Major Gift Editorial
January 4th, 2010
by Terry Burton

2009 wrapped up in fine fashion as a number of foundations chose to make year end announcements on grants and awards.

The second largest announcement of the year came from the Haas Trust as it bestowed $767 million to the William Penn Charitable Trust in Philadelphia. Only the billion dollar plus gift of Berkshire Hathaway funds to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation back in the summer topped this.

Other foundations joined in as well.

The Cleveland Foundation has chose to support the Cleveland School District with two large grants through their $15 million in awards to local charities.

Atlantic Philanthropies stepped up and made $12 million in grants to four East Baltimore Schools that are part of a redevelopment project in these schools where they will become centers for providing health, social and employment services to students and their families.

The grants extend over a four year period. Out of the Midwest the Alphawood Foundation of Chicago made a $10 million grant to Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island to help fund the construction of this new park.

In California the Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation sent out grants totaling $9.8 million for research grants to improve clinical care for patients with brain tumors and to come up with new strategies to help patients suffering from this condition. Four separate researchers in the USA received those grants.

The personal gift announcements were down during the last week but overall the month of December was ahead of 2008 year over year. Last year major gift announcements totaled approximately $325 million while this year the final tally was in excess of $1.5 billion.

A new corporate foundation was also announced last week as OneWest Bank, FSB in California, set aside $10 million to establish the fund. As we head into 2010 it appears as though the shape of philanthropy has changed. Foundations and wealthy individuals are more willing to make the big gift.

But they also have higher expectations of accountability and want to stay involved. The shift in giving comes with an enhanced sense of wanting to share in the long term success of the grant recipient. A trend we can count on for years to come. Best wishes for a productive year in 2010.

Good health to you.

Contributing author, Terry Burton, is President of Dig In Research. Author, speaker and consultant on emerging trends & strategies for major gifts. For more information please visit my web site at http://diginresearch.biz or call 248-881-2323. Follow me on Twitter @Major_gifts.