Grants Provided by Foundations in the United States, in Total Dollars and Dollars Adjusted for Inflation: 1963-1994

Independent, community, and grantmaking operating foundations in the United States provided an estimated $9.9 billion to non-profit organizations in 1994, a 7.6% increase over the 1993 estimate of $9.2 billion. In 1994, foundation grants accounted for 7.6% of the total giving in the United States to non-profit organizations, according to "Giving USA." In actual dollars the value of foundation grants increased from $3.6 billion in 1983 to $9.9 billion in 1994. When adjusted for inflation this represents a 91.7% increase in the value of foundation grants.

The estimates, based on a 1994 Foundation Center survey from a sample of 1,029 larger foundations, revealed that 29.2% of foundation grant dollars went to education, 15.2% to health, 12.8% to arts and culture, 15.4% to human services, and 10.5% to public/society benefit. Percentages for education and human services increased since 1993.

Other sources of giving, not included in the graph above, are private individuals, corporations and bequests.

Grants Provided by Foundations in the United States, in Total Dollars and Dollars Adjusted for Inflation: 1964-1994

                               Inflation
             Actuals            Adjusted
Year   (in $Billions)      (in $Billions)


1963           $0.82               $3.56 
1964            0.83                3.56
1969            1.80                6.52
1974            2.11                5.75
1979            2.24                4.25
1983            3.60                5.17
1984            3.95                5.46
1985            4.90                6.56
1986            5.43                7.07
1987            5.88                7.43
1988            6.15                7.50
1989            6.55                7.67
1990            7.23                8.11
1991            7.72                8.33
1992            8.64                9.07
1993            9.53                9.75
1994            9.91                9.91

Note: Inflation adjustment was done using MHSC's Inflation-Adjustment calculation. Figures were adjusted to 1994 constant dollars.

Source: American Association of Fund-Raising Counsel Trust for Philanthropy, "Giving USA," 1996.

Distribution of Foundation Grants: 1993-94

                                                                   1994
Foundation                              1993           1994     % of Total

Education                         $1,337,040     $1,803,801           29.2
Health                             1,024,519        936,834           15.2
Arts & Culture                       834,721        789,464           12.8
Human Services                       821,805        951,281           15.4
Public/Social Benefit                631,968        648,756           10.5
Environment & Animals                289,996        317,385            5.1
Science & Technology                 221,628        249,655            4.0
Int'l Affairs, Development & Peace   204,916        211,010            3.4
Social Science                       153,187        151,484            2.5
All Others                           101,657        109,738            1.8

Source: The Foundation Center, The Foundations Grants Index, 1995

Filename: PS-028

Return to the PIE Home Page