Last October, MCF released its latest Giving in Minnesota, 2013 Edition, the latest comprehensive analysis of the trends in giving by organized philanthropy in the Minnesota. This month, we’re taking a closer look at the report’s insights on corporate grantmaking.
Corporate community support can occur through several streams: corporate giving programs, endowed foundations, in-kind giving, volunteering, and any combination of these and other programs. For this research, we concentrate on actual cash giving through corporate giving programs and corporate foundations.
Corporate grantmakers are an important part of the philanthropic scene in Minnesota. In 2011, corporate grantmakers represented just 9 percent of all grantmakers but gave 43 percent of all grant dollars. This trend – relatively few corporate grantmakers contributing a relatively large share of overall giving – has been consistent since MCF began conducting Giving in Minnesota research in 1976.
2011 marked the highest level of corporate grantmaking yet, and recovery from declines in previous years from the Great Recession. The total 2011 corporate grantmaking of $713 million was a 9 percent increase from 2010. The previous giving peak was in 2008, a total of $695 million.
Minnesota’s top corporate grantmakers in 2011 were:
- Target Foundation and Corporation
- General Mills Foundation and Corporation
- Cargill Foundation and Cargill, Inc.
- UnitedHealth Group and United Health Foundation
- Medtronic Foundation and Corporation
Corporate grantmaking in the sample broken out by subject area varied slightly from the whole sample of 100 of the top grantmakers in the state. Similar to the entire sample, corporate grantmakers gave the largest share of their grant dollars to Education, but the corporate share was larger, 39% compared to 28%.
In contrast, corporate grantmaking in the sample broken out by geographies served was quite different from the whole sample. Corporations based in Minnesota often divide their grantmaking between headquarters communities and other regions of the country or world where their facilities and customers are located. 30% of corporate grantmaking served Minnesota, compared to 47% from the whole sample. 27% of corporate grantmaking served national areas, compared to only 13% by the whole sample.
Look for future posts digging into more giving trends by subject area, with Arts up next.
- Anne Graham, MCF research associate
