Fewer than half of Americans donated to charities last year, report shows

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A new report by Giving USA shows that charitable giving in America fell sharply in 2022, with less than half the population making donations, the Washington Times reports. Last year’s decline in giving represents only the fourth time in 40 years that year-over-year donations fell.

The annual Giving USA survey is conducted by Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the McLean, Virginia-based Giving USA Foundation.

Released Tuesday, the Giving USA report for 2022 showed a 3.4% decrease in giving, 10.5% when adjusted for inflation, the Times reports. Giving fell from $516.65 billion in 2021 to $499.3 billion in 2022.

The downturn has reportedly impacted non-profit organizations. Candace Gregory, president and CEO of the Open Door Mission in Omaha, Nebraska told the Washington Times: “It is a double whammy as donations are down and [demand for] services are up in comparison to this time last year, along with the challenge of trying to meet the food insecurity issues and there not being enough food surplus to even purchase to meet the needs.”

Nevertheless, Josh Birkholz, chairman of the Giving USA Foundation, said in a statement that there still remains cause for optimism. “I go back and forth on whether it’s encouraging or discouraging. There was a 20 to 25% decline in the stock market and an 8% inflation rate, but Americans still gave nearly a half trillion dollars,” the Times reports.

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