Multiyear general operating support provides nonprofits with the flexibility to use funds to fulfill their missions and the ability to plan for the long-term sustainability of their organizations, programs, and services. Nonprofit leaders have long called for multiyear general operating support grants, and advocates in philanthropy have increasingly argued that providing multiyear general operating support constitutes good grantmaking practice.

So why is it, then, that so few foundations provide this type of support?

This report examines the state of practice in philanthropy regarding multi-year general operating support. The findings of this study reveal a disconnect between attitudes of foundation leaders and the experience of nonprofits, as well as a similar disconnect between the attitudes of foundation CEOs themselves and their foundations’ practices.