Luce Foundation's Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Foundation Questions

How has the global recession affected the Luce Foundation’s work?

Like nearly all foundations and university endowments, the Luce Foundation saw a steep drop in the value of its invested assets between summer 2008 and March 2009. Despite these losses, our foundation’s board and staff assured current grantees that we would maintain all commitments. We adjusted scheduled payments only for programmatic, not financial, reasons. In order to meet prior commitments, we sharply reduced the approval of new grants from all programs in 2009 and took a one-year hiatus in the invited-schools competition of the Clare Boothe Luce (CBL) program. That prompt action in 2009 has allowed us to increase new grant-making in 2010 by more than 40 percent. Despite market volatility, we expect to maintain the 2010 target for new grants in 2011.

Program officers have met frequently with grantees to assess the recession’s impact on their work. The American Art Renewal Fund, approved in March 2010, is one example of our effort to remain responsive to museums and other institutions challenged by the economic climate.

What determines the Luce Foundation’s targets for payout and new grants?

Adhering to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requirements, the Luce Foundation each year distributes five percent of the value of its assets. Some foundations and endowments use three-year or twelve-quarter rolling averages of asset-valuation to determine the level of their distribution. For the past eight years, the Luce Foundation has used a current-year formula, basing its payout on the average of the asset-valuation for the 12 months of the calendar year. As the IRS allows, the Luce Foundation counts administrative expenses toward the payout requirement, but maintains a voluntary cap of 15 percent on those expenditures.

Most grants are paid on a multi-year basis. Each fall, the Luce Foundation’s board tallies its commitments for the coming year, estimates the average asset-valuation, and then sets targets for the approval of new grants. During the year, those targets are reviewed and modified if market conditions change.

Can you say more about how the Luce Foundation makes decisions about new grants?

Prospective grantees often begin the process with an email or phone call to the director of the appropriate program. Before inviting a full proposal, the program director usually asks for a brief inquiry-letter, outlining the organization’s project and goals. This allows the program director to assess whether the proposed activity is a good fit for the Foundation’s mission and the program’s priorities, and also whether the needed funding is within the Foundation’s capacity. Further conversation and evaluation follow during the development of a proposal. When the proposal and all supporting materials have been made, the program director makes a recommendation first to the president and then to the board of directors, which takes action on all grants larger than $40,000.

In competitive programs (like the American Art program’s annual exhibition grants), the program directors are assisted by panels of outside experts. In the Clare Boothe Luce program, decisions about new grants are made by a selection committee jointly appointed by the Luce and Heritage foundations, rather than by the Luce Foundation’s board. For grants under $40,000, the president approves new awards upon the program director’s recommendation and reports the approval to the board chair.

What areas are not supported by the foundation?

The Luce Foundation does not directly support health care, medical projects, disaster relief or international development projects, or the performing arts.

Does the Luce Foundation make grants to individuals?

The foundation makes no grants directly to individuals, with the sole exception of the Luce Scholars Program. Grants to institutions sometimes support individuals through special initiatives such as the Clare Boothe Luce Program, the Henry Luce III Theology Fellows, and the Dissertation Fellowships in American Art.

What fields are included within the Clare Boothe Luce Program?

Support is provided for women in the "hard" sciences, i.e., chemistry, physics, computer science, mathematics, and engineering. The medical sciences are not included.

Where can I learn more about other foundations?

One very helpful source is The Foundation Center, an independent national organization that provides authoritative information on foundation and corporate giving. The Center's website has general information about funding and links to other foundation websites.