Charity Hits Record High Of $617.2 Billion In The US According To Giving USA

Charitable giving in the United States surpassed $600 billion for the first time, rising 5.7% to $617.2 billion in 2025 in current dollars, according to the latest data released by Giving USA. Total giving—giving by individuals, bequests, foundations, and corporations to U.S. charities—rose amid a complex economy and strong financial markets. Chapters: 00:00 | Intro with Peter Hoskow 04:28 | Keynote address with Jon Bergdoll 33:19 | Moderated panel discussion Giving by individuals grew 4.1% in current dollars to $394.2 billion. Giving by foundations reached $117.15 billion, an increase by 5.7%. Giving by bequests saw the highest growth of 19.7% to $62.19 billion. Corporate giving grew 3.1% to $43.67 billion. Of the nine recepient categories (or subsectors), giving to human services reached an all-time high of 15% of total giving. Religion remains the largest subsector at 23% but represents a smaller percentage than in previous years. Giving to education, public-society benefit, and environment/animals saw the most growth in 2025, each more than 10%. Lastly, eight of nine recipient categories saw growth in current dollars. Foundations was the outlier, declining 16.2% despite reaching a current-dollar high in 2024. On June 23, 2026, CCS Fundraising, in partnership with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, hosted "Perspectives on Philanthropy", a webinar to mark the release of "Giving USA 2026: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2025".  Peter Hoskow, President and Chief Operating Officer at CCS Fundraising, provided opening remarks. Keynote speaker, Jon Bergdoll, Interim Director of Data and Research Partnerships at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, presented the trends from this year's charitable giving report. Hoskow then led panelists through a discussion on the significance and implications of 2025’s trends for nonprofit organizations. Panelists included Bergdoll, Dexter A. Bailey, Jr., Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations at The California Institute of Technology, Brent Christopher, President of the Children’s Medical Center Foundation, and Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, President and CEO of The Miami Foundation.  Explore more and download the slide deck at https://ccsfnd.co/4oR0DMA 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. Learn more at http://www.givingusa.org. CCS is a global fundraising solutions firm that partners with nonprofits to raise more, strengthen their strategies, and drive lasting impact. Subscribe to CCS Fundraising YouTube | https://ccsfnd.co/youtube LinkedIn | https://ccsfnd.co/linkedin Facebook | https://ccsfnd.co/facebook Learn more about CCS: https://ccsfnd.co/ccs-yt Explore job openings: https://ccsfnd.co/careers-yt Contact us: https://ccsfnd.co/contactus-yt #nonprofit #fundraising #philanthropy #donate #givingusa #giving #charity