Untapped potential … of donors

The Foundation Center, in New York City, in collaboration with and support from Mama Cash, recently released a report on European foundation funding for women and girls (PDF). The heartening news is that Mama Cash pushed for this study to bring to light data on European foundation philanthropy targeted toward women and girls.

The pattern in this graphic, which comes from the Foundation Center report, Untapped Potential, is quite similar for U.S. foundation grants benefiting women and girls. (Click on image to enlarge.)

The grim news is that support is very low in terms of budget percentages allocated to projects for women and girls.

The study relied on a variety of research methods including a survey and interviews. Overall, 145 foundations from 19 countries responded.

Findings:

• About one-third said they engaged in some grant making or programmatic activities intended to benefit women and girls.
• Sixty percent of foundations said that they allocate less than 10 percent of their expenditures to programs benefiting women and girls.
• The total median percentage of grant monies allocated by foundations in support of women and girls was less than 5 percent.

Less than 5 percent for half of the world’s population with the demonstrated greatest need and major impact in terms of investment that will improve human capital in the short and long run.

I would like to see where the other 95 percent goes. Show me the money, and show me what good it is doing.