Only a handful of US foundations quickly pitched in as the COVID-19 pandemic got underway, early data indicates

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Emily Rosenman, Penn State and Rachel Bok, University of British Columbia (THE CONVERSATION) Many U.S. foundations, which disbursed roughly US$76 billion in 2019, say they are giving more money away in the United States because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the health, economic and other crises it’s creating. As geographers who study the connections between money and power, we’re tracking this trend. It’s hard, because foundations do not have to disclose many details about what they do or how they make decisions. Often, foundations share very little information with the public about which organizations they are supporting. To get more insight, we analyzed nine months of data regarding roughly $1.4 billion in grants that 152 foundations pledged for causes related to the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. and the economic pain it brought on. We obtained this data from Candid, a group that provides information about nonprofits and foundations. This data covers the first nine months of U.S. foundation responses to the pandemic. A few stand out A small number of the largest and most prominent foundations gave the bulk of this money away. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and George Soros’ Open Society Foundations were among the largest donors. The money that the top 11 foundations gave away accounted for 77% of the funds philanthropic institutions pledged for U.S. coronavirus relief in the first nine months of the pandemic. One example of another foundation that stepped up is the David and Lucille Packard Foundation. It’s providing grants of $50,000 or more to arts groups in California, whose revenue has been decimated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Likewise, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation has given many small grants to arts groups across New Jersey. The foundation’s initial round of giving to arts nonprofits totaled $3 million. Medical and economic emergencies A lot of the money foundations are giving away is addressing health care needs and assisting people facing economic emergencies, especially those hardest hit by the pandemic, including seniors, veterans, low-income people and survivors of domestic abuse. Foundations are also increasingly emphasizing housing aid for people facing economic hardship and stepping up their support for food banks. We believe this emphasis on traditional charitable activities reflects a recognition by foundations of how the COVID-19 pandemic has increased inequality in America. Cities attract the biggest pledges We also found that urban areas are receiving more money than rural regions. In Tennessee, for instance, the nearly $35 million that foundations provided was concentrated in and around the cities of Nashville and Memphis. Some cities got more funding than entire states with comparable or larger populations. Atlanta alone received more than $65 million, which exceeded the value of grants designated for all states besides New York, Indiana and California. In our opinion, this pattern raises questions of equity and accountability. Because many foundations focus on helping their local communities, the system of philanthropic giving in the U.S. contributes to inequality among places. Fewer strings attached?