Philanthropic & Nonprofit Sectors

GEO's new national field survey of grantmaking practice (conducted by research partner TCC Group) examines the connection between listening to and learning with grantees and improving practices to achieve better results. In light of the global economic downturn, this survey also highlights some of the key shifts in grantmaking since 2008 and what they mean for supporting nonprofit resilience.

The number of charitable foundations employing their investment portfolios to achieve a social benefit is on the rise, according to this report. Key Facts on Mission Investing finds that one in seven surveyed foundations are directing their assets to market-rate mission-related investments and/or below-market-rate program-related investments. By investing endowment dollars to further their charitable missions, these grantmakers —which hold 20 percent of all U.S. foundation assets— are extending the public benefit of their resources. The report also offers perspective from Stephen Viederman,...

The 2011 Action Kit, designed around the Diversity Framework, Minnesota Council on Foundations' groundbreaking guidelines that frame the discussion of grantmakers' diversity practices around the four roles they play in a civil society, is intended to help foundations identify what steps they can take to advance diversity and inclusion.

This report, which documents the usage of social media tools by foundation executives based on survey responses from members of the Center's Grantmaker Leadership Panel, finds that about one-third of foundation CEOs surveyed regularly use Facebook or read blogs, and that only six percent use Twitter. It also analyzes the perceived usefulness of Web 2.0 in philanthropic work, and highlights the social media activity of two "power users" in the field.