Our Research

Foundation Board Diversity Report 2009

This report presents data on the diversity of the boards of directors of the 46 largest independent foundations in the United States.

We found that a while quarter of all board directors in the sample were African American, Latino, or Asian American, 28% of the sample did not have people of color on their boards at all.  Among people of color, Latinos are the most underrepresented on foundation boards, with only 8% of all board members of the sample foundations identifying as Latino.

We also found that diversity of the board of directors of the foundations has a generally positive correlation to their giving to organizations led by people of color.  Comparing this sample with the sample of the top 25 foundations and their giving to organizations led by people of color in our previous reports, we found that the top ten foundations with the most diverse boards of directors (among those 25) gave 47.1% of all grants given by that sample to organizations led by POC.  In contrast, foundations with no people of color on their boards gave 10.4% of their grants to such organizations, once the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, an outlier in the dataset, is removed.

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Community Action Plan on Philanthropy

Addressing the Needs of Diverse and Grassroots Nonprofit Organizations in California

The Community Action Plan on Philanthropy is Greenlining’s first attempt to summarize the feedback we received from 300 community leaders in multiple convenings held across California on issues related to philanthropic support for minority nonprofits.

This report contains five sections.   The first section, entitled Guiding Principles, describes the common feedback we received from community leaders regarding the framework that should exist when considering issues related to equity in philanthropy.  The second section describes the Capacity Building needs of nonprofits.  The third section discusses issues related to Core Operating Support and the need for constant investments and partnerships in minority-led organizations.   The fourth section describes the Capacity Building Needs of Foundations and the necessary changes that must occur in the foundation world to achieve greater effectiveness in reaching diverse communities.  The final section includes a summary of specific Recommendations for foundations to consider.

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Philanthropic Investment in the Sunshine State

This report analyzes the grants made by the ten largest Florida-based foundations, and details the percent of their grants and grant dollars they gave to minority-led organizations.  The report demonstrates that the top foundations gave an average of 5.48% of their grant dollars to African American- Latino- and Asian-American-led nonprofit organizations.  The top foundation in terms of minority giving was the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which gave 16.1% of its grants to minorities, closely followed by the Wallace H. Couler Foundation, which gave 14.3% of its grants to minorities.  This study was commissioned by the Florida Minority Reinvestment Coalition.

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Funding The New Majority

Philanthropic Investment In Minority-Led Nonprofits

Summer 2008

This study builds extensively on Greenlining's prior reports on foundation giving to minority-led organizations. Although the study demonstrates an increase in the percentage of grants and dollars awarded to minority-led nonprofits, the overall percentages remain relatively low and we continue to see a great disparity in minority giving among the sampled foundations.

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Investing In A Diverse Democracy Report

Foundation Investments to Minority-Led Nonprofits

Fall 2006

This study yielded a complex set of findings. Overall, investment in minority-led nonproftis remains startling low. For example, when a single grant is removed from the sample, a mere 3.6% of dollars are granted to minority-led nonprofit organizations.

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Fairness In Philantropy Part 1

Foundation Investment to Minority-Led Nonprofits

Fall 2005

In 2002, total giving by the 49 independent foundations in the sample was approximately $7billion dollars, including both domestic and international grants. Our findings show that of the $6.4 billion awarded to domestic grantees, $198.8 million or 3% was awarded to minority-led organizations. Five foundations in the sample awarded no grants to minority-led organizations.

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Fairness In Philantropy Part 2

Perspective From the Field

Fall 2005

The data presented in Part I of the Fairness in Philanthropy report is critical to understanding the disparity in grantmaking to minority-led organizations. However, equally important are the voices behind these numbers. The quotes and findings presented below provide important perspectives from foundation and minority nonprofit leaders that have direct experience in the field and address several important issues related to diversity and philanthropic investments to minority-led organizations.

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