Assets, gifts, and grants
Nearly 90 percent of the community foundations included in this year’s sample ended 2023 with a year over year increase in assets over 2022 totals, largely due to positive investment returns across the field in an economic climate seeing some recovery following the worst of the pandemic. However, over half of the community foundations in the sample experienced declines in fundraising in 2023, reflecting broad declines in individual charitable giving across the philanthropic sector (Source: Giving USA). By contrast, grantmaking continued to increase across the field, with roughly two-thirds of all community foundations in the sample distributing more funds compared to the previous year (n=228).
2023 marks the first year in which total reported grantmaking outpaced fundraising (n=615) since CF Insights began releasing this snapshot.
Total assets
Median change in assets: 11%
Total reported gifts & grants
Total reported assets, gifts, & grants over time
The table below reflects long-term growth in assets, gifts, and grants among 100 of the largest community foundations in the country, who together hold nearly 80% of the sample’s total assets. The collective asset total for this group increased by 8% over 2022, despite a second consecutive two-digit decrease in fundraising. Grantmaking totals continued to climb, with this group deploying over $16B in grants, an 11% increase over the prior year. (n=100)
| Year | Assets ($) | Gifts ($) | Grants ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $64,442,069,496 | $7,715,936,856 | $5,290,723,444 |
| 2015 | $66,195,303,104 | $7,083,656,466 | $5,953,178,175 |
| 2016 | $69,705,037,183 | $8,162,815,219 | $6,804,217,023 |
| 2017 | $79,235,775,021 | $8,943,348,764 | $7,818,722,724 |
| 2018 | $80,106,399,237 | $9,663,806,706 | $8,484,256,006 |
| 2019 | $88,700,691,591 | $8,952,163,456 | $8,102,652,685 |
| 2020 | $96,546,789,229 | $12,653,150,106 | $11,104,844,479 |
| 2021 | $123,021,421,924 | $19,738,636,441 | $12,351,667,667 |
| 2022 | $110,784,818,071 | $15,660,194,795 | $14,504,752,903 |
| 2023 | $119,997,935,553 | $12,932,363,142 | $16,147,342,917 |
Changes in gift and grant activity
Just over half of the community foundations in the sample experienced year over year declines in fundraising, with the median community foundation seeing a 3% decrease. Change rates varied by asset size cohort: the median community foundation with less than $25M in assets saw a 10% year over year increase in fundraising, while the median community foundation with more than $500M in assets saw a 6% decrease.
Grantmaking totals continued to grow across all asset size cohorts for the third straight year, with the median community foundation increasing their giving by 10%. (n=228)
Median change in gifts: -3%
| Type of activity | Dramatic decrease | Moderate decrease | Neutral | Moderate increase | Dramatic increase | Median change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gifts | 17% | 27% | 16% | 21% | 18% | -3% |
| Grants | 3% | 21% | 28% | 34% | 14% | 10% |
Median change in grants: 10%
Median gifts and grants per capita
Most asset size cohorts are in line with each other in terms of gifts and grants per capita except for the largest community foundations which, while often based in more densely populated urban centers, achieve an economy of scale. (n=373)
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.
Questions?
