Donations to faith groups decline for second year
Post-recession America is beginning to open its wallet to charities again but is not giving as generously to religious institutions.
While charitable donations from individuals rose nearly 4 percent overall in 2011, according to the annual Giving USA report, donations to houses of worship and other religious bodies dropped by 1.7 percent—a decrease for the second year in a row.
The report, compiled by the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy and released June 19, shows that individual Americans gave nearly $218 billion last year, $96 billion of which went to religious organizations.
