Home | CONTACT US

FAR’s staff are engaged in applied research to identify effective solutions to social problems. Our special focus is on strategies and program models emerging from faith-based and community based organizations. We believe in the power of civil society institutions to innovate practical, workable answers to thorny problems. We engage in research studies that help us identify what works and why. We compose case studies on promising models. And we conduct examinations to deepen our understanding of leadership, stewardship, generosity, and community transformation. Some of our research projects include:

Index of Global Philanthropy 
Annually the Hudson Institute publishes the Index of Global Philanthropy. The Index is a comprehensive guide to global philanthropy and remittances abroad. It calculates the amount of private philanthropy given (from foundations, corporations, charities, universities and colleges, religious congregations, and individuals), remittances, and investments made in the developing world. This research has demonstrated that that such private dollars account for over 75% of donor countries’ entire economic engagement with developing countries, dwarfing the role of government aid. Through its partnership with Baylor University’s Institute for the Study of Religion, FAR researchers assist in the development of the section of the annual Index devoted to religious giving. Go here to download the latest edition.   

Generating Leverage, Multiplying Impact: A Case Study of Mission Increase Foundation’s Blended Model of Charitable Investment
In summer 2009, Mission Increase Foundation (MIF) contracted with Dr. Amy Sherman of FAR to conduct a detailed examination of its activities and influence. Sherman prepared an online survey for MIF constituents and conducted onsite interviews with staff, Board members, and nonprofit directors from two of MIF’s six branch offices. Sherman’s team also completed 43 telephone interviews with ministry leaders. The study sought to gain insight into the ways that involvement with MIF had influencedparticipating nonprofits, and in particular, what differences such involvement had made on the ministries’ donor development performance. It also sought to understand what makes MIF unique from other foundations and training organizations. Download MIF Case Study.

Christian Women’s Philanthropy Initiative
FAR’s Amy Sherman and Jay Hein are partnering with the Generous Women’s Collaborative to conduct research on giving by Christian women.