Philanthropy Front and Center-Atlanta

New Foundation Center Map of Cross-border Giving

Our new Map of Cross-border Giving allows grantseekers to access a wealth of information on grants awarded by U.S. foundations to non-U.S. recipients. This interactive database includes detailed descriptions of grants awarded to over 12,000 international organizations totaling more than $8.5 billion. With this new resource, users can:

• Browse grants from U.S. grantmakers to non-U.S. recipient organizations using the interactive world map.
• Filter grants by fiscal year, grantmaker type, primary subject, recipient type, or type of support.
• View descriptions of over 30,000 grants to international organizations with information on the recipient, amount awarded, duration, type of support, description, and subject.
• Access detailed profiles of more than 1,400 funders, including contact information, giving interests and limitations, key financial data, and full copies of IRS returns for past years.
• Copy, print, or save maps for future reference. Data can also be exported as a spreadsheet file for further manipulation.

The Foundation Center's Map of Cross-border Giving is available by monthly or annual subscription. For more details, go to crossborder.foundationcenter.org or visit the Marketplace section of our web site.

Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Update on International Grantmaking Trends

Estimated U.S. foundation giving for international purposes reached a record $5.4 billion in 2007, and 2008 giving is likely to top that record, according to International Grantmaking IV: An Update on U.S. Foundation Trends. This new report, prepared by the Foundation Center in cooperation with the Council on Foundations, suggests that the prospects for international giving in the near term are also less pessimistic than current market conditions might suggest.

This latest update of the Foundation Center's benchmark series on international funding examines changes in grantmakers' strategies and practices and the outlook for giving, based on a 2008 survey and interviews with leading funders. It also documents trends in giving through 2006 based on actual grants awarded by over 1,000 of the largest U.S. foundations.

You can find additional resources on international philanthropy at our web site, including:

• Civicus - an international alliance dedicated to strengthening citizen action and the capacity of civil society throughout the world, especially in areas where participatory democracy, freedom of association of citizens, and funds for public benefit are threatened.


• Grantmakers Without Borders - a collaborative project of the Tides Center and the International Working Group of the National Network of Grantmakers, works to expand and enrich progressive international philanthropy and to support international projects by providing free advice, alternative sources of information, and increased opportunities for communication among donors.


• Idealist - a project of Action Without Borders, is available in English, Spanish, French, and Russian. It has a searchable network of more than 30,000 nonprofit and community organizations in 165 countries, which can be searched or browsed by name, location, or mission. The site also contains a searchable list of volunteer opportunities, hundreds of job, consultant, and internship listings, and listings of events, programs, and publications.

You can also conduct a search for print resources by using a Subject search for “International philanthropy” in the Catalog of Nonprofit Literature, our library catalog.

Kayron Bearden, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta