Report Says $2 Out of $3 in Health Grants...

Report Says $2 Out of $3 in Health Grants Benefit Disadvantaged People
By Ian Wilhelm
Chronicle of Philanthropy
June 16, 2009

Foundation giving to health-related causes benefits minorities, the poor, and other disadvantaged people far more than previous research has indicated, says a new report.

The report, released by the Philanthropic Collaborative, a Washington coalition of nonprofit and local-government officials, says that $2 out of every $3 in health grant dollars helps such populations.

From 2005 to 2007, the most recent years data are available, the Foundation Center, in New York, estimates that 31.4 percent of health giving supported disadvantaged people. But the Philanthropic Collaborative says that upon closer inspection of a sample of the $7.8-billion in health awards made during those years, it is likely that 68 percent of it assisted minorities and others.

"The analysis provides robust evidence that foundations financed $5-billion or more in health-related grants in 2005 to 2007 targeted at a wide range of underserved groups, notably including racial and ethnic minorities and the economically disadvantaged," says the report.

The report is the latest volley in a divisive debate about whether foundations do enough to support minorities and the poor.

The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, a foundation watchdog in Washington, estimates that $1 out of every $3 in grants support disadvantaged people. The group is calling on charitable funds to give at least 50 percent of their grant dollars to aid them.

Read the full article.