“While overall giving declined, many donors made special efforts in 2009 to respond to greater humanitarian needs.”

Giving USA Foundation™ and its research partner, the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, recently announced that estimated total charitable contributions from American individuals, corporations and foundations fell to $303.75 billion in 2009, down from a revised total of $315.08 billion for 2008.

“Even in a time of enormous economic upheaval, such as we saw in 2009, Americans continued to be generous to charitable causes,” said Giving USA Foundation™ Chair Edith H. Falk. “While overall giving declined, many donors—including individuals and foundations—made special efforts in 2009 to respond to greater humanitarian needs.”

She added that, in addition to support from individuals and foundations, some nonprofits received exceptional support from the corporate sector, which included billions of dollars’ worth of in-kind donations, particularly from information technology firms and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Giving USA has reported U.S. charitable contributions since 1956. The inflation-adjusted drop of 3.2 percent for 2009 is not as severe as the decline found in 1974, when inflation-adjusted giving fell by 5.5 percent. The year 1974 was also a very difficult year of recession.

“Using models we have developed, we estimate that the human services, health, international aid and environment/animals subsectors saw increased contributions,” said Patrick M. Rooney, Ph.D., executive director of the Center on Philanthropy. “This focus on vital needs is consistent with what historians tell us happened during the Great Depression.”

The subsectors, or types of charitable recipients, that saw declines in giving tended to be those that are more likely to receive gifts through capital campaigns, contributions to endowments, and donations of art and property.

Giving to religion, at 33 percent of total giving, remains the largest share of all contributions, with an estimated $100.95 billion. The estimated decline in giving to religion was 0.7 percent in 2009.

Giving USA, a publication of Giving USA Foundation™, researched and written by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

Source: http://www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/news/2010/06/pr-GUSA2010.aspx