Posts Tagged ‘endowment’

Charitable Foundations Finally Looking Up

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

Finally, some good news about philanthropy in the wake of the financial crisis!

  • Endowments for charitable institutions grew steadily last year, rebounding from the sharp declines of 2008.
  • Despite the rebound, many foundations and charities have still cut back on spending and giving.
  • Most foundations (55%) gave less in 2009, but a few (16%) gave more.

Facts and Figures

  • Hundreds of grant makers saw their investments increase by about 20% this year (compared to a 26% drop in 2008).
  • Charities and foundations carry a median debt of over $20 million.
  • 38% of charities spent less in 2009, 20% spent more.

An Endowment is…

Monday, July 20th, 2009

An endowment is an income, permanent fund, or form of property attached to a person or institution in order to accomplish a specific goal. For example, many colleges have endowments their administrations can draw upon to improve themselves (to provide financial aid money, pay high salaries to attract top professors, finance new campus buildings, and so on).