Key Takeaways
U.S. donors gave a record 617 billion dollars to charity in 2025, up 3 percent after inflation, according to the Giving USA 2026 report.
Megagifts totaled 19.2 billion dollars, about 4 percent of individual giving, with MacKenzie Scott alone accounting for roughly a third at 6.65 billion.
Bequests jumped nearly 17 percent, and education, public-society benefit, and environment nonprofits posted the strongest category gains.
U.S. charitable giving reached a record 617 billion dollars in 2025, a 3 percent increase after inflation, according to Giving USA 2026, the annual benchmark report on American philanthropy. Giving rose across every source, including living individuals, foundations, corporations, and bequests.
The top end did much of the lifting. Megagifts totaled 19.2 billion dollars, roughly 4 percent of all individual giving, and MacKenzie Scott's 6.65 billion dollars in contributions represented about a third of that mega-giving on her own. Bequests jumped nearly 17 percent, the third double-digit year out of the last four.
The gains were uneven by cause. Education nonprofits rose 8.9 percent, public-society benefit groups 8.7 percent, and environment and animal organizations 8.2 percent, while giving to religion slipped 0.2 percent after inflation. A strong stock market and economic growth powered the totals even as federal funding cuts strained many nonprofits.
The record lands as WYDE has tracked the accountability questions behind big giving, from the Khanna and Friedberg clash over the limits of voluntary giving to a family's lawsuit over a frozen 21 million dollar donor-advised fund. The headline number is up, but where the dollars actually land remains the harder story.
Sources: Chronicle of Philanthropy, Giving USA.
People Also Ask
How much did Americans give to charity in 2025?
A record 617 billion dollars, a 3 percent increase after inflation, according to the Giving USA 2026 report.
Who was the largest individual donor?
MacKenzie Scott, whose 6.65 billion dollars in 2025 represented about a third of all megagifts.
Which causes grew the most?
Education, public-society benefit, and environment and animal nonprofits posted the largest category increases.