Funding Research

Based on a series of talking circles of tribal leaders and funders, this handsome report reviews the history of Native peoples and the role of art in tribal culture, examines program priorities of funders, and identifies strategies for supporting Native arts and artists. The extensive bibliography is also a valuable tool for Grantmakers.

Download PDF from The Potlatch Fund.

Native America at the new Millennium is a Ford Foundation-funded collaboration by the Harvard Project, Native Nations Institute, and First Nations Development Institute that serves as a primer on contemporary American Indian affairs. NANM addresses topics as wide-ranging as tribal government, non-profit organizations, political activism, economic development, housing, welfare, health, arts, and media.

First Nations Development Institute and Native Americans in Philanthropy convened a group of Native philanthropic leaders in Minneapolis/St. Paul on September 14 2005, to discuss how we can better support the development of Native foundations and Native philanthropy. The objective of this meeting was to provide insight and input into the design and implementation of a structure to support the further development of Native foundations and Native philanthropy through technical assistance, advocacy and research.

This report presents key findings from a study of large foundations' giving to Native American causes and concerns. It addresses the real dollar value of grantmaking from 1989-2002, top donors and top recipients, and the general purposes to which grants are targeted. The pamphlet concludes with a discussion of what the data imply (and in particular, what action they ought to motivate) for foundations, Native-serving nonprofits, and tribal governments.

This brief article offers a concise and practical look at the important difference between "outcomes" and "impact" in measuring the effectiveness of grants and programs, and provides information on designing evaluation methods and what measures to best apply.

Posted courtesy of the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

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   On the Frontlines (312Kb)

This Field Resource Book profiles nine foundations that provide general operating support to arts organizations. The featured foundations reflect geographic and institutional diversity, as well as myriad grantmaking approaches. The chapters are the result of research and interviews with senior staff at each of the nine foundations.

Each chapter includes six sections:

Independent Sector and the Foundation Center have partnered in developing this research, resulting in a quantitative study of social justice funding by 1,000 of the largest private and community foundations in the U.S.

Documents the growth in number, giving, and assets of all active U.S. foundations from 1975 through 2003.

June 2005 / 100 pp.

Available online from The Foundation Center.

Provides a first look at estimates of foundation giving for 2004 and final statistics on actual giving and assets for 2003. It also presents new top 100 foundation lists.

April 2005 / 13 pp.

Available online from The Foundation Center.

Examines 2003 grantmaking patterns of a sample of more than 1,000 larger U.S. foundations, and compares current giving priorities with trends since 1990.
February 2005 / 86 pp.

Available online from The Foundation Center.