Philanthropy Front and Center-Cleveland

Live from Challenges and Opportunities of the Economic Crisis - October 13

Bradford K. Smith, president of the Foundation Center, will provide his perspective on the impact of the economic crisis on the philanthropic sector – both foundations and service providers – and the challenges and opportunities these turbulent times present for the future.

This 60-minute program will be presented at the Foundation Center-Atlanta on Tuesday, Oct. 13, starting at 2:30 p.m., but you can attend virtually via the text-based chat window below.  Set a reminder below and plan to join us!

Philanthropy Annual: 2008 Review

The Foundation Center has just released the second edition of its annual compendium highlighting the news, issues, people, organizations, and giving trends shaping the field of philanthropy.

The publication provides a full overview of the year in philanthropy, with articles summarizing major events, interviews and profiles of key individuals, reviews of new books and other media, and statistics outlining the current state of philanthropy. Contents are drawn in part from Philanthropy News Digest, the Center's daily online news service, as well as from the annual Foundations Today Series and other Foundation Center resources. To see more specific information on what's covered in this year's edition, download the table of contents (PDF).

Philanthropy Annual: 2008 Review is available for free download (PDF) at the Foundation Center web site, and print copies can be purchased through the Center's online Marketplace ($19.95).

Funding for Arts Month at the Answer Desk: Foundation Giving for Arts and Culture

Q: How much funding do foundations provide to arts and culture?

A: Foundation funding for arts and culture totaled $2.3 billion in 2006 (the latest year of record), a 13.4 percent increase over 2005, according to the Foundation Center's annual publication, Foundation Giving Trends: Update on Funding Priorities [Highlights PDF].  Within the arts field, funding for several subcategories showed double-digit increases between 2005 and 2006, including visual arts/architecture, performing arts, multidisciplinary arts, and media and communications. In contrast, support for 2 subfields decreased in the latest year, historic preservation and humanities. More information about foundation giving for arts and culture and other fields can be found in the full Foundation Giving Trends publication, available for purchase or for free use at the Foundation Center-Cleveland and all Ohio Cooperating Collections.

More detailed information about funding for arts and culture can be found in Foundation Grants to Arts and Culture: A One-year Snapshot and Government Funding for the Arts [PDF], recently issued by Grantmakers in the Arts in cooperation with the Foundation Center. Additionally, lists of the top 50 foundations awarding grants for arts, culture, and humanities [PDF]; media and communications [PDF]; museums [PDF]; and the performing arts [PDF] are available free of charge at our web site.

October 2008 is Funding for Arts Month at the Foundation Center. View our calendar for event information and register online to attend.

Do you have a question? Ask Us!

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

Philanthropy Front and Center Poll -- Results

Here are the results from our recent (Jan-March 2008) poll:

To improve the economy, what fields should foundations make grants to?

• Industrial development -- 25%
• Urban development -- 18.8%
• Business promotion and development -- 12.5%
• Small business development -- 12.5%
• Employment training and service -- 6.3%
• Other -- 12.5%
• Rural development -- 6.3%
• Tourism and convention bureaus -- 6.3%

Comments? 

Find out what fields foundations actually supported in Ohio. Read our report.

What Do You Think? The "New" New Philanthropy

Remarks given by William A. Schambra, Director, Hudson Institute's Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal, at the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations 2008 conference:

"... Instead of a handful of large foundations calling the shots for American philanthropy, we have tens of thousands of foundations [...]. Notwithstanding incessant calls for collaboration, consortiums, and coordination, these countless foundations evidence a bewildering diversity of means, ends, and notions of how to connect them...

...In short, and in contrast to the early decades of the 20^th century, foundations tend to be bit players on the American policy scene, drastically diminished in influence, disorganized, dispirited, and lacking a common vision or intellectual framework for their undertakings."

What do you think?

Worth Repeating... Flying Over Philanthropy

Philanthropy is not a static thing - it is (perhaps) more dynamic, robust, and diverse than it has ever been. It is global and institutional, local and individual. It is influenced by commercial interests and ageless, religious tenets. It is personal, passionate, and, sometimes, rational. There are organized influences and individualistic drivers. There are common metrics and areas of profound disagreement; active leaders in the field as well as actors who have no interest in being part of a larger field - they are focused like lasers on their own work. Foundations are bound together by legal and regulatory guidelines, but not really much more than that. Some work together, some are actively trying to influence others and share information, and some are not. Foundations are themselves a varied topographical feature on a complicated landscape of philanthropy. Philanthropy is also only one feature on a broader landscape of funding for public good.

--From Lucy Bernholz, Flying Over Philanthropy, Stanford Social Innovation Review Opinion Blog, January 8, 2008