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Do Foundation Giving Priorities Change in Times of Economic Distress?
Foundation Center, November 2008
By Steven Lawrence, Senior Director of Research
As nonprofit organizations brace themselves for the possibility of reduced charitable giving, we have been asked whether specific funding areas may be more vulnerable to cuts than others. For example, do foundations reduce their funding for the arts to increase support for social services, or do they cut back on international giving to address increased domestic demand? Some fear that society in general, and grantmakers in particular, may not place as high a value on staging a new symphony, funding economic development activities in Africa, or preserving green space at a time when domestic unemployment is rising and the social safety net is growing weaker.
While we cannot guarantee that future actions will mirror past behavior, an examination of giving by U.S. foundations during the economic downturn of the early 2000s suggests...Click here to read more.
