I need a list of the 10 best funded (endowed) philanthropic (non
profit) organizations in the world and in the united states, including
catholic church

Paladin --

Having seen endowment information for universities and foundations, I
thought that this would be a simpler task than it is.  It's
complicated by the diversity of philanthropic organizations; borders;
legal structures; accounting; exchange rates and other factors.

But let's get to the data.  The largest U.S. foundations in asset
size, per The Foundation Center's "Top 100 Foundations by Asset Size":
1. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, $21.1 billion
2. Lilly Endowment, $12.8 billion
3. Ford Foundation, $10.8 billion
4. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, $9.0 billion
5. J. Paul Getty Trust, $8.8 billion
6. David and Lucile Packard Foundation, $6.2 billion
7. W.K. Kellogg Foundation, $5.7 billion
8. The Starr Foundation, $4.8 billion
9. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, $4.5 billion
10. The Pew Charitable Trusts, $4.3 billion

But there are some good-sized university endowments that belong in
there, according to infoplease.com:
1. Harvard University, $18.3 billion
2. Yale University, $10.7 billion
3. Princeton University, $8.4 billion
4. Stanford University, $8.2 billion
5. MIT, $6.1 billion
6. Columbia, $4.3 billion
7. Emory University, $4.2 billion
8. Washington University, $4 billion
9. University of Michigan, $3.7 billion
10. University of Chicago, $3.5 billion

The "2000–2001 Voluntary Support of Education Survey" done by the
Council for Aid to Education, a subsidiary of RAND Corp. is at:
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0112636.html

The Nature Conservancy has been active in setting aside land for
conservation purposes.  Their 2001 annual report shows what they have
in the balance sheet: $2.9 billion in total assets ($2.7 billion if
you discount liabilities).  The annual report also notes that they are
the "10th largest nonprofit" by funds raised in 2001.  The Nature
Conservancy's "Financial Summary for the Year 2001":
http://nature.org/aboutus/annualreport2001/docs/art7351.html

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has a number of statistics on giving and
asset bases, but unfortunately the information is available only to
subscribers:
http://philanthropy.com/stats/

As for sizing church endowments, local organizations often control
religious donations.  In the instance of the Catholic Church, the
Archdiocese of Chicago or the Knights of Columbus might be the
organization receiving a donation.  Also, the Catholic Church has been
receiving donations and endowments for centuries, creating a problem
in the valuation of land and non-liquid assets.

Google search strategy:
"philanthropy" + "non-profit"
"nature conservancy" + endowments
"university endowments"
"foundation endowments"
"church endowments"

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

---

Clarification of Answer by omnivorous-ga on 20 Oct 2002 08:54 PDT

Paladin --

You may want to rate this answer and place comments in the
clarification section (that way I get an e-mail knowing what you're
seeking).

Undoubtedly the Chronicle of Philanthropy data has what we want.  I'll
do a quick check with a library resource that I have to see if there's
anyone who's published the Chronicle's summary.

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

---

Request for Answer Clarification by paladin2002-ga on 20 Oct 2002 09:23 PDT

Sorry. Appreciate your work, but I am trying to evaluate The Nature
Conservancy's claim as "10th largest non-profit" by comparison to
other 501c3s. What data can they be using and what are the groups in
previous nine and subsequent five?

---

Clarification of Answer by omnivorous-ga on 20 Oct 2002 10:09 PDT

Paladin --

The annual report makes the claim.  There's surprisingly little
information on the Internet about so-called "non-profit"
philanthropies.  The only way to know for sure about their claims is
to contact The Nature Conservancy but the Chronicle of Philanthropy is
the industry guide --  I'd identified them early in my search.

Again, there's a possibility that my library's database will have
something here, but it'll be at least a couple of hours before I can
check (I'm on the West Coast).  Also, their subscription web services,
which include a number of databases that aren't on the 'net -- crashed
sometime last night.

Depending on your urgency, the on-line data would be available with a
$69.50 subscription to the Chronicle:
http://philanthropy.com/subscribe/?top

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

good job, four stars for patience with me alone

Paladin --

As you've noted in the question, the standard measures for
philanthropic organizations are either endowments or spending.  It's
pretty easy to measure in the United States.

It's much more difficult internationally, particularly with an
institution as wide-ranging as the Catholic Church.  Remember: assets
of the Church may have been acquired a millenium ago; there's no
government agency asking for market-based valuations; and it exists in
more than 100 countries.

My suggestion: split this question into U.S.; international versions.

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

Right.  Tough to compare.   Try it this way:  Top 10 non profit orgs
in u.s. endowments received.   Note especially The Nature Conservancy.
 Where does it stand vis a vie, for example, a religious org or even
the red cross?

You guys could hazard an answer. Lists of 10 in each category you
mentioned might help our asker here.

Good job and many thanks....I remain puzzeled, however, by TNC's claim
to be the 10th largest in terms of contributions.....Who are the other
nine?  Where is this data?

While I can't help you flesh your list out, I can point you to the
financial information for any 501(c)3 you'd like to investigate. Point
your browser to http://www.guidestar.org/ , run a search for the
charity you're interested in, then have a look at the Form 990. You'll
find income, expenses, assets and liabilities listed therein.