How did donations fare in 2009? Down, says Giving USA data out today

Giving USA today released their data on charitable giving in 2009.  You can get a free executive summary here.

The highlights:

Total estimated charitable giving in the United States dropped 3.6 percent in 2009 (-3.2 percent adjusted for inflation). This reflects the continued recession in 2009, which particularly affected charitable recipients that otherwise receive contributions for new buildings, endowment campaigns, and long-term planning. These include education, arts, foundations, and freestanding donor-advised funds (which are part of public-society benefit). The types of charities that showed estimated growth typically provide immediate services, such as human services, health, inter­national aid, and even environment. Religion showed a very slight decrease.
Individual giving fell an estimated 0.4 percent in 2009 (no change adjusted for inflation). Many reports suggest that individual contributions increased toward the very end of the year, as stock market indices rose and as media coverage highlighted the needs faced by charitable organizations.

Charitable bequests fell an estimated 23.9 percent in 2009 (-23.6 percent adjusted for inflation). This reflects the unusually high level of bequest giving announced in 2008 by the Internal Revenue Service in its data released in late 2009. The 2009 estimate is $0.58 billion (2.5 percent) above the 2007 estimate.

Foundation grantmaking by private, community, and operating foundations fell by 8.9 percent, according to the Foundation Center (-8.6 percent adjusted for inflation). This is a less severe drop than foundations anticipated when the Foundation Center surveyed them early in 2009.

Corporate giving rose an estimated 5.5 percent (5.9 percent adjusted for inflation). This unexpected bounce takes corporate giving to within 1 percent of its pre-recession level. According to at least two reports (Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy and Silicon Valley Community Foundation and Entrepreneurs Foundation), corporations increased their in-kind donations, which are less affected by recessions. This shift explains at least some of the growth.

Giving to religion fell an esti­mated 0.7 percent in 2009 (an estimated decrease of 0.3 percent adjusted for inflation).

Giving to education declined an estimated 3.6 percent in 2009 (-3.2 percent adjusted for inflation).

Giving to foundations dropped an estimated 8 percent (-7.6 percent adjusted for inflation), according to the Foundation Center.

Giving to human services rose an estimated 2.3 percent (2.7 percent adjusted for inflation). This seems to reflect efforts that donors made to continue emergency aid services as an increasing number of people suffered from the continuing recession.

Giving for health shows an estimated increase, with growth of 3.8 percent (4.2 percent adjusted for inflation).

Giving for public-society benefit organizations declined an estimated 4.6 percent (-4.2 percent adjusted for inflation).

Giving to arts, culture and humanities organizations dropped an estimated 2.0 percent (-2.4 percent adjusted for inflation).

Giving to international affairs (which includes aid, development, and relief activities) increased 6.2 percent (6.6 percent adjusted for inflation).

Giving to individuals decreased by 3.6 percent in current dollars in 2009. Most often, these are gifts of medications to patients in need and are made by operating foundations created by pharmaceutical manufacturers.