Assets reached $330 billion at the end of 1997, the most recent data available, according to the Foundation Center, a New York research group.

It established the Foundation Center, now the country's leading source of authoritative information on organized philanthropy.

In 2000, the latest year for which figures are available, the Foundation Center counted 24,434 family foundations, up 19.2 percent from 1999.

Still, the Foundation Center estimates that more than $600 million remains unspent, and the focus has turned to administering programs over the long term.

Foundation Center, an independent nonprofit organization, ranks it among the top 100 foundations in the nation by asset size and total giving.

Among foundations, grants to such causes make up just 2 percent of all financing, according to the Foundation Center.

The Foundation Center provides both free and paid training services to help organizations and individuals seeking funding.

For additional information about services offered by The Foundation Center you can visit their website.

Foundation Center Provides information about more than 70,000 private and community foundations.

Over all, the number of grants of $5 million or more is climbing sharply, according to a sample taken by the Foundation Center.