Foundation Global Grantmaking Consistent Through Crises, DAF Grants Abroad Soared

WASHINGTON – The Council on Foundations today released the latest edition of The State of Global Giving by U.S. Foundations report, analyzing trends in foundation grantmaking based on data in Candid’s “Foundation 1000” research set, including all grants of $10,000 or more awarded by 1,000 of the largest U.S. foundations. The report covers 2020-2023 with partial data from 2024 and includes detailed breakdowns of global giving by region, issue, population focus, and support strategy and highlights from interviews with nine foundations and one philanthropy-infrastructure organization.

"This publication demonstrates that American generosity isn't limited by borders and is responsive to the needs of communities in crisis across the planet," said Kathleen Enright, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations. "From addressing the COVID-19 pandemic to increased local and unrestricted giving, U.S. foundations and donor-advised funds supported myriad causes and organizations working to make our world a better place — all while adhering to strict legal regimens and extensive due diligence processes. We hope this report continues to serve as an important tool for the sector and the larger public in understanding the scope of American generosity abroad."

Global Giving by U.S. Foundations Remained Consistent as a Share of Overall Giving  

• Global grant dollars as a share of overall grant dollars stayed fairly level from 2020-2023, ranging from a low of 23.1% to a high of 24.6% - matching long-term trends of funders awarding about a quarter of their grant dollars and roughly 10% of their grants for globally focused activities each year.
• About four out of five foundations made at least one globally focused grant each year.
• The largest institutions continued to dominate global giving, with the top 10 foundations providing 64% of global grant dollars.  
• The Gates Foundation continued to be the largest global grantmaker, accounting for approximately 45% of global grant dollars during this period.

National DAF Sponsors are Significant Global Funders

• Analyzed in this report for the first time, 51 national charitable gift funds provided more than 89,000 grants totaling $14.1 billion for globally focused activities. This support equaled more than one-quarter (27%) of the total global grant dollars reported by Foundation 1000 funders during this period.
• Excluding the Gates Foundation, support from these funds was equivalent to about half (49%) of Foundation 1000 global giving.
• These funds provided 15% of their total grant dollars and almost 10% of their grants as global giving, roughly matching the shares reported for the Foundation 1000 excluding Gates. However, the median global grant size reported was far smaller for the 51 national charitable gift funds ($15,000) than for the Foundation 1000 funders ($125,000).
• The report shows that foundation professionals are increasingly staying put in their jobs. After the mean turnover rate jumped in 2023 to 13.1% amid the “Great Resignation,” the rate in 2026 fell to 9.8%. The percentage of organizations reporting staff departures also decreased to 49%, the lowest level reported in at least five years.

Community Foundations Double Global Giving, Surpass Corporate Foundations for the First Time

• Community foundations doubled the share of overall global foundation funding they provide, from 4% in the 2016-2019 period to 8% in the 2020-2023 period, passing corporate foundations for the first time.
• Community foundations awarded about three-quarters of their global grant dollars (74%) to U.S.-based organizations working abroad.
• At the same time, community foundations remained focused on their local communities, with 90% of overall grant dollars targeting domestic purposes.  

Global Giving for the Environment More than Doubled and Surpassed Health for the First Time, when Excluding the Gates Foundation

• Between 2020 and 2023, funders awarded $4.3 billion to address climate change both domestically and globally, up markedly from the $1.8 billion they provided between 2016 and 2019. Climate change rose from 17% of total environmental giving in the earlier period to 24% in the most recent period.
• With the Gates Foundation (representing more than two-fifths of all global giving) excluded from the dataset, the environment, including efforts to address climate change, became the largest funding priority, surpassing health for the first time (21% versus 18%).
• With the Gates Foundation included, close to half of globally focused foundation grant dollars prioritized health (46%). 

Direct Global Giving in Support of Locally Led Development Increases, but Still Represented a Small Portion of Overall Global Support

• Foundations awarded 14% of their globally focused grant dollars to organizations headquartered in other countries for work taking place exclusively in those countries (locally led development). This share was up slightly from 13% in the 2016-2019 period.
• Direct grant dollars rose to $7.3 billion, up from $4.2 billion in the last period, but among foundations making direct grants (366 of the Foundation 1000), this giving generally represented a small portion of their overall global support.
• Foundations making direct grants awarded a median of seven direct grants from 2020-2023 – fewer than two per year. By comparison, these same foundations made a median of 54 globally focused grants overall during our data period, or close to 14 grants per year. 

The report also provides insight into giving during international crises, including that most global funding was distributed in the first year of a conflict or disaster, and insight into unrestricted giving trends, including that the percentage of unrestricted grants jumped from 19% to 29% of all global grants. 

For nearly three decades the Council on Foundations and Candid have partnered on studies of globally focused giving by U.S. foundations. This report, free to Council members, follows our State of Global Giving by U.S. Foundations: 2022 Edition report analyzing data from 2016-2019.  

About the Council on Foundations
The Council on Foundations is a nonprofit membership association that serves as a guide for philanthropies as they advance the greater good. Building on our 75-year history, the Council supports over 1,000 member organizations in the United States and around the world to build trust in philanthropy, expand pathways to giving, engage broader perspectives, and co-create solutions that will lead to a better future for all. Learn more about the Council and become a member by visiting www.cof.org.