Jul 30, 2021

Giving USA 2021 report highlights record $471.44 billion to U.S. charities in 2020

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The Giving USA 2021: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2020, released in late June, reveals good news on giving. In 2020, the report shows that individuals, bequests, foundations, and corporations gave an estimated $471.44 billion to U.S. charities in 2020. 

The report notes that giving by individuals totaled an estimated $324.10 billion, rising 2.2% in 2020 (an increase of 1.0%, adjusted for inflation). Giving by individuals achieved its highest total dollar amount to date, adjusted for inflation, but it comprised less than 70% of total giving for only the second time on record. 

Noting the challenge of pivoting in fundraising, Patrick M. Rooney, Ph.D., executive associate dean for academic programs at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy said, “There also may have been a digital divide in 2020 between nonprofit organizations that were able to pivot their fundraising and services to online and those that were more severely limited by the effects of the pandemic.” 

GiveSmart has been able to help nonprofits pivot to online fundraising and find success. Look no further than our resource library for some creative inspiration for improving your auctioninvolving food in your fundraising, and bringing the fun to outdoor fundraising

Additionally, the report found that giving to education is estimated to have increased 9.0% to $71.34 billion. Adjusted for inflation, giving to education organizations increased 7.7%. Education giving includes contributions to K-12 schools, higher education, and libraries.  The report also notes a strong end-of-year stock market drove growth in giving to education. That growth was further boosted by COVID-19 relief, racial justice giving and MacKenzie Scott’s gifts to HBCUs, tribal colleges, Hispanic-serving institutions and community colleges. 

Giving to human services also increased by an estimated 9.7% in 2020, totaling $65.14 billion. Adjusted for inflation, giving to human services organizations increased by 8.4%. 

Giving to individuals is estimated to have grown 12.8% (11.5% in inflation-adjusted dollars) between 2019 and 2020, to $16.22 billion. The bulk of these donations are in-kind gifts of medications to patients in need, made through the patient assistance programs of pharmaceutical companies’ operating foundations. 

The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2020, a publication of Giving USA Foundation, 2021, was researched and written by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. It is available online at www.givingusa.org

Headquartered in Chicago, the Foundation publishes data and trends about charitable giving through its seminal publication, Giving USA: The Annual Report on Philanthropy, and quarterly reports on topics related to philanthropy. Published since 1956, it is the longest-running, most comprehensive report on philanthropy in America. 

For the full release information visit here.

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Hope Chest for Breast Cancer

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