Benchmarking 2015: Trends in Education Philanthropy

Overview & Synopsis

As in past years, this report draws from a survey of Grantmakers for Education membership that provides a snapshot of giving patterns as well as grantmakers' qualitative impressions of lessons and insights from their work. For the first time, this report has sought out the perspectives of non-members who are active in the field, to help broaden perspective to seek to strengthen, deepen, and broaden philanthropy's impact on public education. It has been two years since the last Benchmarking Report, and this year it is found that while the focus on shaping the future of public education remains, the approaches deployed by education philanthropists continue to evolve. This report begins by examining the magnitude and nature of giving across geographies and the age continuum, from birth through to adulthood, as philanthropists seek to support learners at whatever stage and setting they are in. Strikingly, no matter where education philanthropists are working, the commitment to equity is paramount--in different ways, education philanthropists are all working toward a vision of a future where outcomes for all learners improve. This report would not be complete without spotlighting funders' current funding priorities and emerging trends in the field. Highlighted are the ways in which funders are already grappling with the challenge of measuring and magnifying their impact on learners. The report looks at the broader context within which members operate to ask: Is everything being done that can to proactively help members prepare for future challenges and opportunities? An appendix contains the GFE Survey Analysis.