U.S. foundations gave $45.6 billion in 2008, a 2.8% gain

Grant-making foundations in the U.S. granted $45.6 billion in 2008, an increase of 2.8 percent over the previous year, according to the Foundation Center’s 2009 edition of the Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates: Current Outlook. More than 1,200 major foundations participated in the survey.

Independent and family foundations, which make up 90 percent of foundations, increased their giving 2.5 percent to $33 billion in 2009. Community foundation giving increased 6.7 percent to $4.6 billion in 2008, while corporate foundations remained almost unchanged at $4.4 billion in 2008, an increase of 0.8 percent over 2007.

Despite the modest increase in 2008, a new survey conducted by the same group in early 2009 found that 47 percent actually reduced their giving in 2008. Close to two-thirds of foundations said they expect to reduce their giving this year, with community foundations being most likely to see a decrease, and foundation giving is expected to decline further in 2010, according to the survey, Foundations Address the Impact of the Economic Crisis.