For over 60 years, fundraisers, nonprofit leaders, donors and volunteers, scholars, and other individuals who work in or with the charitable sector have counted on Giving USA to provide the most comprehensive charitable giving data available. Published since 1956, Giving USA is the longest running, most comprehensive report on philanthropy in America.
Details from the report identify trends in charitable giving important to organizations of all types and sizes. Institutions use the data from Giving USA to inform fundraising strategies and allocate resources for the greatest outcomes.
With the release of #GivingUSA2017, we see some of the following key takeaways:
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- Americans donated an estimated $390.05 billion to charity in 2016. Total estimated charitable giving in the United States rose 2.7 percent between 2015 and 2016. This increase reflects growth in giving to all of the major recipient subsectors, and strong growth in giving by individuals.
- Individual giving, at $281.86 billion, increased 3.9 percent in 2016. Itemized giving comprised 81.8 percent of the total estimate for giving by individuals. Giving by both itemizing and non-itemizing households increased, at 4.0 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively.
- Foundation giving, at $59.28 billion, increased 3.5 percent in 2016. Grantmaking by community foundations rose 9.9 percent while Grantmaking by operating foundations and independent foundations also increased at 4.5 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively.
- Bequest giving, at $30.36 billion, declined 9.0 percent in 2016.
- Corporate giving, at $18.55 billion, increased 3.5 percent in 2016. Corporate giving includes cash and in-kind contributions made through corporate giving programs, as well as grants and gifts made by corporate foundations. Corporate foundation grantmaking is estimated to have totaled $5.53 billion in 2016, which was an increase of 0.3 percent
The key takeaways above come from Giving USA 2017: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2016. The production and release of Giving USA is the result of the collaborative efforts of Giving USA Foundation, a public service initiative of The Giving Institute, and Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. For more information on the report or to purchase a copy, please visit http://givingusa.org/.
Dini Spheris is a proud member of the Giving Institute and donor to the Giving USA Foundation. On June 28, the firm will present a workshop on Giving USA 2017’s key findings to an audience in partnership with the United Way of Greater Houston.
