Giving to religious groups down slightly, according to new report
One shift was a drop in number of people itemizing tax deductions, the Giving USA report on philanthropy noted.
Charitable donations to religious organizations decreased by 1.5 percent—almost 4 percent when adjusted for inflation—between 2017 and 2018, according to a newly released report.
Congregations and other religious groups received 29 percent of donated dollars during 2018, an estimated $124.52 billion, and the largest share of the total $427.71 billion given to charity. But that percent of total donations saw a slight decrease, too.
“This is the first time that giving to religion has fallen below 30 percent of overall giving,” states the Giving USA annual report on philanthropy, produced by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, the Giving USA Foundation, and others.
