More Grant Makers Gave Staff Members Raises in 2010, Survey Finds

Sixty-two percent of foundations gave or expected to give their staff members pay increases in 2010, up slightly from the previous year, according to a new survey of grant makers.

The number rose from 57 percent of foundations who reported staff pay increases in a 2009 study by the Council on Foundations, in Arlington, Va., which examined pay at community, corporate, family, and private funds. Respondents were asked to provide salary data as of February 1, 2010.

The nearly 6,500 full-time foundation employees covered in the most recent survey received or were expected to get median salary increases of 3 percent in 2010, meaning that half received bigger increases and half received smaller increases or no raise. That’s the same median increase as in 2009, suggesting that while more organizations are willing to increase pay, they are cautious about increasing the size of those raises.

Faster Growth for CEO’s

While median foundation salaries have risen 10.8 percent over the past five years, the survey shows that pay for top foundation leaders has grown faster than salaries for program officers.

Chief executives’ median pay rose 20 percent over those five years, not adjusting for inflation. Program officers received a 13-percent increase.

Median chief-executive pay for 2010 was $150,000, up from $140,250 in 2009. Executive pay tended to be higher at independent and family foundations, and at funds in the Northeast.

The report was based on the survey responses of 740 foundations, of which 688 reported that they had 6,478 full-time employees. Among the survey’s other findings:

• Women made up 75 percent of foundation staff members in 2010 and 56 percent of chief executive officers and chief grant officers in the survey. But at the largest foundations, women made up only 34 percent of those executives.
• Racial and ethnic minorities represented 25 percent of foundation employees. Less than 9 percent of chief executives were minorities.
• Among the 688 foundations that reported staff salaries, the median pay was $70,000. Foundations in the Northeast and West reported higher salaries.
• Nearly 81 percent of foundations said they provided medical benefits to their full-time workers, with most (58 percent) covering the full cost.

The “2010 Grantmakers Salary and Benefits Report” can be obtained from the Council on Foundations Web site. The summary is free to council members and $75 for nonmembers. Go to: http://www.cof.org