Annual Grantmakers Salary Report Released

The median salary for foundation staff in the United States is $70,000, according to a new benchmarking report from the Council on Foundations.

The report also found that despite the median foundation CEO/Chief Giving Officer (CGO) salary in 2010 hitting $150,000, 21 percent of CEOs and 61 percent of CGOs received a bonus.

The 2010 Grantmakers Salary and Benefits Report is published by the US-based peak body, The Council on Foundations. The report provides information on the composition and compensation of US independent, family, community, public, and corporate foundations, and direct giving programs.

The report is based on responses to an online survey of 740 foundation and corporate grantmakers – which reported salaries for a total of 6,478 full-time employees. The respondents included 263 community foundations, 206 independent foundations, 150 family grantmakers, 80 public funders, and 41 corporate foundations.

Key findings and trends include:

• In 2010, the median foundation salary was US$70,000. Independent foundations reported the highest median salary at US$82,500, while community foundations had the lowest median salary at US$59,410.
• Foundations in the Northeast and West (US) had the highest median salaries with US$78,175 and US$72,050, respectively.
• Among the 34 staff positions studied, program officers accounted for the largest share of reported staff (11 percent) and had a median income of $80,000.
• The median foundation CEO/chief giving officer (CGO) salary last year was $150,000. In addition, 21 percent of CEOs and 61 percent of CGOs received a bonus.
• Independent and family foundations reported higher median CEO/CGO compensation ($205,000 and $176,000, respectively) than public ($130,000) and community ($111,807) foundations.
• For 2010, 62 percent of funders expected to increase or had already increased staff salaries compared to 2009. The median increase or planned raise matched the 2009 level of 3 percent.
• During the past five years, median foundation salaries have increased 10.8 percent. This included a median increase of 20 percent for CEOs/CGOs and 13 percent for program officers.
• More than 96 percent of respondents offered voluntary benefits to full-time staff beyond those legally required and 93 percent offered benefits beyond paid leave. The median cost of such benefits as a total share of salaries was 27 percent.
• 94 percent of foundations offered some type of retirement/pension plan.

Steve Gunderson, President and CEO of the Council of Foundations says the growing role of philanthropy highlights the import role staffs play as a resource.

Gunderson says he hopes the survey will assist all foundations in recruiting and retaining the best possible talent for our sector’s increasingly important work.

The report is available for sale on the Council of Foundations website.

The Council on Foundations, formed in 1949, is a Not for Profit membership association of grantmaking foundations and corporations. Members of the Council include more than 1,750 independent, operating, community, public and company-sponsored foundations, and corporate giving programs in the United States and abroad.