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Strategic decisions are only as good as the research that goes into making them. Candid's researchers analyze and interpret the most current philanthropic data so you can tap into it. Hundreds of full-text reports published over decades are available to download here in our frequently updated open access repository.

Also available: a collection of reports that use Candid data. Access the Candid data in the field library.

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Research manual: Analyzing Candid’s demographic data

December 1, 2023

To better understand the demographic identities of those working in the nonprofit sector and to reduce the reporting burden on nonprofits, Candid collects and shares demographic data about staff and board members from a growing number of U.S. nonprofits and foundations. This manual provides background and best practices for those looking to understand and use this data set for research and analysis.

Featured

Philanthropy and HBCUs: Foundation funding to historically Black colleges and universities

May 2, 2023

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have played a central—if underappreciated—role in the United States. The earliest HBCUs were founded before the legal enslavement of Black people ended. Since then, they have been critical in educating Black people, developing Black leaders, and addressing inequality. Although researchers have studied the government's role in financing HBCUs, there has been little research on private philanthropic support. This report seeks to fill that gap by examining U.S. foundation funding to HBCUs and exploring the relationship between foundations and HBCUs. Through quantitative analysis leveraging Candid's comprehensive grants data and qualitative interviews with HBCU staff, students and funders, this report strives to understand the philanthropic funding patterns and experiences of HBCUs.

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Advancing Human Rights : Annual Review of Global Foundation Grantmaking, 2019 Key Findings

November 1, 2022

Every year, Candid and Human Rights Funders Network's (HRFN's) Advancing Human Rights research reveals insights from the latest, most comprehensive data available for global human rights philanthropy. The goal of this study is to provide long-term evidence to understand gaps, changes, and new possibilities in resourcing human rights. In this year's analysis, the authors track the $4.1 billion that foundations granted in 2019 in support of human rights. This represents a 10% increase from the previous year and points to several hopeful and surprising trends.

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Centering equity and justice in climate philanthropy

June 9, 2022

According to available funding data, most institutional funders do not incorporate climate or climate justice strategies into their work despite its urgency and potential, largely relegating it to a few environmental funders. As a result of underestimating its importance and its connection to other philanthropic priorities, not enough funding is flowing to climate change efforts and even less of it for reducing harm to communities most impacted by the climate crisis.This field guide for funders identifies common barriers to supporting climate justice strategies, describes ways to overcome them, and shares insights and case studies from experienced funders who have helped their institutions use a climate justice lens for greater impact within their existing grantmaking priorities.

FAQ: Candid's nonprofit demographic data

December 1, 2023

This FAQ answers commonly asked questions about the nonprofit demographic data that Candid collects for those looking to better understand this data set and use it in their own work. The brief FAQ provides background on what the data represents, where it comes from, and how it is collected. Information about data completeness and representativeness is also included.

Research manual: Analyzing grants and other philanthropic transactions

July 25, 2023

Over the past several decades, Candid has collected data on tens of millions of grants and other philanthropic transactions awarded by hundreds of thousands of funders located in the U.S. and around the world. This manual provides an overview of this data and includes guidelines and key considerations for its use in research. The document draws on the approaches and methods that Candid's Insights team has developed over time to analyze transactions data. It is intended to increase transparency, help others better understand Candid's data, and offer advice on how to incorporate this data into future research.

In Every County, Across All Budget Lines: White Overrepresentation in New York City’s Nonprofit Leadership

April 26, 2023

Nonprofit New York, Candid, SeaChange Capital Partners, and Thomas Economic Policy and Data Consulting, with the support of Robin Hood, conducted a comprehensive assessment in 2022 of the current leadership demographics of the nonprofit sector in New York City using demographic data from nonprofit organizations' Candid nonprofit profiles. This report seeks to establish updated baseline data to inform our understanding of racial and other demographic representation within nonprofit leadership in the New York City area. Eight New York counties are included in the analysis, including Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties.Our research questions include:What are ways for determining BIPOC-led, as defined by BIPOC communities?What are the current racial, gender, sexual orientation, and (dis)ability demographics of nonprofit sector leaders in New York City?How do the demographics of New York City's nonprofit sector compare to the total population? How do the demographics of New York City's nonprofit sector compare to low-income New Yorkers?How are leadership demographics reflected in various nonprofit subsectors, including poverty alleviating organizations, and organizational sizes?Is there a relationship between the demographic makeup of an organization's leadership and its financial position?This report used a participatory research design to inform our definitions and data analysis. The project sought the perspective, expertise, and thought partnership from Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) nonprofit associations, BIPOC-led poverty-alleviating organizations, nonprofit racial justice researchers, and BIPOC-identified nonprofit capacity builders.

Candid Annual Report 2022: Steering towards impact

March 1, 2023

2022 was a year of learning and growing for . We focused on creating the foundation for our path forward as an integrated organization and fulfilling our bold aspirations for Candid 2030. Our 2022 annual report, Steering towards impact, centers on the work being done to get you the information you need to do good as we navigate the evolving needs of our sector. 

Measuring the state of disaster philanthropy 2022: Data to drive decisions

November 9, 2022

Each year, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) and Candid analyze global disaster-related funding from foundations, bilateral and multilateral donors, U.S. government agencies, corporations, and donations through donor-advised funds (DAFs) and online platforms. We analyze funding according to a taxonomy that classifies giving by type of disaster and disaster assistance strategy, allowing us to identify funding gaps and areas of opportunity, so that crisis-affected communities have resources for immediate relief and to build back stronger than before. This year's report focuses on funding in FY 2020.

Avanzando Los Derechos Humanos: Hallazgos Clave Del 2019

November 1, 2022

Cada año, la investigación que lleva a cabo Advancing Human Rights de Candid y Human Rights Funders Network (HRFN) revela información de los datos más recientes y completos disponibles para la filantropía global de derechos humanos.1 Nuestro objetivo es proveer evidencia a largo plazo para comprender las brechas, los cambios y las nuevas posibilidades en la provisión de recursos de derechos humanos.

Promotion Des Droits Humains: Principales Conclusions De 2019

November 1, 2022

Chaque année, la recherche Promotion des droits humains de Candid and Human Rights Funders Network (HRFN) révèle des informations tirées des données les plus récentes et les plus complètes disponibles pour la philanthropie en matière de droits humains dans le monde. Notre objectif est de fournir des preuves à long terme permettant de comprendre les lacunes, les changements et les nouvelles possibilités en matière de financement du secteur des droits humains.

Funding to bridge the digital divide: U.S. philanthropic giving to digital equity causes

September 7, 2022

Almost one in two people on the planet still don't have access to the internet. 120 millionAmericans still live without broadband. As the pandemic moved many of life's essential services online, the steep human costs of this digital divide came into sharp focus.With governments and economies rapidly digitizing, achieving digital equity — a state in which all individuals have the digital access, tools, and skills they need to operate in our digitizing society — is essential for civil society to deliver programs and achieve missions. Ensuring everyone has fast, reliable, affordable internet access is fundamental to progress on the causes we care most about — from education and economic development, to health and civic participation — within the communities we most care about.With digitalization so profoundly impacting the issues funders invest in, philanthropy must build an understanding of how the digital divide impacts its work and develop strategies to tackle it. To that end, this brief seeks to understand the extent to which philanthropy has invested in digital equity. As you'll see, the results suggest that the volume of grants awarded up to 2020 falls far short of what is needed. There is a huge opportunity for philanthropy to get involved in the digital equity space and make a significant impact.