A Boon for Charitable Giving Is Being Threatened by Congress

On Real Clear Policy, the Roundtable’s Howard Husock writes:

While many continue to wait for the relief they hoped 2021 would bring, many small businesses and social service organizations are still struggling. Some 83 percent of nonprofits have reported a decline in revenue with nearly three-quarters having to reduce their services. This at a time when upper-income households are faring better during the pandemic — and Wall Street is under fire for favoring big investors. It is welcome news, then, to learn that, like any well-managed endowment, Americans funds dedicated to charitable causes and available at the discretion of small donors across the nation, have grown by more than 5 billion dollars from 2015 to 2019 alone.

While many continue to wait for the relief they hoped 2021 would bring, many small businesses and social service organizations are still struggling. Some 83 percent of nonprofits have reported a decline in revenue with nearly three-quarters having to reduce their services. This at a time when upper-income households are faring better during the pandemic — and Wall Street is under fire for favoring big investors. It is welcome news, then, to learn that, like any well-managed endowment, Americans funds dedicated to charitable causes and available at the discretion of small donors across the nation, have grown by more than 5 billion dollars from 2015 to 2019 alone. This is not a hypothetical. It has actually taken place as a result of a dramatic change in the world of charitable giving in recent years. And it provides a special reason for optimism.

Read the full oped here.

Mentioned on this page

Get the Latest News on the Freedom to Give

Sign up today for our Philanthropic Freedom Newsletter, and each month we’ll send you the latest public policy news from around the country, plus policy research, analysis and more.

Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.