Methodology

For additional findings, deeper analysis and full research methodology, please read the full report.

Data for the 2025 Grantmakers for Effective Organizations field study was collected from January to March 2025. This data collection window coincided with a particularly fraught time for the philanthropic sector, as the social and political landscape in the U.S. was shifting rapidly in response to a new administration intent on dismantling many of the institutions that community organizations rely on. While this survey was being fielded, many grantmakers were considering the implications of the shifting political and legal landscape. Some directly contacted GEO to express concern about sharing information on their grantmaking practices during this time, and we believe these concerns likely affected the survey’s response rate.

As the broader field continues to pivot in response to the changing conditions in our communities, we also recognize that should we field this survey again, grantmakers may respond differently to some questions than they did only six months ago. Despite that, we believe this study provides a useful snapshot of the state of the grantmaking field in early 2025, and we share it with the intent of continuing the conversation on how we can best support our communities through the difficult times ahead.

The final dataset included 765 grantmakers, slightly more than one-third (35 percent) of which were GEO members. As outreach prioritized respondents of higher positions at grantmaking organizations, the largest proportion of survey takers identified themselves as the president, CEO, or executive director of their organization (43 percent). One-quarter of respondents (25 percent) were a part of their organization’s leadership team, reporting directly to the president or CEO, and 14 percent were a part of the grant management staff. Among the organizations that completed the survey, about one in five were independent foundations (22 percent) or family foundations or foundations with an individual living donor (20 percent), with community foundations making up 15 percent of the sample. Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of the organizations in the final sample were not GEO members, affirming that this study offers a broad look at the landscape of philanthropic organizations.