Charitable Giving Statistics

  • 89% of American households contribute to charities or religious institutions
  • Religious institutions receive the most charitable contributions (33% of all donations) followed by the educational sector (13%)
  • Every time the Standard and Poor’s 500 stock index drops 100 points, charitable giving declines by $1.85 billion
  • Warren Buffet became the biggest philanthropist when he donated $31 billion (initial value of the gift) to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
  • The U.S. is one of only a few countries to allow tax deductions for charitable donations