Summer 2019
How Are Foundations Doing? July 2019 Topic: Is Bigger Really Better?
Once a month, FoundationAdvocate selects one topic in foundation-investment performance to highlight. This month’s topic is the relationship between a foundation’s total assets and its performance. The chart below shows the performance of two subsets of foundations, those with assets between $1-$2 million and those with over $500 million. As you can see from the … [Read more...] about How Are Foundations Doing? July 2019 Topic: Is Bigger Really Better?
FoundationMark 15 Asset Allocation
The FoundationMark 15 The FoundationMark 15 (“FM 15”) is a selection of 15 of the largest and best-known private foundations in the United States. Most private foundations, like those comprising the FM 15, rely on their investment returns as an important, and, often, their only, source of income to support their philanthropic goals. To view the performances and full … [Read more...] about FoundationMark 15 Asset Allocation
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
Lilly Endowment Assets Likely to Surpass Ford in 2018
While it won't be official until we see the IRS filings later this year, it is safe to assume that the Lilly Endowment surpassed the Ford Foundation in total assets in 2018 (and by a considerable amount). We estimate that Lilly finished 2018 at about $15 billion, while even if Ford posts heroic 2018 results of 10% (all major stock indices were negative, bonds were flat, but … [Read more...] about Lilly Endowment Assets Likely to Surpass Ford in 2018