Report Says Giving in Connecticut Is Too Low

While Connecticut has the nation’s highest per-capita income, it ranks 36th in charitable giving per person, a new study by an organization of grant makers has found.

Using data from federal tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service, the report said that among state residents who itemized their tax deductions in 1995 — 35 per cent of those who filed — the average amount listed as charitable donations was $2,156. Nationwide — where 26 per cent of taxpayers itemized their returns — the average gift was $2,449 that year. The state’s residents had an average income of $47,946 in 1995; nationwide, the average was $35,213.

“We must do more,” say the authors of the report, which was published by the Coordinating Council for Foundations, a consortium of 70 grant makers in Connecticut. The council says it is hiring new staff members to help coordinate a statewide effort to provide individuals, businesses, and financial advisers with information about why and how to give — in the hopes that residents will step up their giving.

For a free copy of the report, “Giving in Connecticut,” contact the Coordinating Council for Foundations, 85 Gillett Street, Hartford, Conn. 06105; (860) 525-5585.