International Grantmaking Update, just released by the Foundation Center in cooperation with the Council on Foundations, finds that estimated giving by U.S. foundations for international purposes reached a record $3.8 billion in 2005. [Download the report-PDF ].
"Recent growth in international giving owes much to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's strong support for global health," commented Loren Renz, vice president for research at the Foundation Center and co-author of the report. "In addition, more grantmakers are engaged in international activities, and many foundations have stepped up their giving in response to international disasters."
International Grantmaking Update provides the latest data on international giving by private and community foundations. Among other key findings:
International giving by sampled funders grew faster than overall giving regardless of foundation type, with community foundations reporting the fastest growth in international grant dollars.
Exceptionally large grants boosted the share of international grant dollars in the field of health from less than one-third in 2002 to nearly one-half in 2004.
The largest share of foundation grant dollars targeted global health (49 percent), while international development ranked first by number of grants awarded (22 percent).
Between 2002 and 2004, giving to organizations in other countries declined 3 percent; in contrast, grants to U.S.-based international and global programs increased 49 percent.
"As this study shows, the continued growth in international grantmaking reflects the increasingly globalized world in which we live," noted Steve Gunderson, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations. "That growth is all the more significant because it took place during a challenging period for international grantmakers due to the slow economic recovery and regulatory uncertainty resulting from terrorism concerns."
International Grantmaking Update analyzes patterns of giving by foundation type, region, and subject focus. Findings are based on the Foundation Center's tracking of fiscal and programmatic information on close to 68,000 grantmaking foundations and roughly 6,000 public charities; and on the giving patterns of nearly 1,200 of the nation's largest foundations.
