Foundation Center Details 2008 Giving Trends in Annual Trends Report

(8-16-10) The 2010 Edition of Foundation Giving Trends: Update on Funding Priorities shows a decline in support for half of the major funding areas. Arts & Culture registered 13% of grant dollars in 2008, 14% of the number of grants given. Other key findings:

• Foundations awarded a record 214 grants of $10 million or more in 2008. Of the 10 largest, six were made by the Gates Foundation mainly for health-related activities and international development.
• International giving — which cuts across all areas and includes grants awarded directly to overseas recipients and to U.S.-based international programs — reached a record 24.4 percent of total grant dollars awarded.
• Among specific populations, the economically disadvantaged benefited from the largest share of grant dollars, rising to a record $6.9 billion.

“The full force of the economic crisis did not register in 2008 foundation giving,” said Steven Lawrence, director of research and the report's principal author. “But losses among half of the major fields showed what would come the following year.”

You can download the highlights or get more details and purchase the full report at www.foundationcenter.org/gainknowledge/research/nationaltrends.html.