Oct 22, 2018

Foundation Center; Hispanics in Philanthropy; Seattle International Foundation;

This report examines grantmaking in 2014 and 2015 for Latin America by large U.S.foundations, with a closer look at philanthropy for Central America.

Oct 08, 2018

Foundation Center;

There is a complex ecosystem of organizations working to enable, strengthen, and evolve the work of philanthropy, nonprofits, and civil society around the world. From communities of practice that build skills and encourage collaboration to data and research that inform solutions and foster transparency, these organizations provide a much-needed backbone for work on our most critical global challenges. New research from Foundation Center aims to map the composition of and support for this ecosystem of infrastructure organizations so that we can better align and improve efforts to build a better future.

Oct 02, 2018

GrantCraft; Foundation Center;

Funders are increasingly looking to engage the communities they serve in the grantmaking process, but there are few resources about how to do so. In this guide, we explore how funders can engage in participatory grantmaking and cede decision-making power about funding decisions to the very communities they aim to serve. Deciding Together: Shifting Power and Resources Through Participatory Grantmaking illustrates why and how funders around the world are engaging in this practice that is shifting traditional power dynamics in philanthropy. Created with input from a number of participatory grantmakers, the guide shares challenges, lessons learned, and best practices for engaging in inclusive grantmaking. 

Aug 14, 2018

Foundation Center; Council on Foundations;

The State of Global Grantmaking Giving by U.S. Foundations is the latest report in a decades-long collaboration between Foundation Center and The Council on Foundations and aims to help funders and civil society organizations better navigate the giving landscape as they work to effect change around the world. The analysis reveals that global giving by U.S. foundations increased by 29% from 2011 to 2015, reaching an all-time high of $9.3 billion in 2015. In addition to a detailed analysis of trends by issue area, geographic region, population group, and donor strategy, this analysis also relates these trends to key events and developments, including the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, the spread of Ebola in West Africa, and the increasing legal restrictions faced by civil society in countries around the world.

Apr 30, 2018

GrantCraft; Foundation Center;

Knowledge has the power to spark change, but only if it is shared. In this GrantCraft guide, grantmakers make a strong case for foundations to openly share knowledge as an integral and strategic aspect of philanthropy. Learn from their firsthand experience how to grow organizational capacity and culture for knowledge sharing, address common concerns, and use knowledge exchange to advance your mission and impact.

Apr 17, 2018

GrantCraft; Foundation Center;

We hear the words diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) often in philanthropy circles, but rarely understand how to incorporate these principles. This paper aims to inspire thinking and action by foundations about how DEI can become more integrated in grantmaking practices and a broader foundation ethos.

Apr 17, 2018

GrantCraft; Foundation Center;

While slogans like "think globally, act locally" have been around for decades, still so much decision making about philanthropy happens by stakeholders outside them. This paper intends to address the struggle funders face with giving up power, despite caring deeply about championing local leadership and initiatives. Learn about the "community philanthropy approach" and practical examples of how funders have shared and shifted power without losing sight of their strategic imperatives.

Feb 27, 2018

Peace and Security Funders Group; Foundation Center;

This research centers around a framework of three overarching categories that support activities to prevent future conflict, resolve existing conflict, and support stability and resiliency. The three categories are further broken down into 24 issue areas that more precisely describe funding for peace and security.

Nov 01, 2017

Foundation Center; Campaign for Black Male Achievement;

Five years ago, in 2012, the Campaign for Black Male Achievement and Foundation Center published the first report in this series, Where Do We Go From Here?, taking an in-depth look at philanthropic support for Black men and boys. Since then, the landscape of the field has evolved in remarkable and groundbreaking ways. As organizations and philanthropic initiatives have shifted from start-up mode to increasingly mature entities with greater human and financial capacity, the opportunity for sustained impact has never been greater. In the first section of this report, we revisit funding by U.S. foundations in support of Black men and boys, with a focus on giving in 2013 and 2014, the most recent years for which comprehensive data are available. Current efforts to advance Black male achievement have coalesced along some shared approaches and values. Foundations, governments, and nonprofits in the field are: - Changing the narrative to lift up Black men and boys as valuable assets to society; - Investing in local communities to catalyze sustainable impact at the grassroots level; - Engaging Black men and boys and their communities in authentic ways to ensure programs and initiatives resonate with their lived experiences; - Impacting policies and systems to address the adverse effects of structural racism on life outcomes for Black men and boys; and - Recognizing the intersectional nature of this work to learn from the shared struggles of other marginalized populations and achieve broader social justice goals. These priorities are not mutually exclusive, and the degree to which they occur collectively will help push the work forward. With a critical mass of organizations currently working to improve life outcomes for Black men and boys and promising signs of forward progress, this report highlights what it will take to build on recent work to catalyze deeper investments, stronger coordination, and, ultimately, greater impact.

Oct 26, 2017

Foundation Center; Foundation Center; Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS); Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS); Centris; Centris;

To realize this vision of improved data for deeper philanthropic impact and transparency, WINGS, Foundation Center, CENTRIS, and partners from around the world created and refined the Global Philanthropy Data Charter. The main objective of this revision is to make the document more accessible and provide concrete guidance on how to successfully engage in data-sharing processes.

Oct 24, 2017

Foundation Center; Grupo de Institutos Fundações e Empresas (GIFE);

O GIFE reúne associados de origem empresarial, familiar, independente ou comunitária, que investem em projetos de finalidade pública no Brasil. Para compreender melhor as características das organizações associadas e suas prioridades de investimento social, o GIFE realiza pesquisa bianual entre seus associados – o Censo GIFE. Este documento destaca os principais resultados da edição de 2017; 116 organizações (90% dos 129 associados do GIFE à época) responderam a questões relativas a suas atividades e estrutura em 2016. Para fins de análise, os dados de fundações e institutos comunitários foram agrupados às respostas dos independentes. Todos os dados do Censo, a não ser quando indicado explicitamente, referem-se a 2016 e são baseados nas 116 respostas. Os montantes de investimento estão em reais e foram atualizados a dezembro de 2016 pelo IPCA.

Oct 12, 2017

Foundation Center; Center for Disaster Philanthropy;

Each year, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and Foundation Center analyze global disaster-related funding from foundations, bilateral and multilateral donors, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), corporations, and smaller donors who give through donor advised funds and online platforms. We analyze this funding according to a taxonomy that classifies giving by type of disaster and disaster assistance strategy. Philanthropic funding for disasters and humanitarian crises is situated within a large ecosystem of global aid. While assistance from governments far surpasses funding from foundations, institutional philanthropy still plays an important role. For example, foundations can choose to fill funding gaps and support underfunded areas of the disaster lifecycle. Support for disaster risk reduction and preparedness can mitigate the impact of disasters, and many communities need sustained funding for the long road to recovery. We hope this analysis will aid donors in considering how to maximize the impact of their disaster-related giving.

Sep 19, 2017

CF Insights; CFLeads;

Community foundations have several attributes that, taken together, distinguish them from many of their philanthropic brethren, including a local orientation, relationships with many living donors, and a public charity tax status. This affects everything from their approach to solving problems to their business model. Because of this, community foundations have sought out support services that are designed for their particular needs. The infrastructure of organizations serving community foundations has evolved, and there has been confusion among community foundations over where to get their needs met and some frustration over the perceived fragmentation of services. In response to these concerns and to create some clarity, CFLeads and CF Insights, both of which exclusively serve community foundations, decided to map out the current support services and lead a discussion exploring a vision for the future. The findings from a survey of a dozen large community foundations and a one-day symposium are summarized here. Hopefully the results of this partnership provide a better understanding of the ecosystem of organizations serving community foundations and some initial thinking on how to meet needs in the future.

Aug 31, 2017

Foundation Center; East Africa Association of Grantmakers; Development Network of Indigenous Voluntary Associations; Independent Development Fund; Uganda Philanthropy Forum;

This report presents highlights from Building a Collective Philanthropy Data System, a workshop that took place in Kampala on April 10th 2017. The workshop was the third in a series of meetings that have taken place over the past year in Uganda as part of the Data Strategy and Capacity Building Program, a joint effort led by East Africa Association of Grantmakers (EAAG), Uganda Philanthropy Forum (UPF), DENIVA, and the Independent Development Fund (IDF) along with more than 30 Ugandan philanthropic organizations. The program aims to strengthen the capacity of foundations and trusts to collect, analyze, and share data and knowledge that highlight the value of Ugandan philanthropy to national development outcomes, facilitate philanthropic collaboration, and inform grantmaking and programmatic decisions. The workshop marked a transition from planning to implementation. It sought to solidify recommendations made in earlier meetings and focused on the development of a prototype philanthropy data portal for Uganda. The group agreed on which specific types of data they were willing to share at this point in time and outlined a proposed structure for the data portal. Having agreement on what information to share and how to structure it was crucial at this stage of the process, as it will serve as a framework for data collection going forward and will ensure that the data that will ultimately be shared is contextually relevant and applicable. Further, the partners continued to develop the strategy for implementing the portal development and the population of its data, and hence agreed on partner roles and concrete next steps.

Aug 16, 2017

Foundation Center; Forefront;

Giving in Illinois 2017 reveals the scope and giving priorities of the Illinois foundation community. Illinois foundation giving reached a record $3.8 billion in 2015, more than doubling since 2005. (Adjusted for inflation, giving rose 121 percent.) By comparison, giving by U.S. foundations overall rose 72 percent during this period (or 40 percent after inflation). The analysis in this report is based on the Foundation Center's 2015 grants set, which includes all of the grants of $10,000 or more reported by 1,000 of the largest U.S. independent, corporate, community, and grantmaking operating foundations by total giving. The sample included 68 Illinois foundations with giving totaling $1.3 billion. 

Jun 27, 2017

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors; GrantCraft;

Philanthropy is evolving more quickly than ever with new societal challenges, new players, and new strategies. Funders are seeking to increase their effectiveness, and want clear, practical guidance for getting there. This GrantCraft leadership series paper produced in partnership with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA), explores the core frameworks that shape private foundations, and offers a roadmap for funders interested in reflecting on these frameworks to better align purpose, public benefit, and action.