Author Archives: Noelle Barton

December 14, 2011, 7:39 pm

Foundation Giving to Hispanic Causes Remains Flat

American foundations commit only 1 percent of their giving to Hispanic causes—a share that has not changed in the past decade, according to a new study.

Giving to Hispanics in the United States from 2007 to 2009 averaged $206-million a year, and grants for Latin America averaged about $350-million a year. Most grants awarded to Hispanics support human services and health causes.

The survey by the Foundation Center and Hispanics in Philanthropy also found that 42 percent of grant dollars that supported Hispanics during that time went to nonprofits in the western United States, with 80 percent given in California.

October 27, 2011, 12:01 am

Some Companies Increase Giving as Downturn Recedes

By Noelle Barton

Half of big companies gave more to charity in cash and products last year than they did in 2007, just before the recession took hold, according to a report released today by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy.

However, not all companies are increasing their giving: One-fifth of companies last year decreased their giving by at least 25 percent of the sum they gave away before the recession started. [Editor's note: The previous sentence corrects a factual error that previously appeared in this item.]

The study, “Giving in Numbers,” examined 184 companies. The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy represents company chief executives and grant makers.

The situation for cash giving was not nearly as rosy as overall donations, the report found. More than half of the companies surveyed gave less cash in 2010 than they did in 2007, and 42 percent reduced cash…