Over $108 Million in Grants Includes $20 Million for Civic Participation During Election Year

SAN FRANCISCO – January 13, 2009 – Tides, partner to forward-thinking philanthropists, foundations, activists and organizations, has announced that it managed grantmaking and nonprofit project activities of approximately $200 million in 2008. Tides awarded over $108 million in grants, making 2008 the largest year in its 33 year history and topping the previous year by more than $15 million. More than 3700 grants were made to nearly 2500 nonprofit organizations including $22 million to organizations outside the U.S.

“For more than 30 years, Tides has worked to advance opportunity, equality and justice and improve the lives of people around the globe,” said Drummond Pike, CEO and Founder of Tides. “Our partnerships with philanthropists and nonprofit projects have spurred fundamental change in civic participation, environmental protection, and economic and racial justice. We celebrate the hard work and commitment of our partners in 2008 that has benefited so many communities and organizations.”

In addition to managing donor advised philanthropy, Tides provides operational services to over 200 nonprofit projects across the country. In 2008, Tides managed over $82 million in revenue for its fiscally sponsored nonprofit projects. Tides also creates, operates and promotes sustainable workspaces for nonprofits, and in 2008 it pursued the opening of two new green nonprofit centers in Washington D.C. and Sacramento and served over 500 organizations through its educational and peer networking program. Tides also provided operational services to Tides Advocacy Fund which facilitated grantmaking and project activity of $10 million in 2008.*

Not surprisingly, civic participation was a major focus of Tides’ grantmaking during 2008. Tides granted nearly $20 million to civic participation, including $4.2 million through its Voter Action Fund. Tides also has a deep commitment to women’s rights and reproductive justice and $9.6 million went to those activities in 2008. Tides gave significant funding to several other key issue areas including $10.8 million to health services and health reform, $8.7 million to the environment, $8.1 million to economic and racial justice, $5.1 million to LGBT issues and $4.6 million to HIV/AIDS.

“We expect the coming year to be challenging, and this time of economic uncertainty underscores the critical importance of our work to advance fairness, opportunity and equality for all people. In an environment with diminished resources, continuing to support communities is essential,” said Pike. “Tides will continue to be a strong partner and a home for collaboration and creative solutions for the social justice sector.”

About Tides
The Tides mission is to partner with philanthropists, foundations, activists and organizations across the country and around the globe to promote economic justice, robust democratic processes, and the opportunity to live in a healthy and sustainable environment where human rights are preserved and protected. Tides is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976 that provides an array of services to amplify the efforts of forward-thinking individuals and organizations to make the world a better place. With offices in San Francisco and New York City, Tides provides fiscal sponsorship for over 200 groups across the country, operates and supports green nonprofit centers and has granted more than $650 million since 2000 alone. For more information, visit www.tides.org.


*Tides Advocacy Fund is a nonprofit organization with an 501(c)4 IRS classification that does not set a limit on the amount of lobbying activity it may conduct or support. It is a separate legal entity from Tides and is not subsidized by Tides in any way.