Rates of secular charitable giving saw sharper decline than to religious congregations.
The decline in giving rates due to the COVID-19 pandemic was much steeper than predicted for both recipients and non-recipients of federal stimulus money.
The report cited stock market volatility and economic uncertainty as factors.
Generosity towards religious organizations grew slightly between 2021 and 2022 despite total U.S. charitable giving declining overall after two record years.
Americans’ generosity didn’t waver during the 2020 phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there were dramatic shifts in behavior.
Individual donors are by far the top givers, far exceeding corporations and foundations
Charitable giving in the United States increased 4.2 percent during 2019 to almost $450 billion, driven by individual and corporate giving on the strength of a strong stock market.