Giving USA 2026 Summary: Philanthropic Trends and Client Opportunities
The Macro Giving Landscape
The recently published Giving USA 2026 findings confirm that American generosity remains strong and resilient, and continues to grow. For the first time in 70 years, giving in the U.S. exceeded $600B, coming in at a total of $617B, which represents a total of 5.7% growth in current dollars over the previous year (3% adjusted for inflation).
Supported by a solid economy and sustained wealth accumulation, total charitable giving continues its multi-year trend of steady growth year over year.
How donors structure their giving is evolving, but the overarching data gives non-profit leaders every reason for confidence and optimism.
Percentage of Charitable Giving by Source in 2025
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Individual giving continued its upward trend. In the last five years, individual giving has experienced the most growth in the history of documented giving in the United States.
Despite historically low consumer sentiment last year, the last three years of the S&P 500 saw consistent double-digit gains, a major factor driving increases in mid-level and major giving.
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Foundation giving once again increased in 2025 after experiencing significant market gains in 2024, marking 15 years of steady and consistent growth.
However, giving to foundations dropped, which can likely be attributed to more individuals opting to give through Donor Advised Funds (DAF), a growing trend to pay close attention to.on text goes here
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For the second year in a row, corporate giving grew, representing a slightly higher level of overall giving than the historic 5-6%. Corporations grew the least of all sources over the last 12 months, but represent the most growth over the last 5 years.
Corporations continue to move their strategic, higher level giving to corporate foundations and entrust local giving to employees through sponsorship decisions and matching gifts.
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The “Great Wealth Transfer” of an estimated $124 trillion from the Baby Boomer generation is well underway, driving signficant increases in bequests as well as new DAF creation.
Focusing on Gen X and Millennial giving as well as incorporating planned giving into your fundraising strategy and communications should move up your priority list.
Top 3 Growth Subsectors
Giving USA 2026 data tracks trends across 9 subsectors: Religion, Human Services, Health, Arts/Culture, Giving to Individuals, Education, Foundations, Environment/Animals, and Public Society Benefit. Of the 9 subsectors tracked, 8 experienced growth in giving, except Foundations. The top three areas of philanthropic growth include:
Education: Despite a downturn in giving to Education that began around 2020/2021, the last year saw strong gains to comprehensive higher education initiatives, scholarship funds, and programs to expand educational access.
Environment/Animals:Growth in this sector is in line with a growing trend over the last five years driven by heightened donor concern and engagement in conservation, climate resilience, and biodiversity protection.
Public-Society Benefit: This subsector saw double-digit growth, reflecting increased investment in civic engagement, social justice, and national grantmaking intermediaries.
Note: DAF and DAF-sponsoring organizations are categorized within this subsector. In the last decade, the number of DAFs has tripled, in part due to lower entry threshold requirements. This subsector is gaining more traction than Foundations and is another indicator that individual giving remains strong.
The Core of Philanthropy: Donor Values & Motivations
Amid evolving giving vehicles and shifting economic indicators, one principle remains absolute:
Philanthropic values and motivations of donors will always be the most important factor in fundraising.
We highly recommend that your organization’s case for support is strong, documented, and shared with donors. The case for support helps donors understand how they can achieve their philanthropy and epress their values by supporting your organization’s mission.
Donors contribute because they care deeply about an issue and want to create positive change aligned with their core personal belief systems.
As individual giving continues to rise, including more DAFs and bequests, a strong case for support that resonates with your current donors and aligns with the values of potential donors is foundational to your mid-level and major giving strategies. If you do not have a case for support currently in place, this should be a top priority to support your fundraising program in the coming year.
Our Recommendations
To capitalize on these sector trends and strengthen your organization’s overall fundraising capacity, we recommend that fundraisers and nonprofit leaders prioritize the development and execution of the following:
Focus on Donor Retention and Growing Mid-Level Giving
With overall donor participation numbers fluctuating, retaining existing supporters and building a robust mid-level giving pipeline ($250–$5,000) yields the highest return on investment. Targeted stewardship, segmented donor communication, and personalized communications will move mid-level donors through the pipeline while stabilizing your existing donor base.Develop the Foundations of a Planned Giving Program
You do not need a complex, highly specialized planned giving department to secure legacy gifts. Establishing a foundation for planned giving could include: incorporating simple bequest language on your website, sample codicil (will amendment) phrasing for donors, and segmenting loyalty donors for specialized planned giving messaging.Pay Attention to Donors with DAFs & Track in CRM
Donor-Advised Funds continue to be one of the fastest-growing giving vehicles for individuals. Nonprofits must proactively ask donors if they give through a DAF, track DAF sponsoring organizations and advisors clearly in their CRM, and provide timely, accurate stewardship tailored to DAF managers.Approach Fundraising with an Abundance Mindset
Developing an optimistic, opportunity-oriented mindset around fundraising is a critical factor for success. Giving USA data gives us clear confidence that Americans continue to be generous and that their generosity is consistently growing year over year. Leading your organization and your fundraising program with vision, a commitment to donor collaboration, and an uncompromising focus on stewardship will attract and retain donors who want to achieve meaningful impact through your organization’s mission.
Blue Monarch Consulting is Here to Help
If you need advisory support to turn data into practical fundraising strategy, call us! We are here to help. Blue Monarch Consulting LLC provides development assessments and a set of actionable recommendations that take your program from a series of annual tasks to a focused strategy that can grow revenue from your existing donor base.
Let's talk and figure out which of these strategies will move the needle on your fundraising.
Email maggie@bluemonarchconsulting.com to set up a complimentary discovery call to learn more
About the Data:
This briefing is based on findings from Giving USA 2026: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2025, published by Giving USA Foundation and researched and written by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Giving USA has published the definitive report on American philanthropy since 1956, drawing on data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, IRS records, and a range of nonprofit sector sources. The full report is available at www.givingusa.org.
Listen to The First Day Podcast by The Fundraising School, “Giving USA 2026: The Headlines Every Fundraiser Should Know.”
