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Spending by Education Philanthropies Drops in 2009

Amid the country's economic downturn, planned giving levels by many education grantmakers declined last year. A new analysis of trends in education philanthropy finds, however, that a sizable minority of those surveyed said they expected the grants paid out to hold steady, compared with 2008. A smaller group even planned to increase funding.

The report by the nonprofit Grantmakers for Education , issued last week, also notes a growing interest in collaboration among funders, as well as increased attention to fueling educational innovations and providing dollars to support advocacy and public-policy work. At the same time, it finds “strong current and continued support” for teacher professional development, school and district leadership, early-childhood education, college access and readiness, and high school reform.

Drawing on surveys completed in mid-2009 by 140 members of the Portland, Ore.-based national network of education grantmakers, who range from private and family foundations of all sizes to corporate philanthropies, the report says that 59 percent of respondents at that time were projecting a drop in their overall grantmaking totals in 2009 compared with the year before. One-quarter expected their giving to stay the same, and 14 percent were...