Giving USA Foundation
Coverage of Giving USA Foundation in the Nexus archive.
- Self-made multimillionaire says Canadians ‘give no money away’ compared with Americans—research shows U.S. giving is more than twice as high
Bill Holland, a Canadian multimillionaire, criticizes Canadians for donating less than Americans, citing data showing U.S. charitable giving is over twice Canada’s. Americans gave 1.22% of their income to charity in 2021 compared to 0.55% in Canada, with U.S. donations reaching $617 billion in 2023 versus $26.2 billion in Canada.
- Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ every day Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living
U.S. charitable giving reached a record $617.2 billion in 2025 despite inflation and economic pressures, driven by individual donations, foundation contributions, and increased bequests. The rise in bequests, linked to strong financial markets, signals the start of the Great Wealth Transfer, with $124 trillion projected to shift to younger generations by 2048.
- American giving hit $617 billion in 2025 — and the Paul Allen effect exposes who’s really driving it
U.S. charitable giving reached $617 billion in 2025, a 3% increase driven by growth in bequests and foundation donations. Charitable bequests rose 16.6% to $62 billion, partly due to strong stock market performance, while foundation giving hit an inflation-adjusted record of $117 billion. Paul Allen’s estate contributed $3.1 billion in 2025 through a bequest.