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2015 Salary Tables Now Available

Thursday, October 22, 2015 - 12:15 pm
Brandolon Barnett

As autumn begins, the research team at the Council inevitably sees an increase in the number of foundations seeking data on the salaries, benefits, and administrative expenses of their peers.

There is no more comprehensive study of these trends than the Council’s Grantmakers Salary & Benefits Report (GSB). That’s why we’re pleased to announce the release of the 2015 Salary Tables! These tables are useful in benchmarking the compensation of full-time staff across 35 positions by foundation type, asset size, and geographic location.

The 2015 data is as robust as ever: responses from 951 foundations representing over $279 billion in assets and $16 billion dollars in grants. Taken together, the data represents $923 million in salary & benefits from over 9,000 full-time employees at foundations all across the United States.

These salary tables represent the first release of data from the 2015 report. Following this release, the Council will make Board Compensation and Administrative Expenses tables available. And finally, as is customary, the full report (including benefits data and key findings) will be made available in the spring. In the meantime, it has been the Council’s experience that these tables can be a vital tool for planning season. 

One large foundation with well over $1 billion in assets recently used the data and the Council’s online benchmarking tool (available only to survey participants) to assist in setting a salary offer in their search for a new Program Officer. Another Council member – a mid-size community foundation in the Midwest – recently examined data on salary increases to determine what the average raises were for similar foundations in their region as they contemplated their own potential 2015 increases.

Human resources and staff – people – are vital to the practice of philanthropy. Whether setting benefits levels, engaging in salary negotiations, or staffing a new position, this research can be a valuable tool in understanding the value of that vital human element.

For more information, check out the infographic below.


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