The foundation provides Charitable Sector Support grants (general operating support or project support) to outstanding U.S.-based non-profit organizations that are trying to enhance the public’s understanding of the U.S. charitable sector.

This priority is driven by our recognition that while the public is familiar with some individual charities, very few people understand the broader charitable sector—what needs it addresses, how it operates, and how it is financed. We believe this lack of understanding may impede long-term charitable effectiveness.

We generally fund efforts that address a broad, national audience. We are less likely to fund efforts whose audience is mostly within the charitable sector or academia, that are local or regional rather than national in scope, or that address issues of interest to a sub-sector (e.g. environmental organizations) rather than the charitable sector as a whole.

Representative Grants

• $750,000 in general operating support over 36 months to Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy and National Center for Charitable Statistics (April 2005).The grantee’s objectives include:
  
  
  • Creating, updating, and maintaining a comprehensive National Nonprofit Data System for researchers and the public
    
    
  • Building knowledge on non-profits and philanthropy through analyses of the scope, dimensions, activities, and impacts of the non-profit sector and disseminating that information to the public
    
    
  • Conducting policy research that addresses the impact of public policies on non-profit organizations
    
    
• $1.2 million in general operating support over 36 months to the Foundation Center (January 2007). The grantee’s objectives include:
  
  
  • Expanding accessibility to the Center’s information resources on all forms of organized philanthropy
    
    
  • Researching and analyzing trends in the charitable sector
    to fill gaps in knowledge, provide insights into future directions, and inform public debate
    
    
  • Strengthening the Center’s public outreach to create a broader appreciation of the role and importance of philanthropy in our society

Ineligible Projects
There are many vital activities that fall under “charitable sector support” and “non-profit infrastructure” that are nonetheless outside our scope. Activities that are ineligible for foundation funding include:

• Academic training and education for future non-profit leaders
  
  
• Education and training for professional staff and board members
  
  
• Management support and technical
  assistance for non-profit organizations
  
  
• Online tools for facilitating volunteerism and individual giving
  
  
• Development and dissemination of governance and accountability standards

Please note: In July 2007, we decided to phase out most of our grants for non-profit organizations that assist donors in increasing the effectiveness of their philanthropy. After two years of research and some small grants in this area, we determined that we were not ready to take on a significant grant program to help build the field of donor services.

For the foreseeable future, we will be taking some modest steps to help donors who are connected to our trustees and reaching out to them directly for insights—rather than having a broader focus that would involve significant grantmaking. We’ve adopted this narrower approach in response to our organizational capacity, restricting ourselves to the “must dos” right now—even if that means leaving some great opportunities on the table.