Where can I find statistics on foundation and corporate giving?
An excellent source of overall statistics about the nonprofit sector is Giving USA. This annual report by the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, provides giving estimates by source of contribution--individuals, foundations, bequests and corporations--and how that money was used by nine subject categories, such as religion, health and education.
You might also find the statistics you need by using these free resources:
- Candid's Research Reports, which examine current philanthropic data.
- Candid's Foundation Landscapes--custom web portals that provide aggregate data on selected subjects.
Lastly, you can order custom statistical searches from Candid's research staff for a fee.
If you just want quick numbers for internal use, such as benchmarking, you can look at the aggregate numbers in our database, Foundation Directory. This tool contains data more than 16 million grants awarded since 2003. It is searchable by criteria such as subject, population served and geographic location. Foundation Directory provides statistics such as the total dollar value of the grants that match your search criteria or the average size grant awarded by a funder.
But please be aware that Foundation Directory's statistics are aimed at helping nonprofits gain a better understand who is giving and receiving grants in their area; it is not meant to provide hard statistical data for analyses of the social sector. If you are an arts nonprofit, for example, Foundation Directory can help you find potential funders and collaborators. But if you are a scholar trying to determine how much arts funding was awarded in a given year, Foundation Directory is not an appropriate source.
You can find a quick guide to Foundation Directory here.
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