May 12, 2010 | Read Time: 1 minute
Philanthropy from the United States to poor countries remained steady in 2008, according to a new report by the Hudson Institute’s Center for Global Prosperity.
The Washington research organization found that contributions from foundations, corporations, nonprofit groups, religious organizations, and universities, as well as commitments of time from volunteers, totaled about $37.3-billion in 2008. That compared with $36.9-billion the previous year.
Of that total, charities gave $11.8-billion, followed by religious organizations ($8.2-billion), corporations ($7.7-billion), and foundations ($4.3-billion).
The recession is expected to have taken a bigger bite out of 2009 philanthropy. For example, a survey by the Foundation Center released last September determined that funds’ grant making was expected to drop by more than 10 percent in 2009.
As private philanthropy held steady, money from governments increased in 2008, according to the Center for Global Prosperity report.
In sheer dollar amounts, the United States gave the most, contributing $26.8-billion in 2008, an increase of about 20.5 percent when accounting for inflation and changes in exchange rates. That was still smaller than U.S. philanthropy, however.
Government aid from 24 rich countries was $121-billion in 2008, an increase of 11.7 percent.
Remittances—money that people send to family members abroad—grew 17 percent, to $96.8-billion, according to the Center for Global Prosperity study. However, the researchers estimated that the recession had caused them to decline in 2009, by about 6 percent.
