WASHINGTON— American charitable donations in 2019 marked the highest contributions ever, according to Giving USA. American individuals, foundations and corporations gave $450 billion to U.S. charities in 2019, up 4.2 percent from the previous year. Strong economic growth in 2019 made the past three years of charitable giving the highest on record.
Total giving growth in 2019 was driven primarily by an increase in giving by individuals, which may reflect larger trends such as greater distribution of wealth. Strong economic growth resulted in increased charitable giving from three out of the four sources—individuals, corporations, and foundations—while charitable bequests were about the same as last year.
“The American people are among the most generous in the world,” said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “President Trump’s pro-growth economic policies have provided hard-working Americans with robust opportunities, including the opportunity to give back to their communities, organizations and causes that strengthen our country.”
| Charitable Giving 2019 | |||||
| Amount (Billions) | % of Total | % Change | |||
| Individuals | $ 310 | 69% | +4.7% | ||
| Foundations | $ 76 | 17% | +2.5% | ||
| Bequests | $ 43 | 9% | +.2% | ||
| Corporations | $ 21 | 5% | +13% | ||
| Total | $ 450 | 100% | +4.2% | ||
For the past 65 years, Giving USA has published an annual report that estimates all giving to charitable organizations across the United States. Giving USA is a public outreach initiative of Giving USA Foundation and is researched and written by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
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