Got this from Robert Benincasa, NPR's numbers guru:

Besieged managers of food banks, social service and housing agencies coping with increased demand and dwindling funds can get a quick lesson in how the nation's philanthropic foundations might help them.
The Foundation Center has started tracking grants, loans and other help to local charities with an online interactive map, hoping to encourage the flow of money to the front lines of the economic downturn.
The center says the map is part of its "broader initiative to provide the latest information, news, and research to shed light on the potential impact of the economic climate on the field of philanthropy," and it has a larger site dedicated to doing just that.
As of this morning, the center had mapped more than $88 million in aid. Map users can get a national picture by sector or drill down to see individual grants to community organizations.
"America's foundations are marshaling their resources to secure the social safety net at this critical time when public funding is down and service demands are up," said center president Bradford Smith. "The real-time information in this map will help grant makers fill gaps and foster collaborations to meet the pressing needs of nonprofits and the communities they serve."

I'd like to note that my home state of Mississippi currently shows zero dollars and, of course, zero recipients. Yours?

categories: Understanding The Crisis

12:24 - December 16, 2008

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