Religious Giving Grows in 2022
News Story from Religion Unplugged
Generosity towards religious organizations grew slightly between 2021 and 2022, despite total U.S. charitable giving declining after two record years.
Donations to religious charities grew by 5.2% between 2021 and 2022 to an estimated $143.57 billion according to “Giving USA: The Annual Report on Philanthropy,” published by Giving USA Foundation and researched and written by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Total U.S. contributions to charities from individuals, bequests, foundations and corporations declined to $499.33 billion, a 3.4% drop.
The report called the decrease a “relatively rare occurrence” usually only seen during years with difficult or unusual economic conditions and cited stock market volatility and economic uncertainty as contributing to the drop.
Total giving was down 10.5% after adjusting for inflation from a revised total of $516.65 billion in 2021, the first time giving passed the half-trillion mark.
Giving by individuals was down 6.4%.
Measured in current dollars, giving in 2022 grew in five of the nine categories of nonprofits that receive charitable contributions. Religious organizations; foundations; health; international affairs; and arts, culture and humanities saw donations rise. Human services; education; public society benefit organizations; and environmental and animal groups saw declines.
The drop in overall donations in 2022 follows the two best years on record for charitable giving. The report noted that total charitable giving has fallen only three other times in the last 40 years: in 1987, 2008 and 2009.
