Charitable giving in the U.S. topped $600 billion for the first time in 2025, according to a new report. The study, which showed most nonprofit sectors netted increases, found that growth in giving to churches and related religious organizations kept pace with inflation.  

“Giving USA: The Annual Report on Philanthropy” is published by Giving USA Foundation in partnership with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. This year’s report, released at the end of June, found that individuals, bequests, foundations, and corporations donated more than $617 billion to U.S. charities last year. This represents a 5.7 increase from 2024 in current dollars, and a 3 percent increase when adjusted for inflation. 

Wendy McGrady, Chair of Giving USA Foundation, lauded this “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 said. 

Giving increased across nearly all the charitable sectors measured by the report with particularly strong boosts to “education” and “public-society benefit” sector organizations. Foundations were the exception with an 18.3 percent decrease after inflation. However, Giving USA notes this decrease comes on the heels of a high for foundations in 2024 and “remained among the highest years on record.”  

The “religion” sector, by which Giving USA means congregations and related groups like religious media and missionary societies, made up nearly a quarter of the overall giving total ($151.58 billion). But it also stood out as the only sector to remain flat (-0.2%) when adjusted for inflation. Of note, many ECFA members may cross into other sectors. In fact, Giving USA has previously suggested that faith-based generosity could account for up to 75 percent of all charitable giving. 

Regarding gift sources, bequests noticeably increased in 2025 by nearly 17 percent (after inflation), leading some to wonder if it might be a sign of the “Great Wealth Transfer” expected to shift trillions in assets from Baby Boomers to charities and younger individuals. Jon Bergdoll, a research team lead at the IU Lilly School, was cautious about making that conclusion just yet. In an AP news article, he said, “We need a little bit more data to feel comfortable saying, ‘Oh, it has started. It’s off to the races.’” 

Individual giving continues to account for the bulk of total giving ($394.2 billion). But as a percentage of total giving, it appears to remain in decline. Candid’s analysis of the Giving USA report notes that individuals made up 80 percent of the total in the late 1980’s, 70 percent in the late 2010’s, and now stands at 64 percent.  

Meanwhile, the Charitable Giving Coalition is concerned that individual giving is lagging behind the strength in the broader economy.  

“Reversing this trend will require policies that expand the pool of donors and make giving more accessible, particularly for households that do not itemize their taxes,” said Brian Flahaven, Chair of the Charitable Giving Coalition. “The recently enacted charitable deduction for non-itemizers, included in Congress’s tax reform package last year, is an important step forward.” 

ECFA supported the enactment of this non-itemizer charitable deduction in last summer’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). It allows up to $1,000 in an above-the-line benefit for donations ($2,000 for married couples filing jointly), and the IU Lilly School reported earlier this year that this new provision could grow the number of donor households by roughly 8 million. The school estimates these new donors would add about $4.39 billion to annual giving in the U.S. 

ECFA will continue to monitor data and legislation related to charitable giving. Stay tuned for ECFA’s 2026 State of Giving report later this year.