Rest Isn’t a Perk. It’s Infrastructure. This New Report Proves It.
For decades, funders in The Rest Roundtable have invested in sabbaticals for nonprofit leaders - one grant and one leader at a time. Now, for the first time, we can see the full picture. The Rest Roundtable’s new report, “Rest on the Rise,” aggregates nearly four decades of sabbatical investment data, and the story it tells is powerful. It’s the first-of-its-kind impact report on philanthropic investment in nonprofit sabbaticals.
Among the findings:
$43 million has been invested by Roundtable members toward nonprofit sabbaticals since 1989 - $25.4 million granted directly to leaders and $17.6 million in in-kind support.
More than 1,000 nonprofit leaders have been supported by sabbatical grants over that time.
The movement is accelerating: $7.3 million was awarded to 175 leaders from 2023–2026 alone - even as other sectors roll back benefits, philanthropy is doubling down on people.
Equity is central: half of Roundtable funders explicitly focus sabbatical grants on BIPOC and marginalized community members.
Rest comes with scaffolding: funders pair grants with coaching, interim staffing support, peer cohorts, and re-entry programming — because a sabbatical works best when the whole organization is set up to thrive.
As Josh Feldman, CEO of R&R: The Rest of Our Lives and lead convener of the Roundtable, puts it: “Rest is not fuel. It’s infrastructure. Investing in rest will lead to a far healthier, effective and successful nonprofit sector. At this point in time, we simply can’t afford not to.”
To our fellow funders: if you’ve been waiting for proof that rest is a sound investment, it’s here. The Rest Roundtable welcomes funders ready to learn together. Reach out to us at restroundtable@restofourlives.org