Total charitable giving in the United States reached an estimated $617.2 billion in 2025, up 5.7% from the previous year and the highest amount ever recorded in current dollars, according to Giving USA’s annual report on philanthropy. After adjusting for inflation, the increase is 3%.
The report found charitable giving surpassed the $600 billion mark for the first time and reached the second-highest level on record when adjusted for inflation. All four major sources of giving – individuals, foundations, bequests and corporations – increased in current dollars during the year, while three of the four posted gains after accounting for inflation.
Findings in “Giving USA 2026: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2025” suggest nonprofits operated in a generally favorable fundraising environment last year despite continued economic uncertainty and concerns about household finances.
Researchers from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy found that strong financial markets and other positive economic indicators helped drive the increase in charitable donations.
Wendy McGrady, chair of Giving USA Foundation and president and chief operating officer of The Curtis Group, described the findings as a “milestone that reflects the resilience of American generosity.”
“Amid a volatile economy and ongoing financial pressures for many households, it’s heartening to see generosity at this scale,” she added.
Individuals remain largest source of giving
For nonprofits, the report underscores something many organizations already know: individual donors remain the backbone of charitable giving. At the same time, foundations and planned gifts continue to account for a growing share of philanthropy.
Individuals gave an estimated $394.2 billion last year, representing 64% of all donations. That’s a 4.1% increase from 2024, or 1.4% after adjusting for inflation.
Foundation giving totaled $117.15 billion, up 5.7%, while corporations contributed $43.67 billion, a 3.1% increase. Bequests – gifts made through estates and wills – posted the strongest growth of any giving source, rising 19.7% to $62.19 billion. After adjusting for inflation, bequest giving increased 16.6%.
The report noted that foundation giving has topped $100 billion each year since 2022. Bequests have also emerged as a notable bright spot, increasing by 20% or more in current dollars in three of the last four years.
“Giving through bequests and by foundations were among the most robust areas for generosity, a continuation of the trends seen in recent years,” said Amir Pasic, dean of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy which authors the report. “This likely is in part a reflection of growing asset values due to the strong performance of financial markets in recent years.”
Most nonprofit sectors saw gains
Most types of nonprofits saw charitable giving increase in 2025. Eight of the nine charitable subsectors tracked by Giving USA posted gains, and several categories – including education, human services, health, arts and culture, and environment and animals – reached new highs after adjusting for inflation.
Education organizations were among the biggest winners, with giving climbing 11.7% to $92.01 billion. Public-society benefit organizations received $72.06 billion, up 11.6%, while environment and animal groups saw donations rise 11% to $24.57 billion.
Other sectors also posted solid gains. Human services organizations received $99.5 billion, up 5.3%, while health-related nonprofits brought in $61.43 billion, an increase of 6.1%. Arts, culture and humanities organizations received $27.31 billion, up 7.5%, and international affairs organizations saw giving jump by 4.1% to $33.02 billion.
Religious organizations continued to receive the largest share of charitable dollars, attracting $151.58 billion, or 23% of all giving. Donations to religion increased 2.4% from the previous year and were essentially flat after adjusting for inflation.
The report also noted that education, public-society benefit, and environment and animal organizations have posted some of the strongest growth rates over the past five years.
One category moved in the opposite direction. Giving to foundations declined 16.2% from 2024 after reaching a record high the year before. Even so, researchers said donations to foundations remained among the highest levels on record.
“For nonprofit leaders, the findings suggest a giving environment that remains strong overall,” said Gabe Cooper, vice chair of Giving USA Foundation and founder and CEO of Virtuous. “It was a positive year for charitable giving, with virtually all categories of recipient organizations achieving solid or better growth at the aggregate level.”
Markets helped fuel growth
The researcher team noted the economic backdrop for charitable giving was largely positive in 2025. Strong financial markets helped boost individual giving and contributed to overall growth in donations.
Not every indicator pointed in the same direction, however. Consumer sentiment remained near historic lows, suggesting concerns about personal finances may have kept some households from giving more despite gains in the stock market.
Corporate giving posted the smallest increase among the four major sources of philanthropy, rising 3.1% in 2025.
Still, businesses have steadily increased their charitable contributions in recent years. Corporate giving has grown 60% over the last five years, more than double the 29% increase recorded for overall charitable giving during the same period.
“At the macro level, most economic indicators were favorable for giving, and financial markets ended the year strong, which resulted in positive overall growth in giving,” said Jon Bergdoll, interim director of data and research partnerships at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
“While individual giving grew, we see that consumer sentiment was low, perhaps reflecting concerns about financial security,” she continued. “Those concerns may have cooled giving by some households.”
About the report
For 70 years, the Giving USA annual report has tracked giving trends across the United States and is frequently used by nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, foundations and donors to gauge the health of the philanthropic sector.
Giving USA is a public outreach initiative of the Giving USA Foundation, which was established in 1985 by The Giving Institute to advance philanthropy through research and education. The annual report is researched and written by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IU Indianapolis, a leading academic center focused on philanthropy and nonprofit studies.
Giving USA estimates aggregate private philanthropic giving to U.S. charities classified as 501(c)(3) organizations and does not include other revenue sources nonprofits may receive. Researchers develop the estimates using econometric analysis, tax data, economic indicators and demographic information, with foundation giving data supplied by Candid. Because some tax and economic data are not yet final when the report is released, Giving USA updates and revises estimates in subsequent years as additional information becomes available.
Locally, Grants Plus and AFP Cincinnati will present a virtual program next week, with expert analysis and commentary by nationally renowned philanthropy researcher Melissa Brown. Movers & Makers is media sponsor of the event, which takes place via Zoom, June 30. Additional sponsors include Horizon Community Foundation, Leadership Council for Nonprofits and Magnified Giving.
Full findings and analysis from Giving USA 2026 will be released in July.
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