U.S. Charitable Giving Reached a Record $617 Billion in 2025
Charitable giving in the United States reached an estimated record $617 billion in 2025, rising about 3% after inflation from the previous year, according to the Giving USA 2026 report released June 24, 2026.
The figure measures donations from individuals, foundations, corporations and bequests across the U.S. charitable sector. It includes contributions to religious organizations, educational institutions, human-services groups and other nonprofit recipients.
Giving USA reported the increase as nonprofits faced economic uncertainty and political pressure. The national total provides a broad measure of money flowing to charitable organizations, but it does not show that every nonprofit subsector grew or that every organization had more money available for its work.
What the national figure shows
The $617 billion estimate combines several donor sources and recipient categories. It is therefore a measure of charitable giving across the country rather than a financial statement for any particular organization.
The reported 3% gain is adjusted for inflation. In practical terms, the increase reflects growth beyond the effect of higher prices, rather than only a rise in the number of dollars being donated.
Giving USA described the 2025 result as a record total. The finding gives nonprofit leaders, donors and others a national reference point for the scale and direction of charitable activity, while leaving the distribution of that money among organizations and fields unspecified.
The total also combines different forms of giving. A national increase does not establish that one donor group, such as individuals, foundations or corporations, was responsible for the change. Nor does it show whether the increase was shared evenly among religious, educational, human-services and other organizations.
Bequests grew faster over the decade
Bequest giving grew faster than overall charitable giving over the decade covered by the report, according to Giving USA. That finding identifies a longer-term change in one part of the national giving mix.
It does not mean that bequests accounted for the entire increase in 2025. The report’s national figure brings together bequests with current donations from individuals, foundations and corporations, so the decade-long comparison and the single-year total describe different aspects of charitable giving.
The distinction matters when interpreting the record. A rise in total giving can coexist with different results for individual donor groups or recipient categories. The national estimate establishes the overall amount and inflation-adjusted direction, but it cannot by itself determine how much a particular nonprofit received.
Implications for charities
For nonprofit organizations, the figures offer a benchmark for understanding the broader fundraising environment. Charitable contributions can be part of the resources organizations use in budgeting, fundraising and service delivery, but the effect of a national increase depends on where donations went and on each organization’s own finances and operations.
The report also creates a basis for comparing future annual totals with 2025. The record amount and the inflation-adjusted gain indicate that giving expanded nationally during the year, even as the charitable sector operated amid economic and political uncertainty.
That result should not be read as a finding that services expanded or that every organization became financially stronger. Those questions require information about individual nonprofits and subsectors. Giving USA’s central measure is narrower: it estimates how much was given to charity across the United States during 2025 and describes how that total changed from the prior year.
Sources
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