GEO National Field Survey of Grantmaking Practice
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations has published a field-wide survey of 755 staffed grantmaking foundations in the U.S., conducted by TCC Group. In light of the global economic downturn, Is Grantmaking Getting Smarter? builds on a similar study conducted in 2008 to highlight some of the shifts in grantmaking and what they mean for supporting resilience in the nonprofit sector. GEO conducts this survey every three years to examine trends in the key funding practices that we know help bolster nonprofits to achieve more positive social impact.
According to the report, there appears to be a link between stakeholder engagement practices and what grantmakers ultimately decide to do with their funds. Grantmakers that listened to and learned with their grantees and other stakeholders were more likely to increase multiyear, general operating and capacity-building support — the kinds of support that can enable nonprofits to address the deep-rooted problems in their communities.
Although the survey also revealed that progress across the foundation field has been slow generally, there is evidence of a continued movement of grantmakers committed to shifting to more effective practices that support nonprofit performance. When faced with limited funds to give out, some foundations made improvements to their internal processes to make it easier for grantees to access funds and preserved two types of much-needed support — general operating and capacity-building support.