May 24, 2000 | Read Time: 1 minute
By HOLLY HALL and NICOLE LEWIS
Contributions to charity grew by 6.7 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars to $190-billion last year, according to the newest edition of Giving USA, which was released Wednesday. The pace of giving slowed slightly in comparison with 1998, when donations rose by 9 percent, according to the report, which is compiled annually by the American Association of Fund-Raising Counsel Trust for Philanthropy.
The slowdown probably reflects shifts in the economy that have unnerved many donors, experts said.
Even so, many charities fared well in 1999.
Among the key findings of the survey:
- Americans gave 1.8 percent of their personal incomes to charity, and the amount donated totaled 2.1 percent of the gross domestic product. The last time giving was that large a share of the gross domestic product was in 1971.
- For the fourth year in a row, the rise in giving by foundations, at nearly 14 percent, outstripped the growth of both individual donations, which rose 5.5 percent, and corporate gifts, which increased by 11.8 percent.
- Nearly all types of charities saw giving increase by more than the 2.1-percent inflation figure. International groups were the biggest winners, with a nearly 21-percent increase. The next highest rise was achieved by environmental groups, which had a gain of 8.7 percent. Gifts to arts organizations grew the least, by 2.8 percent.
- Only one category of charities suffered a decline in giving, and the drop totaled just 1.4 percent. The decrease was found in a category that includes United Ways, Jewish federations, consumer-protection groups, and other organizations classified as “public-benefit” charities.
A full report on the survey results will be published in the June 1 issue of The Chronicle, which will be available online as of Tuesday morning, May 30.
