Resources
Key Facts
These dozen numbers*, each one deserving an exclamation point, should tell you just about everything you need to know about wealth hoarding vs. charitable giving in the U.S.
- $550,000,000,000 (550 billion) given to charity last year, excluding gifts to private foundations: $375 billion from individuals, $104 billion from foundations, $43 billion from bequests, and $36 billion from corporations
- $20,000,000,000,000 (20 trillion, seriously)–is the total net wealth of the 0.1% of U.S. households (they are also referred to as Ultra High Net Worth Individuals, or UHNWI, or simply the Ultra-Wealthy) comprised of families whose wealth exceeds $40 million
- $5,500,000,000,000 (yep, 5.5 trillion) is the net wealth of the 737 U.S. billionaires
- $150,000,000 (150 billion) is the charitable giving pegged by most estimates of the UHNWI class, a meager 0.75% (three-quarters of one percent)
- $120,000,000,000 (120 billion)–is the amount of additional dollars that would go to nonprofits if all 0.1% individuals met the Charitable Commitment of distributing on average 2% of their assets this year
- 44,000,000 (44 million) people experience food insecurity in the U.S., according to Feeding America, including a potential 13 million children
- 40,000,000 (40 million) people are living in poverty in the U.S.
- 880 is the approximate number of laws introduced in state legislatures to interfere in elections or restrict the right to vote between October 2022 and October 2023, threatening a functioning democracy
- $1,500,000,000,000 (1.5 trillion) is the amount of money sitting in private foundation endowments (they are required to pay out just 5% of their assets each year, or $60 billion).
- $30,000,000,000 (30 billion) is the amount of additional dollars that would go to nonprofits if all foundations met the Charitable Commitment of distributing 6-10% of their endowments this year
- $200,000,000,000 (200 billion)–is the amount of money held in Donor Advised Funds (DAFs), which have no payout requirement
- $1,200,000,000 (1.2 billion) is the total contributions to nonprofits by the 108 Crisis Charitable Commitment signer
*all numbers are approximate as of March 31, 2024
Resources for Further Reading
Want to learn more about why we need the wealthiest to give more? Here are some resources from CCC partners and national research centers that help explain.