Giving USA 2026 Data: What Does it All Mean?

There were some big shifts and much data to absorb in Giving USA 2026, the annual report of philanthropy in America published yesterday by Giving USA and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. 

Overall giving rose 5.7% in 2025 (3% adjusted for inflation) to a record $617 billion, the first time we’ve crossed the $600B giving threshold in the U.S. Underneath that big number are, well…more big numbers, along with some hopeful data. The ‘donors down, dollars up’ reality many nonprofits have been experiencing in the past few years is also clearly running through the Giving USA report. 

So, what’s in the report and what does it mean for you?

Individual giving grew by more than 4.1% in 2025 to $394.20B (1.4% adjusted for inflation), which is great, but given the strong stock market (16% growth in the S&P in 2025), we might have expected to see a larger increase. Giving USA shared that there was record level low in consumer confidence last year, which likely impacted individual giving. If you feel like you don’t have much to give, it often doesn’t matter what’s in your bank account! 

Foundation giving grew 5.7% (3% adjusted for inflation) to $117.15B. For years, many have been calling for an increase in foundation giving amid perceived growing needs across the country. It was interesting to learn in the Giving USA information session I attended (thanks to CCS Fundraising and the Lilly School for their great presentation) that foundations have, in fact, steadily increased their giving and, in current dollars, there’s been almost triple growth in giving by foundations since 2010. While I think funders should still give beyond their required minimums, this was a notable data point.

Corporate philanthropy was up 3.1% to $43.67B (staying more or less flat at +0.5% when adjusted for inflation), which is the most modest growth from all gift sources in 2025. In the Giving USA presentation, I learned that pharmaceutical companies are driving a big share of this U.S. corporate giving growth. But, because their donations are mostly large‑scale in‑kind product gifts, much of those contributions don’t translate to dollars going to U.S. nonprofits. 

The most significant data IMHO is the growth of bequests: up 19.7% in 2025 (16.6% adjusted for inflation) to $62.19B. Wow. If that number doesn’t get you serious about planned giving, then I’m not sure what will! According to Jon Bergdoll, the Lilly School’s applied statistician, who shared their data, over three of the last four years, bequests have seen a 20%+ growth (current dollars), a huge opportunity for nonprofits able to translate their long relationships with donors into planned gift commitments. The increase in bequests -- and more modest growth in individual giving -- may reflect the aging boomer population's concerns about the current economy as well as their confidence in the longer-term outlook. 

A couple of other telling (though not surprising) data points:

• There are fewer donors, but those that are giving are making larger gifts. Way back when (1980s-90s), fundraisers would talk about the 80/20 rule, where 80% of giving would come from 20% of donors. Since 2020, the trend is more like 80% of your contributions are coming from 10% of your donors—or even fewer. The increase in wealth concentration is a major factor in this shift. And, since donations now come from fewer donors, it’s why fundraisers have to work overtime to identify (and retain) their strongest supporters!
• A narrowing of the donor base is likely most impacting smaller and midsized nonprofits. These are often the community-focused and grassroots organizations that high-net-worth individuals may not know about, and most rely on individual giving to sustain operations. So, how will you connect with those HNWIs? Community foundations, giving circles, galas that pull in those with dollars to give? 

So much to process in the data. If you have something you’d like to share, please drop me a note!