Minnesota Grantmakers Anticipate Stable Giving in 2012

Source: Minnesota Council on Foundations 01/09/2012

MINNEAPOLIS (Jan. 9, 2012) ― The Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF) today reported that the state’s grantmakers expect relatively stable giving in 2012. According to MCF’s 2012 Outlook Report, foundations and corporations believe their grantmaking will remain flat or possibly increase about one percent from 2011.  

“Grantmaking stability is a huge plus, especially during times of continuing unpredictability elsewhere,” says Bill King, MCF President. “Minnesota philanthropists have been giving well over $1 billion annually for a decade now and have weathered the volatile economy of the past few years with relatively minor fluctuations in their giving.”

MCF’s 2012 Outlook Report is based on an October/November 2011 survey of 104 Minnesota foundations and corporate giving programs that represent 76 percent (or about $1 billion) of all Minnesota annual grantmaking.

Most Grantmakers Maintaining Priorities

Seventy percent of grantmakers anticipate that their funding priorities will remain constant in 2012, which is almost a 10-point increase over what they predicted for 2011.

For the first time in its annual Outlook survey, MCF asked grantmakers to estimate changes in giving to the specific subject areas they support. While most respondents plan no changes to 2012 subject-area giving, one third of education funders forecast giving more to education in 2012.

Arts, culture, and humanities is the only subject area to which more grantmakers said they expect to decrease rather than increase funding. Although the respondents represent a small part of the Outlook survey sample, this finding appears to be consistent with a trend toward less arts funding as reported in MCF’s latest Giving in Minnesota report (www.mcf.org/research/giving).

Modest Asset Growth

Minnesota grantmakers are slightly less optimistic than last year about the value of their assets going forward. Specifically, 45 percent of foundations expect their assets to increase modestly in 2012, versus 58 percent who projected an increase during 2011. Almost 40 percent of foundations anticipate that asset values will remain constant throughout the year, up from 31 percent last year.

“Grantmakers have a conservative outlook on their investments right now,” explains King. “This is understandable in light of 2011’s persistent market gyrations.”

Learn More at Upcoming Webinars and Online

MCF will host four subject-specific webinars to further report on and discuss what 2012 Outlook Report findings mean for Minnesota’s nonprofit and philanthropic communities. During each webinar leading grantmakers will talk about the funding landscape for their primary subject area.

Webinar topics and dates are: Education, January 18; Human Services, January 24; Health, February 1; and Arts, February 7. For details and to register, visit www.mcf.org/events.

To read the complete 2012 Outlook Report, including detailed information about giving by grantmakers of different sizes and types, as well as non-cash support strategies, see www.mcf.org/research/outlook.

About the Minnesota Council on Foundations

The Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF), a regional association of grantmakers, works actively to strengthen and expand philanthropy. MCF members represent three-quarters of all grantmaking in the state, awarding more than $900 million to nonprofits annually. Members include family and private independent foundations, community and other public foundations, and corporate foundations and giving programs. For more information, visit www.mcf.org.