Key takeaways from the 2025 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits report

The Council on Foundations’ annual Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report analyzes data on foundation staff demographics and compensation at community, corporate, operating, public, and private foundations (including family foundations). Here are some takeaways from the 2025 grantmaker salary data on 11,366 staff across 985 organizations: 

1. The median foundation salary is up 4.6% but lags inflation

The surveyed foundations reported a median annual salary increase of 4.6% this year, up from 4.3% in 2024. Yet, even after increases of 5% in both 2023 and 2022 in response to high inflation rates, salaries have not kept pace with rising prices. 

There are also significant differences between community foundations and private foundations. Inflation-adjusted salaries for community foundation staff overall are now lower than they were in 2021, while CEO salaries are higher. By contrast, inflation-adjusted salaries for private foundation staff overall are up from 2021, while CEOs’ and program officers’ salaries are down. Inflation-adjusted salaries for program officers, however, are below 2021 levels at both community and private foundations. 

2. Racial/ethnic and gender diversity continues to grow 

In 2025, 34.7% of all full-time foundation staff and 18.6% of CEOs identified as people of color, up slightly from 33.5% and 17.1%, respectively. Black Americans accounted for one in five program officers and 9.1% of CEOs, including CEOs of nearly one in five operating foundations.  

People of color made up a smaller share of overall staff at community and corporate foundations compared with other types of foundations. Across all foundation types, nearly half of program officers identified as people of color. More than one in three at operating foundations identified as Black, as did about one in five program officers at community, independent, and public foundations. 

Women comprised 76% of foundation staff, more or less unchanged from 75.8% in 2024, and 63.8% of CEOs, a slight increase from 62.6%.  

3. The gender pay gap for CEOs is narrowing 

Women CEOs’ median salary was $230,000, compared with $261,500 for their male counterparts. Female CEOs now earn 88% of male CEOs, up from 83.5% in 2024; this marks the most substantial year-over-year improvement in more than a decade. 

For some executive-level positions, the gender pay gaps were slightly wider. For example, the median salary for women in the position of “associate director, executive vice president” was 78.8% of that of men. 

4. Foundation staff turnover rates are up again 

The percentage of foundations reporting staff departures rose from 52% in 2022 to 57% in 2023, then dropped to 53% in 2024. This year, however, it rose again to 57%. 

The mean average turnover rate of 12.3% in 2025, up significantly from 10.8% in 2024—though still lower than the 13.1% average reported during the “Great Resignation” in 2023. Overall turnover rates were higher at community and corporate foundations than at other types of grantmakers. The mean average turnover rate across all grantmaker types was higher among administrative staff (14.3%) than professional staff (11.3%). 

Many of these 2025 grantmaker salary data points are highlighted in the key findings. The full report includes data tables for increase, bonus, and severance eligibility; and number of full- and part-time staff by grantmaker type and asset size as well as gender, race/ethnicity, age, and disability status; and staff tenure, departure, and turnover rates. 

This piece is part of a regular feature where Candid insights shares key takeaways from a new research report to encourage a more data-driven approach to the sector’s work. Please email insights@candid.org to recommend a report for an upcoming feature.  

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