2026 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Survey (GSB)

Since 1980, the Council's Grantmaker Salary and Benefits (GSB) Survey has provided the sector with the most comprehensive data on staff composition and compensation in the United States. Grantmakers rely on this annual report to plan budgets, benchmark personnel policies and practices, determine salary levels for new and existing staff, and more.

The 2026 GSB Survey is open March 3 to May 14, 2026.

Key Dates

The 2026 GSB Survey is open as of March 3, 2026, and it closes May 14, 2026. The 2026 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report and Board Compensation Tables will be released in fall 2026.

The 2025 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report, Key Findings, and Administrative and Program Expense Tables were released in October 2025.

What are the benefits of participation?

Participating in the GSB Survey helps the entire U.S. philanthropic sector: Grantmaking organizations across the country use GSB data every year to set salary, benefits, and board policies.

Additionally, participating in the GSB Survey entitles your organization to a complimentary copy of the full 2026 GSB Report and the 2026 GSB Board Compensation Tables, as well as access to the Council's dynamic online benchmarking tool in Benchmark Central to run customized salary, benefits, and demographics comparisons by asset size, grants, geographic location, and grantmaker type.

How do I participate?

Council membership is not required to participate in the GSB Survey. You can designate one or more individuals from your team to represent your organization – multiple individuals from the same organization can work on a submission simultaneously.

If your organization has participated in a previous GSB Survey, you can access the 2026 GSB Survey through Benchmark Central by logging in with your regular cof.org username and password.

If your organization has not participated in a GSB Survey before, please contact us at communications@cof.org with your organization name and the name, title, and email address of your designated respondent(s) and we'll set up your account(s).

If you have issues accessing Benchmark Central or have any other questions, please contact us at communications@cof.org.

What positions are included in the Survey?

Our goal is to collect data on all full- and part-time positions at your foundation. We provide a list of 38 position titles in the survey; however, position titles can vary greatly between foundations and the titles provided do not need to exactly match those at your foundation. Use the job function descriptions as a guide to select the appropriate position title. If you have questions about which title would be the best fit for a position at your foundation, please email communications@cof.org.Our Partners

Special thanks to the United Philanthropy Forum and its members for partnering with us on the distribution of this this year's survey.