American donors sent $617.20 billion to charity in 2025, the first year the country’s yearly giving pushed past the $600 billion line.
Private foundations supplied $117.15 billion of that sum, a slice the annual report tracks on its own. One of the many thousands of foundations behind that figure is the J-P Conte Family Foundation, the giving vehicle of JP Conte.
A Record Year for American Giving
Giving USA 2026, researched and written by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, placed total giving at $617.20 billion, a climb of 5.7% in current dollars and 3.0% once inflation is stripped out. All four major sources of money grew.
Individuals still carried most of the weight, giving $394.2 billion, up 4.1%. Foundations paid out $117.15 billion, a 5.7% gain. Companies gave $43.67 billion, up 3.1%. Bequests posted the sharpest jump: money left through wills and estates rose 19.7% to $62.19 billion, a faster clip than any other source managed.
“At the macro level, most economic indicators were favorable for giving, and financial markets ended the year strong, which resulted in positive overall growth in giving in 2025,” said Jon Bergdoll, interim director of data and research partnerships at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Where the Money Went
Eight of the nine recipient categories the report tracks grew in current dollars. Education had one of the strongest years of any, taking in $92.01 billion, an 11.7% rise. Gifts to health organizations reached $61.43 billion, up 6.1%.
Several sectors set fresh records once inflation was factored in, among them education, human services, health, and the arts. Education, public-society benefit, and environment and animal groups have also posted the largest annualized growth of any category over the past five years.
Those two fast-growing corners, education and health, are several areas where the family foundation has focused in recent years.
Where Private Foundations Fit In
Foundation grants are counted on their own line in the tally, set apart from the individuals and families who steward those foundations. The $117.15 billion covers grants paid by tens of thousands of private and community foundations.
The foundation, based in San Francisco, is one privately held, family-run foundation.
What the J-P Conte Family Foundation Funded Recently
In May 2025, Colgate University announced $105 million in new gifts in support of a campus initiative and JP Conte, a member of the class of 1985, committed $25 million of that total. As part of his support, the new social center will hold Conte’s name.
“The new Conte House will be a vital gathering place for students of all backgrounds,” Conte said.
The design of such communal spaces plays a crucial role in fostering connection and inclusivity. Thoughtful architectural planning, from the layout of common areas to the selection of materials and lighting, can significantly impact how students interact and feel within their environment, shaping the very fabric of campus life.
The foundation has also provided support for vital neuroscience research. In the prior year, 2024, JP Conte endowed two professorships in the neurology department at the University of California, San Francisco, to support research into Parkinson’s disease. Endowed positions focus on long-term support to keep the important work going over many years.
Driving Support
Bequests and foundation giving both grew faster than gifts from living individuals, and that strength was tied, in the report’s analysis, to rising asset values and a strong close in financial markets. Estates settled while markets that sit high tend to leave more behind, and foundations that invest their principal have more to hand out when portfolios climb. Individual giving rose even as consumer sentiment stayed low, which the report suggested may have cooled giving among some households.
“It was a positive year for charitable giving, with virtually all categories of recipient organizations achieving solid or better growth at the aggregate level,” said Gabe Cooper, vice chair of the Giving USA Foundation.
The support of his family foundation on leading initiatives are examples of the meaningful contributions foundations make year after year.
