70th annual report reveals giving to most nonprofit subsectors rose in 2024
What to Know
- Key findings from Giving USA 2025: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2024 report that individuals, bequests, foundations and corporations gave an estimated $592.50 billion to U.S. charities in 2024.
- Total giving grew 3% in current dollars, reaching a new high by that measure (3.3% when adjusted for inflation). A strong stock market and GDP growth helped fuel the increase in total giving, which was led by individual and corporate giving.
- All recipient subsectors saw donations increase in current When adjusted for inflation, giving to seven of the nine categories rose, while giving to foundations remained relatively flat and giving to religion decreased slightly.
Giving USA: The Annual Report on Philanthropy, the longest-running and most comprehensive report on the sources and uses of charitable giving in America, is published by Giving USA Foundation, a public service initiative of The Giving Institute. It is researched and written by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IU Indianapolis.
Why this Matters
- For the first time in three years, total giving outpaced inflation as inflation rates moderated from those seen in recent years.
- Growth in total giving in 2024 was similar to the 40-year averages– 5% in current dollars (2.7% adjusted for inflation) – signaling a positive year aligned with long-term trends.
“Total giving in 2024 reached record levels in current dollars and grew at a rate consistent with long-term trends—clear evidence of Americans’ enduring generosity and the value they place on nonprofit work,” said Wendy McGrady, Chair of Giving USA Foundation and President and COO of The Curtis Group. “Even as many organizations face ongoing uncertainty, this year’s Giving USA data offers a strong baseline for understanding where philanthropy stands today—and how donors continue to show up for the causes they care about. We will keep listening to the field, but one truth remains: generosity is alive and well in America.”
“We see the strength and resilience of charitable giving in a year like 2024, as growth in total giving returned. The role of the individual donor cannot be overstated. Individuals were responsible for the largest share of all donations made last year and they continue to play a central role in our nation’s philanthropic sector,” said Amir Pasic, Ph.D., the Eugene R. Tempel Dean of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Diving Deeper
- Giving by individuals, corporations and foundations all increased in current dollars amid a strong economy. Adjusted for inflation, giving by individuals and corporations grew.
- Individual giving – which comprises two-thirds of all giving – was boosted by the rising stock market and personal income.
- Strong GDP and corporate pre-tax profits extended the recent gains in corporate giving. Corporate giving reached its highest level on record in both current and inflation-adjusted
- The strong stock market contributed to increased foundation asset values, with foundation grantmaking surpassing the $100 billion mark for the third straight year. Bequest giving, which often fluctuates from one year to the next, decreased slightly.
Source | Up/down | Amount | Adjusted for Inflation |
Total | ↑ 6.3% | $592.50 billion | ↑ 3.3% |
Individuals | ↑ 8.2% | $392.45 billion | ↑ 5.1% |
Foundations | ↑ 2.4% | $109.81 billion | = -0.5%* |
Bequests | ↓ 1.6% | $45.84 billion | ↓ 4.4% |
Corporations | ↑ 9.1% | $44.40 billion | ↑ 6.0% |
*Change of less than + or - 1% is considered flat
“Overall, it was solid year in economic terms, with most of the economic indicators that affect giving showing broad growth. Financial and economic security drives increases in giving – people give when they feel financially and economically secure – and that occurred in 2024,” said Una Osili, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research and International Programs at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. “While inflation moderated, it remained higher than the rates to which Americans previously had been accustomed. Its lingering impact may have continued to affect everyday donors’ giving.
Among the categories of nonprofits that receive charitable giving, four of nine subsectors reached their all-time highs in 2024, even when adjusted for inflation: education; health; arts, culture and humanities; and environment/animals.
Some of the highest growth in giving was seen in the public-society benefit, international and education subsectors, each of which rebounded from declines in 2023.
“The broad increases in giving across subsectors show that philanthropy and the nonprofit sectors were thriving in 2024,” said Gabe Cooper,Vice Chair of Giving USA Foundation and Founder and CEO of Virtuous. “This growth demonstrates robust donor support for a myriad of causes.”
2024 Charitable Giving to Recipients
Type of recipient organization | Up/down | Amount | Adjusted for Inflation |
Religion | ↑ 1.9% | $146.54 billion | ↓ 1.0% |
Human Services | ↑ 5.0% | $91.15 billion | ↑ 2.0% |
Education | ↑ 13.2% | $88.32 billion | ↑ 9.9% |
To Foundations | ↑ 3.5% | $71.92 billion | =+0.5%* |
Public-Society Benefit | ↑ 19.5% | $66.84 billion | ↑ 16.1% |
Health | ↑ 5.0% | $60.51 billion | ↑ 2.0% |
International affairs | ↑ 17.7% | $35.54 billion | ↑ 14.3% |
Arts, culture, and humanities | ↑ 9.5% | $25.13 billion | ↑ 6.4% |
Environment and animals | ↑ 7.7% | $21.57 billion | ↑ 4.6% |
*Change of less than + or - 1% is considered flat |
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Note to Editors
The requested citation for Giving USA is Giving USA 2025: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2024, a publication of Giving USA Foundation, 2025, researched and written by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Available online at www.givingusa.org.
About Giving USA Foundation™
The Giving USA Foundation was established in 1985 by The Giving Institute. Today, the Giving Institute provides expertise and volunteer leadership to the Foundation and works in partnership with it to advance research, education, and public understanding of philanthropy.
About Giving USA
For 70 years, Giving USA: The Annual Report on Philanthropy in America, has provided comprehensive charitable giving data that are relied on by donors, fundraisers and nonprofit leaders. The research in this annual report 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 at IU Indianapolis. Giving USA Foundation, established in 1985 by The Giving Institute, endeavors to advance philanthropy through research and education.
Explore Giving USA products and resources, at www.givingusa.org.
About The Giving Institute
The Giving Institute, the parent organization of Giving USA Foundation, consists of member organizations that have embraced and embodied the core values of ethics, excellence and leadership in advancing philanthropy. Serving clients of every size and purpose, from local institutions to international organizations, The Giving Institute member organizations embrace the highest ethical standards and maintain a strict code of fair practices. For information on selecting fundraising counsel, visit www.givinginstitute.org.
About the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IU Indianapolis is dedicated to improving philanthropy to improve the world by training and empowering students and professionals to be innovators and leaders who create positive and lasting change. The school offers a comprehensive approach to philanthropy through its undergraduate, graduate, certificate and professional development programs, its research and international programs and through The Fund Raising School, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, the Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy and the Women’s Philanthropy Institute. For more information, visit philanthropy.indianapolis.iu.edu.
Giving USA Methodology
Giving USA estimates primarily rely on econometric methods developed by leading researchers in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector and are reviewed and approved by members of the Giving USA External Review Panel. Members of the External Review Panel include research directors from national nonprofit organizations, as well as scholars from such disciplines as economics and public affairs, all of whom are involved in studying philanthropy and the nonprofit sector.
The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy prepares all of the estimates in Giving USA for Giving USA Foundation. Giving USA develops estimates for giving by each type of donor (sources) and for recipient organizations categorized by subsectors (uses). Most of Giving USA’s annual estimates are based on econometric analyses and tabulations of tax data, economic indicators and demographics. Data for giving by foundations come from Candid (formerly the Foundation Center).
Following the same approach used by leading public and private institutions that develop economic statistics, Giving USA researchers update data found within Giving USA each year. This is because current Giving USA estimates are developed before final tax data, some economic indicators and some demographic data are available. The estimates are revised and updated as final versions of these data become available. Final estimates are usually developed two or three years after their initial release.
For more specific details on Giving USA’s methodology, please refer to the “Brief summary of methods” section within Giving USA 2025 or contact the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at adrldavi@iu.edu.