Charity may have been part of your family’s legacy for generations. Or it may be your next big move. Either way, we’re ready to help you reach your philanthropic goals.
National Philanthropic Trust (NPT) is a public charity founded in 1996. Since that time we have made more than 273,000 grants totaling $6.8 billion to charities all over the world. We have raised $13.5 billion in charitable contributions and currently manage $8.1 billion in charitable assets. NPT ranks among the largest grantmaking institutions in the United States.
Our mission is to increase philanthropy in society. We do so by working with thousands of the world’s most generous and inspired philanthropists, who use our donor-advised funds to support the causes that are most important to them.
Donor-advised funds are philanthropy’s most popular giving vehicle and ours are uniquely flexible. With $25,000 or more, an individual, family, trust, corporation, or nonprofit organization can open a donor-advised fund account with NPT.
National Philanthropic Trust is proud to work together with our donors to tackle overwhelmingly large problems like poverty on an international scale while also supporting small charities that serve hyperlocal communities. Whatever a donor’s charitable goals, NPT’s response is the same: Your vision is our purpose.
Let’s get started on realizing your charitable ideals and maximizing your philanthropic impact. To learn more about how our charitable vehicles can work for you, please send us an email or call us at (888) 878-7900.
Our Donors’ Causes
Our donors’ charitable aspirations are wide-reaching and diverse.
Our donors provide food to people who are hungry and seek solutions to poverty.
- In Connecticut, a $10,000 grant helps poor and homeless people achieve independence through housing.
- A charity in Kentucky provides reduced-cost, fresh fruits and vegetables to low-income families thanks to a $10,000 grant.
- A safe and caring home for orphaned children in Haiti received $3,000.
Our donors give to environmental stewardship and sustainability causes.
- A $175,000 grant improves the lives of people residing in vulnerable, remote communities in Bolivia.
- Communities across Michigan have safer drinking water because of a $10,000 grant.
- A $1,000 grant supports preservation of the Grand Canyon National Park for future generations.
Our donors close gaps in funding that limit access to arts and cultural activities and education.
- A $100,000 grant to a California-based charity provides educational opportunities to girls in developing countries.
- A public library in Virginia can buy books and make renovations with a $2,500 grant.
- America’s longest running international dance festival continues running with support from a $25,000 grant.
NPT’s donors recommended more than 36,000 grants totaling $905 million in 2017. Those grants supported over 15,000 qualified charities in 36 countries. Donors can recommend grants as small as $250. In 2017, our largest grant was $37 million.
Learn more about the advantages of philanthropy with an NPT donor-advised fund in our Frequently Asked Questions.
- Americans gave $410.02 billion in 2017. This reflects a 5.2% increase from 2016. [1]
- Corporate giving in 2017 increased to $20.77 billion—an 8.0% increase from 2016. [1]
- Foundation giving in 2017 increased to $66.90 billion—a 6.0% increase from 2016. [1]
- In 2017, the largest source of charitable giving came from individuals at $286.65 billion, or 70% of total giving; followed by foundations ($66.90 billion/16%), bequests ($35.70 billion/9%), and corporations ($20.77 billion/5%). [1]
- In 2017, the majority of charitable dollars went to religion (31%), education (14%), human services (12%), grantmaking foundations (11%), and health (9%). [1]
- Arts organizations experienced the largest giving increase in 2017, receiving 8.7% more than the previous year. [1]
- Charitable giving accounted for 2.1% of gross domestic product in 2016. [1]
- Historically, charitable giving rises about one-third as fast as the stock market. [2]
- Approximately 91% of high net worth households give to charity. [3]
- On average, high net worth donors gave $25,509 to charity in 2015. By comparison, general population households gave $2,520 on average. [3]
- In May 2015, there were approximately 1,521,052 charitable organizations in the United States. [4]
- There are an estimated 316,532 congregations in the United States in May 2015. [4]
- Sources of revenue for tax-exempt organizations in 2012 were program service revenues, including government contracts and fees (73%), contributions, gifts, & government grants (21%) and lastly, dues, special event income, rental income and net sales from goods (6%). [4]
- Approximately 63 million Americans — 25 percent of the adult population — volunteer their time, talents, and energy to making a difference. [5]
- The 2016 national value of volunteer time is $24.14 per hour. In other words, Americans contribute $193 billion of their time to our communities. [5]
- The top four national volunteer activities are food collection or distribution (24.2%), fundraising or selling items to raise money (23.9%), general labor or transportation (18.8%), and tutoring or teaching (17.9%). [6]
- The top four volunteer areas are for religious (34.1%), educational (26%), social service (14.9%), and health (7.3%) organizations. [6]
- There were 284,965 donor-advised fund accounts in 2016. [7]
- Donor-advised funds held $85.15 billion in assets in 2016. [7]
- Annual contributions into donor-advised funds were $23.27 billion in 2016. [7]
- Donors recommended grants from donor-advised funds totaling $15.75 billion to charities in 2016. [7]
- Average donor-advised fund account size was $298,809 in 2016. [7]
- Giving USA 2018
- The Foundation Center
- The 2016 U.S. Trust Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy conducted in partnership with the Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy
- The Urban Institute
- Independent Sector
- The Corporation for National and Community Service
- National Philanthropic Trust – Donor Advised Fund Report 2017
