A survey of community foundations has found the economic boom that has hit the rest of the country has also helped these organizations. The foundations have shown remarkable growth in both donations and grantmaking over the last decade.

The survey, conducted by the Columbus Foundation, covers 555 community foundations across America for the fiscal year 1998 and compares that data with previous studies.

Among the findings:

• Donations to the foundations increased almost 17 percent from 1997, up to $2.8 billion;
• Grants awarded showed a 23 percent increase, up to $1.5 billion;
• Assets grew faster than donations, reaching $25.2 billion through an increase of almost 19 percent;
• Sixty-six foundations received more than $10 million in 1998, as opposed to eight in 1988;
• Thirty-eight of the organizations paid out more than $10 million last year, increasing from seven foundations 10 years before;
• Fifty-one have more than $100 million in assets, compared to 12 in 1988.

Full text of this press release, along with a searchable list of the survey results, is currently found at:
http://www.columbusfoundation.com/
comm_found_set.html