Foundations Today: Growth and Giving Estimates, 2011 edition

The country's more than 76,000 grantmaking foundations gave an estimated $45.7 billion in 2010, virtually unchanged from 2009. According to Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates (2011 Edition), 2010 giving remained just 2.1 percent below the record high of $46.8 billion awarded by foundations in 2008, despite the fact that foundation assets were still close to 10 percent below their 2007 peak. Key estimates for 2010 giving include: 1) Independent and family foundations -- which represent the vast majority of U.S. foundations -- reduced their giving by less than 1 percent to $32.5 billion in 2010. 2) Corporate foundation giving remained basically unchanged at $4.7 billion in 2010. 3) Community foundation giving dipped 2.1 percent to $4.1 billion in 2010, the first consecutive-year decline on record.