In a period of unprecedented uncertainty, philanthropists, nonprofits and advisors can take some solace from Giving USA’s new report, which revealed that U.S. charitable giving was strong in 2024. While these findings serve as a combined estimate rather than a precise tally of charitable giving, they can provide a valuable benchmark for the entire philanthropic sector looking to implement current-year strategic initiatives and plan for the future.
Let’s take a look at the key findings in this latest report to get a glimpse into U.S. giving trends in 2024 by donor and recipient type and how that changed from 2023.
To learn more read the full report.
Total Giving
Total estimated charitable giving in the United States reached just over $592 billion in 2024. What’s more, total giving grew by 6.3 percent between 2023 and 2024 in current dollars (3.3 percent when adjusted for inflation). This was led by individual and corporate giving and fueled by a strong stock market and GDP growth.
Giving by individuals totaled just over an estimated $392 billion, growing 8.2 percent in 2024. This is a growth of 5.1 percent when adjusted for inflation.
“Despite uncertainty in the market, economy, and the political environment, Americans continue to be generous and committed to giving back,” said National Philanthropy Executive Gillian Howell. “Individual donors are particularly energized – a trend that we expect to grow as younger generations passionate about grassroots social change harness more financial power. The development of modern tools and resources is also making it increasingly easy and cost-efficient for individuals to give. Nonprofits are leveraging technology that enables features like automated transactions, electronic grant delivery, and intuitive real-time dashboards for funders to seamlessly monitor giving activity alongside investments.”
Foundation Giving
Charitable giving by foundations also grew between 2023 and 2024—in this case by 2.4 percent, reaching an estimated total of just over $109 billion in 2024. When adjusted for inflation, foundation giving stayed flat at 0.5 percent between 2023 and 2024.
Giving by foundations includes grants made by independent, community and operating foundations, and amounted to 19 percent of all gifts made in 2024 (the exact same figure we saw in 2023). Giving by individuals represented the largest contribution by source at 66 percent.
Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Giving
One of the fastest-growing charitable giving vehicles are DAFs. In fact, according to the report, DAFs are now driving a growing percentage of individual giving as donors are looking for new ways to give. DAFs serve as a strategic giving tool that is simple and streamlined to use, making it easy for donors to contribute more, efficiently fueling overall charitable giving.
Who Received The Most Contributions?
Religious organizations once again received the largest share of charitable dollars in 2024, at 23 percent of total giving (down just 1 percent from 2023). Human services organizations made up the second-largest portion in total gifts received at 14 percent of the total in 2024—the same percentage as 2023.
What’s Ahead For Giving?
This was the first time in three years that total giving outpaced inflation, which peaked in 2022 and has been declining since—another factor that supports consumer confidence and discretionary spending. What’s more, growth in total giving in 2024 was similar to the 40-year averages – 5.5% in current dollars (2.7% adjusted for inflation). So, while “uncertainty” may feel like the new normal, this data signals a positive year aligned with long-term trends.
As always, our experts continue to watch the charitable sector carefully, including the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which introduces changes that will impact tax-exempt organizations and charitable giving. The implications for the charitable sector are still unclear and the bill’s complexity underscores the need for proactive planning to sustain the charitable sector’s vitality. We recommend working proactively with your advisor to successfully navigate these rules.
No matter what the future brings, we’ll be here doing our part to serve and support the philanthropic sector with modern giving solutions.
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