

Why fewer Americans are giving than before
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. At the end of every year, somewhere between buying presents and overeating, Americans usually turn charitable. But it seems fewer of them will give money away in 2025 than in years gone by.
For this, it may be tempting to lay the blame squarely on President Donald Trump and his assault on do-goodery. Reality, though, is less convenient. According to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (fep), a data provider, the number of donors in America fell by around 3% in the first nine months of 2025, compared with the same period in 2024, setting charities on course for a fifth consecutive year of shrinking donor rolls (see chart 1).
Even among the rich, the habit is fading fast. A survey by Bank of America suggests that the share of households worth more than $1m who gave fell from 91% in 2015 to 81% in 2024. This is worsening the squeeze on non-profit groups.
Total giving in America—including gifts from individuals, corporations, foundations and bequests—ticked up by a paltry 3.3% in real terms in 2024, according to Giving usa, an annual report based on research at Indiana University, to just over $590bn. And that followed a period of decline in total giving after the covid-19 pandemic. Government funding is also drying up.
Although Mr Trump’s decision to shut America’s official aid agency grabbed headlines, other rich countries are slashing aid more quietly. Official development assistance from the world’s biggest donors fell for the first time in six years in 2024, says the oecd, a club of mostly rich countries. What is behind the decline in charitable giving? Mr Trump has played a part.
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