Corporate Giving Trends and Opportunities (click here for a PDF version of this article)

In Giving USA 2002, it was reported that corporate giving decreased to $9.05 billion in 2001, a drop of 12.1% from 2000. According to a Foundation Center survey of 333 foundations and corporate donors released in September 2002 most grantmakers planned to maintain their levels of giving through 2002, although many were worried whether or not they would be able to fund programs at the same level in 2003 and beyond. Current difficult economic conditions put increasing pressure on companies to keep their giving in line with key corporate business strategies. As a result, research in a particular company's interest areas may be likely to attract funding. Following are examples of two companies’ research interests:

Agilent Technologies: http://www.labs.agilent.com/research/programs.html
Rockwell Scientific: http://www.rsc.rockwell.com/html/technologies.html

Another corporate, bottom-line focused giving strategy is in-kind or equipment donations. The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently reported that donations of company products are the fastest-growing component of giving by major U.S. corporations, therefore it may be worthwhile to identify companies whose products could be used in your programs. The following site gives details regarding a corporate academic equipment grant program:

Agilent Technologies: http://www.agilent.com/univ_relation/grants.html

In difficult economic times, many companies focus on local involvement where it is easier to determine impact. Additionally, local giving can enable companies to both improve their communities and enhance their corporate images. Consequently, UCLA in LA projects and similar community-based programs could be of interest to corporations with a strong Southern California presence. The following websites contain information on the charitable giving programs of two major corporations that operate locally:

Boeing: http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/aboutus/community/charitable.htm
Toyota: http://www.toyota.com/about/community/fundguidelines/index.html

Please contact CFRR at x42315 if you would like to explore potential funding opportunities with any of these companies.

UCLA Office of Corporate, Foundation and Research Relations
10920 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1400
Los Angeles, California 90024-6502