Women and Philanthropy
SHARING THE WEALTH

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To The Contrary is proud to take an in-depth look at the issue of women and philanthropy. It's not a topic that's widely discussed, or even considered. But women are having a major impact in the field, as donors, as managers of major foundations, and as beneficiaries of a growing crop of women's foundations.

In 1997, women held half of foundation CEO positions, 68% of program officer posts and 93% of support staff positions, according to a 1998 Council on Foundations survey of 667 foundations and corporate giving programs. According to information released by the INTEREP Radio Store, women 18 years and older control about half of the investment wealth in the United States. Women own 43% of stock portfolios valued over $50,000, and 45% of investments in other markets. At the same time, the non-profit philanthropic sector is becoming an increasingly important part of the U.S. Economy. According to new data, the nonprofit sector accounts for 8% of the nation's Gross Domestic Product and employs nearly 10% of the work force -- more than federal and state governments combined.

Women have expanded their philanthropic pursuits at home as well, and in interesting ways. According to a poll of 1,000 voters conducted jointly by Celinda Lake and Linda DiVall (the top female Democrat and Republican pollsters) for To The Contrary, Americans have an inaccurate picture of giving by women and minorities. While men as a group may earn more money, women make more of the critical decisions about household purchasing and exercise control over many family financial resources. Women actually control 51.3% of percent wealth in the United States. Also, issues drive giving -- both men and women believe that helping to address an issue is the most compelling reason to give money. Men are more likely than women to also be concerned about their involvement in the group and the group's financial accountability. The percentage of women reporting household contributions was 76% in 1993. The percentage of men reporting household contributions was 70%.

Increasingly, women of even modest means are putting their wealth to work for the common good, but the poll shows that their giving is not necessarily focused on issues affecting women and children. Most survey respondents said they believe that children and the poor should receive from charitable contributions, only 3% believe more charitable funds should go to women. Yet a report released in 1997 reveals that 66 percent of the country's poor adults are women.

Among the philanthropists we interviewed for their impressions on the impact of women on philanthropy were Teresa Heinz (whose family foundations control assets of over one billion dollars), Sallie Bingham, Felicia Lynch of Women & Philanthropy, Vanessa Kirsch of New Profit, Inc., Abigail Disney, Sara Lee Schupf (the original Sara Lee), Barbara Lee (co-founder with Marie Wilson of the White House Project), and Jill Iscol of the Iscol Family Foundation.

THE POLL RESULTS:

* 76% of Americans believe that men control more wealth than women. But a new survey of Federal Reserve Board data reveals that women actually control 51.3% of personal wealth in the United States.

* A common myth is that men give more to charity than women, but the poll suggests that most Americans do not agree. Of the poll respondents, 55% disagreed with the statement that "Men give more money to charity than women" and that 24% agreed. However, a recent National Science Foundation study showed that women, on average, donate twice as much as men.(Eckel, Catherine C. and Philip J. Grossman. Forthcoming. "Are Women Less Selfish than Men?: Evidence from the Dictator Experiments" Economic Journal

* Many Americans believe that whites give a greater percentage of their income to charities than minorities. The poll show that most Americans believe this. However, in families with incomes of $25,000 or more, Black women are more likely to give to charity than White women are, and give in excess of $1,000. In addition, minorities are more likely to give when asked for a donation, but are asked less often than whites. ("The Contemporary Charitable Giving and Volunteerism of Black Women, 1986, Gallup.

* Most survey respondents (46%) believe that children and the poor should receive more than women in charitable contributions. Only 3% believe women should receive more. This belief holds true even among women. But in fact, women represent more than 50% of the poor. Two thirds of the 60 million women working outside the home have no pension plan and those who do have benefits receive half the benefits of their male counterparts.

* While Americans are often perceived as selfish, 85% of Americans polled said they had given their time or money to charity over the past year.

* Many Americans believe that women and girls receive a high percentage of private philanthropy, but this is not the case. Only 5.7% of foundation dollars support programs specifically serving women and girls.

LINKS AND RESOURCES

Women & Philanthropy

Women's Philanthropy Institute

Women's Funding Network

Council on Foundations

Global Fund for Women

W.K. Kellog Foundation

Books:

Nuevos Senderos:Reflections on Hispanics and Philanthropy, edited by Diana Campoamor, William A. Diaz, and Henry A.J. Ramos; 1999, Arte Publico Press, Houston, TX