Fall 2008
Giving Trends
Community/Public Foundations Small in Number but Large in Impact
Community and public foundations in Minnesota represent just 6 percent of Minnesota grantmakers, but they paid out 13 percent of all grant dollars in 2005. Although not large in number, these publicly supported foundations — that are operated by and for the benefit of specific communities of people, areas of interest or geography — have a great deal of impact around the state.
Grants from community/public foundations totaled $132 million in 2005 (the most recent year for which data are available), down slightly from $134 million in 2004. The percentage of decline was the least among all grantmaker types.
Preliminary data that will be included in MCF’s 2008 Giving in Minnesota report indicate that giving by community/public foundations (as well as private and corporate grantmakers) increased from 2005 to 2006. The annual Giving in Minnesota report provides a comprehensive analysis of philanthropy in the state by foundations, corporations, and individuals. Also included are detailed grantmaking patterns and trends by the state's 100 largest foundations and corporate giving programs.
Human Services, Education Receive Most Support
 In 2005, 22 percent of community/public grant dollars went to human services, with 18 percent given to education. Nationally, education ranks first for community foundation giving (23 percent), with human services ranking second (22 percent).* Compared to community grantmakers nationally, Minnesota’s community/public foundations gave a larger percentage of grant dollars to religion and less to environment.
Compared with other grantmaker types in Minnesota, community/public foundations gave the largest share of grant dollars to religion, accounting for just over half (51 percent) of all faith-based grantmaking. Due to those contributions to religion, in nearly all other subject areas community/public foundations contributed the lowest share of grant dollars of the three grantmaker types.
Grantmaking by Beneficiary, Geography
 Of the three grantmaker types, only community/public foundations increased their share of grant dollars to the "Adults" beneficiary group between 2004 and 2005 (from 7.8 percent to 9 percent). Grantmaking by community/public foundations that year also included significant increases in funding to Asians/Pacific Islanders and immigrants/refugees. The community foundations devoted a larger share of their 2005 grant dollars to these two groups than private foundations and corporate grantmakers combined.
Of all grantmaker types in 2005, community/public foundations gave the largest share (78 percent) of their grant dollars to organizations serving Minnesota. Nearly half (49 percent) of giving went to organizations in the Twin Cities.
For more details about philanthropic giving by community/public foundations and other groups, please visit www.mcf.org/gim. The 2008 Edition of Giving in Minnesota will be available later this fall.
*Information from Foundation Giving Trends: Update on Funding Priorities, 2007 Edition, The Foundation Center.
© Copyright 2008 Minnesota Council on Foundations
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