March 19, 2019 | Read Time: 1 minute
Title: Women Give 2019: Gender and Giving Across Communities of Color
Organization: Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy’s Women’s Philanthropy Institute
Summary: The study found that a donor’s race does not have a significant effect on the amount of money that person gives to charity, when taking into account factors like wealth, income, and education. A household’s income and wealth have a greater effect on giving than race.
The researchers who produced the report studied African-American, Asian-American. Hispanic, and white households.
Among the findings:
- Single women and married couples of any race are more likely to give than single men of any race.
- Households across all racial groups give to similar causes, both religious and secular.
- Religion and basic needs are the top two causes among donors of all races and incomes in the study.
- Formal volunteering shows a greater racial and ethnic gap, with donors of color who are less engaged in formal volunteer programs. However, those donors are much more involved in giving their time to nonprofits informally.
The study used data from both the Philanthropy Panel Study and from a U.S. Trust Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy, both of which are produced by the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
The Women’s Philanthropy Institute also conducted case-study interviews to supplement findings with real-life experiences of women philanthropists in communities of color. The report was supported by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
