This is the first known representation of the foundation and it dates from the 16th century. It is strikingly familiar to the Copernican model of the universe with the sun representing the living donor and the various planets in orbit around him, the lawyer, accountant, grants administrator and other members of the family office. 1

Somewhat later in history, philanthropy witnessed the advent of the Program Officer who represented the donor to the outside world while the loyal grants administrators toiled faithfully to make sure due diligence was done, procedures followed, and grants were made and reported filed. 2

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Data Standards

Data Standards Who gives the money? Who gets the money? How much? What is subject of a grant or program? What is the type of support? Who benefits from the grant or program? What is the geographic area served?

What is Taxonomy? Definition: 1) the science of classifying plants, animals, and microorganisms into increasingly broader categories based on shared features. 2) the practice and science of classification Taxonomy is what we (an others use) to give a structure to data. Without this structure there is no way to aggregate data, to take what one foundation is doing and compare with similar activities of another and to know very basic information about how much foundations are spending on a given problem, in a given region and who they are making the grants to. Taxonomy always makes me think of those carved wooden dolls from Russia, where each smaller one neatly fits inside the next largest doll, so that when you put them all together you get one big doll. 8

This is Philanthropy In/Sight, a mapping tool designed by the Foundation Center to tell grantmakers who is funding what, where in the world. What you’re looking at is the maximum view: 2.2 million grants made by 25,000 grantmakers since 2003. The green pins are foundations and the yellow pins are grantees (recipients). This is a Google map, the same one most people use to get directions or find a Starbuck’s so you can zero in from the globe to a street corner to get what you’re looking for. The map is an interface, what’s behind it is enormous quantities of data and knowledge that can empower you as a grantmaker. Let’s look at how at how Philanthropy In/Sight can be used to explore philanthropy in the New Orleans metropolitan area. 10

What’s Next? Better data Faster data Combining data The kinds of data visualization tools that we have been looking at today are still in their infancy when it comes to philanthropy. Future improvements will come from getting better data . The maps I have shown use are based on the geographic location of the recipient not necessarily the geographic area served by the grant. Most of the data we get from foundations doesn’t include the geographic area served and when it does regions may be identified for which there is no standard definition like “Deep South” or “Developing Countries.” The Foundation Center is working with the Grant Managers Network to solve the data problem and with our own programmers to come up with the kinds of maps that can show the geographic area served. The second improvement will come from getting more foundations to electronically report their data. The majority of data for our sector comes from 990-PF tax returns. They are frequently incomplete and the information in them can be as much as 2-3 years old by the time it finds its way into a database and on to a map. To get beyond the kind of manual work pictured here, electronic reporting is essential. Today 550 foundations, constituting 25% of all giving by U.S. foundations provide their grants data monthly, quarterly, or yearly through electronic files. This can and must become the norm and the Foundation Center is working to make that so. Last, as foundations work together and with others in order to take solutions to scale, we will need to be able to combine the information we have about foundation grants with government expenditures, economic and social indicators, etc, to make design better strategies, more effective allocation of our resources, and most importantly, to achieve lasting impact. 17