!

(This post is from Katie Artzner, the Foundation Center's online librarian)

Missed one of our programs?

Look for it in our Events Archive!

Our online Events Archive provides free access to recorded Foundation Center programs, classes, and other events. View videos and webcasts, listen to or download audio recordings, and read transcripts of selected events at our web site.

While we have long offered a wide array of special programs at our five library/learning centers, now many of these events are being captured and made accessible online, enabling audiences anywhere to take advantage of free educational opportunities otherwise not available to them.

You can view or listen to these programs now:

Turning Crisis Into Opportunity: A Conversation With Two Nonprofit Sector Leaders

Foundation Center president Bradford K. Smith and GuideStar president and CEO Robert G. Ottenhoff discuss how nonprofits are weathering the economic storm, how foundations are responding to support the sector, and the challenges, strategies, and opportunities for both going forward. Recorded in New York, July 22, 2009.

Webinar: Find and Apply for Government Grants Using Grants.gov

This presentation by Michael Pellegrino from Grants.gov provides details on how to find and apply for federal grants using Grants.gov, focusing primarily on how to research potential grants from the Department of Education. Recorded June 8, 2009.

Philanthropy Chat: Social Media and the Role of Young Nonprofit Leaders

Rosetta Thurman, director of development and special programs at the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington, talks with Pat Pasqual, director of Foundation Center-Washington, about social media and the role young nonprofit leaders can play in helping organizations weather the economic storm. Recorded in Washington, DC, April 10, 2009.

Check in often—we are continually adding new recordings to the Archive as they become available.

Foundation Yearbook 2009 Just Released

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).

For more on these trends, download the free highlights and order the full report and the complete series from our web site.

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).

For more on these trends, download the free highlights and order the full report and the complete series from our web site.

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 Washington, DC library and use Giving USA 2009 today.