How S&P Global Foundation scaled its signature grant program with Benevity

Company overview 

S&P Global is the world’s foremost provider of transparent and independent ratings, benchmarks, analytics and data to the global capital and commodity markets. The company provides intelligence that is essential for companies, governments and individuals to make decisions with conviction.

The challenge 

S&P Global Foundation, the philanthropic arm of S&P Global, started in 2018 and had scaled its number of grant partners over time. However, there was a lack of strategic grants supported by multi-year funding commitments that could lead to transformative change and impact.

The opportunity 

In 2024, the S&P Global Foundation, the philanthropic arm of S&P Global, launched their multi-year, $5 million Signature Grants Program to accelerate progress in its key focus areas in the skilling of technology and data talent and the building of environmental resilience among underserved communities.

The Signature Grant Program of S&P Global Foundation seeks to support sustained capacity building and evidence-based interventions to bring about strategic and transformative impact.

The solution 

After an open call and extensive evaluation of grant proposals, the S&P Global Foundation selected Girls Who Code and Conservation International as Signature Grant Partners, using Benevity’s due diligence process in the assessment of potential grant partners as well as Benevity’s platform for the grant application process.

The results

In 2024, S&P Global and S&P Global Foundation advanced it' impact by:

• Committing an investment of $5 million through multi-year funding to their selected Signature Grant Partners, Girls Who Code and Conservation International, who will each receive $2.5 million over the next five years.
• Achieving significant growth of 69,936 volunteer hours, with their first employee volunteer week campaign. 
• Matching $5.8 million of employee donations through the matching gifts program and special matching campaigns. ‍
• Establishing key impact outcomes aligned to evidence-based standards, enabling portfolio-level reporting and assessment of progress toward its strategic grantmaking goals.
• Strengthening governance through committee meetings, professional development, and technical assistance from Finance, Treasury and Legal.
• Becoming fully invested in the $200 million endowment received from S&P Global in 2022. 

Partnership highlights

As S&P Global Foundation evolves its grantmaking strategy, it’s embracing more innovative tools and partnerships to deepen its impact. Most recently, the Foundation outlined impact outcomes reporting into its strategic grant programs to better assess and communicate holistic outcomes. 

By embedding this capability into its process, the Foundation is making more data-informed decisions and demonstrating a strong commitment to transparency and impact-driven philanthropy.