Assets, gifts, and grants
Collectively, annual survey respondents held 11 percent more in assets than 2019. This increase was fueled by a second straight year of strong investment returns and significant increases in fundraising from donors who helped support the local philanthropic response to the emerging COVID-19 crisis. Grantmaking, like fundraising, saw significant increases field-wide.
Total assets
Median change in assets: 9.0%
Total reported gifts & grants
Total reported assets, gifts, & grants over time
Longitudinal tracking of growth in assets, gifts, and grants is done using a consistent sample of the largest 100 community foundations by asset size, who together hold over 90 percent of the dollars in the field. This group's collective asset total grew by more than 11 percent over 2019. After 2019 saw decreases in both, grantmaking increased by 38 percent in 2020, while fundraising increased by 42 percent.
Data reflects the largest 100 community foundations by asset size as of FY 2019 and includes those within the cohort whose data are available for all 10 years represented. (n=94)
| Year | Assets | Gifts | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | $44,034,595,424 | $4,405,881,621 | $3,537,519,551 |
| 2012 | $48,711,861,666 | $6,009,732,867 | $3,902,735,548 |
| 2013 | $56,940,109,080 | $6,704,246,715 | $4,241,113,219 |
| 2014 | $62,948,369,854 | $7,644,936,605 | $5,196,805,718 |
| 2015 | $64,656,047,161 | $6,920,799,654 | $5,864,290,901 |
| 2016 | $68,246,295,002 | $7,979,635,201 | $6,710,739,495 |
| 2017 | $76,972,942,064 | $8,814,691,946 | $7,706,141,375 |
| 2018 | $77,932,747,258 | $9,427,587,722 | $8,358,766,494 |
| 2019 | $86,830,006,379 | $8,779,516,804 | $7,945,874,332 |
| 2020 | $95,762,761,884 | $12,468,661,698 | $10,957,171,614 |
Changes in gift and grant activity
In 2020, the median community foundation saw gift and grant totals both increase by double digits, and nearly a third of survey respondents reported a fundraising total increase of more than 50 percent over 2019, reflecting a field that was particularly well-positioned to be among the most active philanthropic institutions as the COVID-19 pandemic emerged.
Degree of change: Dramatic decrease = -50% or greater; Moderate decrease = -49 - -11%; Neutral = -10% - +10%; Moderate increase = +11% - +49%; Dramatic increase = +50% or greater.
Median change in gifts: 16%
| Type of activity | Dramatic decrease | Moderate decrease | Neutral | Moderate increase | Dramatic increase | Median change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gifts | 8% | 23% | 16% | 23% | 30% | 16% |
| Grants | 3% | 18% | 18% | 40% | 22% | 18% |
Median change in grants: 18%
Median gifts and grants per capita
Generally, as community foundation size increases, fundraising and grantmaking per capita also increases. Although larger community foundations tend to be based in more densely populated urban centers, they also achieve an economy of scale. In 2020, every asset size cohort experienced increases in these metrics, as many in the field both experienced increases in fundraising and deployed more funding than the previous year. (n=209)
What's the idea behind the survey?
CF Insights responds to a hunger for shared knowledge among community foundations. Learn more about how this survey helps us do that.
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