Charitable Giving Connects Women Across Race and Ethnicity

A significant portion of all racial groups in the U.S. give to charity, and high-net-worth households are especially likely to do so, according to a new report from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute.

Among the communities studied, three in five Asian-American and white households and one in three Hispanic and African-American households in the general population give to charity. More than eight in 10 wealthy households across all racial groups make donations.

The report, which was funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, found that a donor’s race does not have a major effect on how much he or she gives, after adjusting for factors such as wealth, income and education.

Gender patterns WPI research previously identified — that single women and married couples are likelier to give than single men — held true within each of the racial/ethnic groups studied.

The new study found that for all groups, single women were likelier than single men to give to charity:

• Asian-American: 56.5% vs. 26.3%
• White: 49.7% vs. 34.9%
• African-Americans: 31.8% vs. 21.7%
• Hispanic: 28.7% vs. 25.4%

Married and cohabiting couples were more likely than either single men or single women to do so: Asian-American and white, 69.8%; African-American 47.7%; and Hispanic, 38.7%.

“Women Give 2019 highlights the universality of giving,” Debra Mesch, the Eileen Lamb O’Gara Chair in Women’s Philanthropy at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, said in a statement.

“Women in communities of color may take different pathways to their philanthropy — learning from their families or religious traditions, or starting to give later in life. But the act of giving their time, talent and treasure is consistent for women across race and ethnicity.”