INDIANAPOLIS - Hoosier households, foundations and corporations gave an estimated $4.86 billion to charitable organizations in 2003, according to the "Indiana Gives" study released today by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.
The release of the results coincides with National Philanthropy Day, recognized every Nov. 15th by chapters of the Association of Fundraising Professionals across the country.
More than 75 percent of total contributions benefited Indiana nonprofits. Indiana households accounted for more than 76 percent of total contributions, giving more than $3.7 billion. Independent and community foundations gave more than $695 million, while corporations gave $438 million.
"Hoosiers have always been very generous in supporting causes that improve the lives of others and they demonstrated that with their charitable contributions in 2003," said Eugene R. Tempel, executive director of the Center on Philanthropy. "This first-ever, comprehensive study of all donors in the state offers a clear picture of who gave and what types of organizations benefited."
Indiana households gave an average of $1,872, 13 percent lower than the estimated national average. However, 79 percent of Indiana households contributed compared to 69 percent nationally.
Indianapolis-area donors gave $1,955 on average. This is not surprising because Indianapolis has 37 percent of the state's high-income families in a city with 27 percent of all the state's households.
Corporate giving in Indiana was approximately 3.3 percent of total estimated corporate giving in the U.S. for 2003. With 2 percent of the nation's estimated for-profit employees, the numbers suggest Indiana firms are above average in their giving.
The largest share of total Indiana contributions was given to religious organizations, which received more than 39 percent ($1.9 billion) of total giving. The second largest share (15.3 percent) went to human service organizations. Giving to public-society benefit nonprofits, which include economic development and appeals such as United Way, was 14.2 percent of total giving.
Charitable priorities in Indiana vary somewhat from national priorities. For example, Indiana households gave a larger percentage (15.2 percent) of their contributions to human service organizations than did national households (8.7 percent). However, national households gave a larger percentage (57 percent) of their contributions to religious organizations than did Indiana households (49.8 percent).
Indiana foundations gave higher percentages than national foundations did to the arts, human services, public-society benefit, education and religion. Hoosier foundations gave a lower percentage of grant dollars to health and the environment.
Indiana corporations gave larger shares of their contributions than did firms nationally to community development, the arts, and education.
The Center on Philanthropy has examined various aspects of giving in Indiana since 1992. The current "Indiana Gives" is based on a model developed at the Center on Philanthropy in partnership with the Giving USA Foundation for Giving Memphis 2003, the first regional version of Giving USA. This new report received support from the Indiana Grantmakers Alliance with in-kind contributions from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce for the corporate giving section of the study.
The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, a part of the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, is a leading academic center dedicated to increasing the understanding of philanthropy and improving its practice through research, teaching, public service and public affairs programs in philanthropy, fundraising, and management of nonprofit organizations.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: A summary of the key findings is available in pdf format or by fax. Please call Ty Gerig at (317) 278-8906 if you would like to receive the additional information.
