Articles
Giving Has Been Growing
Charitable Disbursements up 40% in the Past Five Years As the chart below shows, private foundations have increased their annual philanthropic support (green line) by nearly 40%, from $54 billion (FY2013) to $73 billion (Most Recent), an increase of $19 billion per year. Also growing at a rapid pace have been incoming contributions (blue line) with new contributions … [Read more...] about Giving Has Been Growing
How Are Foundation’s Doing? June 2019 Topic: Who Controls The Money
Every month, Foundation Advocate chooses one aspect of foundation investment performance to highlight. This month we examine some concepts surrounding setting benchmarks. Setting A Course The title off this article, Who Controls The Money?, is intentionally provocative. On the one hand, the answer might be, of course, the trustees control the foundation's assets, but … [Read more...] about How Are Foundation’s Doing? June 2019 Topic: Who Controls The Money
US Foundations Assets Hit $1 Trillion for the First Time!
The Trillion Dollar Milestone Over the past several years, US foundation assets have been steadily climbing. The combination of strong financial markets and substantial gifts over the past five years propelled total assets of US foundations to just over $1 trillion in fiscal 2017, breaking the trillion dollar mark for the first time ever. More importantly, grant … [Read more...] about US Foundations Assets Hit $1 Trillion for the First Time!
How Are Foundation’s Doing? May 2019 Topic: International a Drag
Every month, Foundation Advocate chooses one topic relating to foundation investment performance to highlight. This month we took a look at how international stock allocations have likely held back foundation performance. Why Haven't Foundations Done Better in this 10 Year Bull Market? Following the financial crisis, the US stock market has been on a pretty great … [Read more...] about How Are Foundation’s Doing? May 2019 Topic: International a Drag
How are Foundations Doing? April 2019 Topic: Who Should We Compare Ourselves To?
Every month, Foundation Advocate chooses one aspect of foundation investment performance to highlight. This month we ask a very fundamental question, Who Should We Compare Ourselves To? Before answering this seemingly straightforward question about performance, it might be useful to establish a quick framework to place performance into context. Rather than lead with … [Read more...] about How are Foundations Doing? April 2019 Topic: Who Should We Compare Ourselves To?