Private Foundations Gave and Got More Money in 2017

Foundation Source, a support organization for private foundations, asserts that private foundations earned more than they did the prior year and also gave away more than the required 5 percent of assets during the year. The report studied 927 foundations with less than $50 million in assets. Foundations of this size represent 98% of approximately 83,000 private foundations in the United States.

“The high rate of contributions is a good indication of donor commitment to and enthusiasm for their private foundations,” said Page Snow, Foundation Source’s chief philanthropic officer. “Rather than relying on investment returns, donors are providing infusions of fresh capital to fund their charitable interests.”

“At the conclusion of 2017, the foundations in this report were in a position of great strength and vitality,” the report says. “Impressive portfolio performance and infusions of donor capital fueled asset gains, potentially setting the stage for robust grant making in 2018.”

See Karen DeMasters, Private Foundations Gave and Got More Money in 2017, Financial Advisor, July 13, 2018.

Special thanks, to Joel C. Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.