Philanthropy and grantmaking charities, by the numbers.
12,081 of them filed a full Form 990 and spent $97.7B between them.
- 12,081
- charities filing a full Form 990, 3,596 spending $1M+
- $97.7B
- spent in their latest year, with $111.8B coming in as gifts and grants
- 37%
- of all that spending by the 10 biggest
What “philanthropy and grantmaking” covers.
The biggest slice is community and public foundations, at 55% of all spending in the cause. Spending outside these groups is in charities the IRS coded more generally.
Spending in each charity's latest e-filed Form 990 (Part I, line 18), grouped by the NTEE code in the IRS master file.
The biggest 399 philanthropy and grantmaking charities.
| # | Charity | Spending | Program share | Cost to raise $1 | Savings | CEO pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DAFgiving360 (Schwab Charitable)Our file Lone Tree, CO · Community and public foundations · FY 2025 | $9.0B | 100% | 0¢ | 63 mo | $749K |
| 2 | National Philanthropic TrustOur file Jenkintown, PA · Philanthropy promotion · FY 2025 | $6.6B | 99% | 0¢ | 102 mo | $1.04M |
| 3 | Vanguard Charitable Endowment ProgramOur file Malvern, PA · Federated giving (United Ways) · FY 2025 | $3.5B | 100% | 0¢ | 92 mo | $528K |
| 4 | Silicon Valley Community FoundationOur file Mountain View, CA · Community and public foundations · FY 2024 | $3.4B | 98% | 0¢ | 37 mo | $1.18M |
| 5 | Goldman Sachs Philanthropy FundOur file New York, NY · Community and public foundations · FY 2024 | $3.1B | 99% | 0¢ | 49 mo | – |
| 6 | A D F Community Outreach Foundation Mechanicsvlle, MD · Philanthropy promotion · FY 2025 | $2.7B | 0% | – | 1 mo | $64K |
| 7 | National Christian FoundationOur file Alpharetta, GA · Community and public foundations · FY 2024 | $2.7B | 97% | 0¢ | 27 mo | $308K |
| 8 | American Online Giving FoundationOur file Newark, DE · Community and public foundations · FY 2026 | $2.4B | 100% | 0¢ | 1 mo | – |
| 9 | Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding TrustOur file Westfield, IN · Other grantmakers · FY 2024 | $1.7B | 99% | 0¢ | 64 mo | – |
| 10 | American Endowment FoundationOur file Hudson, OH · Community and public foundations · FY 2024 | $1.4B | 99% | 0¢ | 74 mo | $603K |
| 11 | The Chicago Community TrustOur file Chicago, IL · Community and public foundations · FY 2025 | $1.3B | 98% | 0¢ | 67 mo | $624K |
| 12 | Jewish Communal FundOur file New York, NY · Federated giving (United Ways) · FY 2025 | $1.0B | 99% | 0¢ | 40 mo | – |
| 13 | Charities Aid Foundation AmericaOur file Alexandria, VA · Community and public foundations · FY 2025 | $1.0B | 99% | 0¢ | 6 mo | $442K |
| 14 | Bank of America Charitable Gift FundOur file Boston, MA · Federated giving (United Ways) · FY 2024 | $993.6M | 99% | 0¢ | 61 mo | – |
| 15 | Foundation for the CarolinasOur file Charlotte, NC · Community and public foundations · FY 2024 | $849.2M | 99% | 0¢ | 54 mo | $571K |
| 16 | PayPal Charitable Giving FundOur file Washington, DC · Community and public foundations · FY 2024 | $811.5M | 100% | 0¢ | 0 mo | $214K |
| 17 | Renaissance Charitable FoundationOur file Indianapolis, IN · Other · FY 2024 | $801.9M | 96% | 0¢ | 88 mo | – |
| 18 | Rockefeller Philanthropy AdvisorsOur file New York, NY · Philanthropy promotion · FY 2024 | $742.1M | 97% | 0¢ | 11 mo | $688K |
| 19 | Bny Mellon Charitable Gift Fund Boston, MA · Community and public foundations · FY 2024 | $729.3M | 100% | 0¢ | 0 mo | – |
| 20 | ImpactAssetsOur file Bethesda, MD · Federated giving (United Ways) · FY 2024 | $627.3M | 97% | 0¢ | 57 mo | $439K |
| 21 | The Signatry Charitable TrustOur file Sioux Falls, SD · Other · FY 2024 | $577.3M | 99% | 0¢ | 17 mo | $392K |
| 22 | Dechomai Asset TrustOur file Jacksonville, FL · Community and public foundations · FY 2024 | $559.1M | 100% | 0¢ | 33 mo | – |
| 23 | Donors FundOur file Lakewood, NJ · Community and public foundations · FY 2024 | $551.1M | 99% | 0¢ | 7 mo | $193K |
| 24 | The Blackbaud Giving FundOur file Daniel Island, SC · Other · FY 2025 | $540.7M | 100% | 0¢ | 1 mo | $354K |
| 25 | Apella Health Management Spartanburg, SC · Other · FY 2025 | $511.6M | 97% | – | 1 mo | $2.07M |
Program share = program expenses ÷ total expenses (Part IX, line 25). Cost to raise $1 = fundraising expenses ÷ contributions (Part IX, Part VIII line 1h). Savings = net assets ÷ annual spending × 12, which includes buildings, endowments and restricted gifts, so zoos and aquariums run high. CEO pay is reportable compensation from the charity (Part VII). “CPA view” moves joint fundraising costs reported on line 26 out of programs. Names link to our file where we have one, otherwise to the filing on ProPublica.
Benchmarks for philanthropy and grantmaking.
Medians across 3,596 charities spending $1M or more. Use them to judge any charity in this cause.
- 88%
- median program share, as reported
- 3¢
- median cost to raise $1, among charities taking in $100K+ in gifts
- 22 mo
- median net assets, in months of spending
| Annual spending | Charities | Median CEO pay | Median program share |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1–5M | 2,236 | $135K | 87% |
| $5–25M | 962 | $214K | 89% |
| $25–100M | 283 | $364K | 91% |
| $100M+ | 115 | $570K | 96% |
The yes-or-no answers.
Counts of philanthropy and grantmaking charities answering “yes” (or failing a basic check) in their latest Form 990. The charities answer these themselves.
charities told the IRS they discovered a significant diversion of assets (theft, embezzlement or misuse).
charities reported a paid fundraiser that kept half or more of what it raised.
charities reported an excess benefit transaction with an insider.
charities had $2M+ in revenue and no audited financial statements.
charities had $1M+ in revenue and no conflict-of-interest policy.
charities reported loans to or from officers or directors.
A “yes” is a reason to read the filing, not a verdict. Learn what each answer means in how to check a charity, and see how we read a 990.
Every philanthropy and grantmaking charity we cover.
- Amalgamated Charitable Foundation
- American Endowment Foundation
- American Online Giving Foundation
- Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund
- Boston Foundation
- California Community Foundation
- Charities Aid Foundation America
- DAFgiving360 (Schwab Charitable)
- Dechomai Asset Trust
- Dechomai Foundation
- Donors Fund
- Foundation for the Carolinas
- Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund
- Greater Horizons
- Greater Kansas City Community Foundation
- ImpactAssets
- Jewish Communal Fund
- Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco the Peninsula Marin & Sonoma
- Marin Community Foundation
- Marine Toys for Tots Foundation
- Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust
- National Christian Foundation
- National Philanthropic Trust
- PayPal Charitable Giving Fund
- Pef Israel Endowment Funds
- Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund
- Renaissance Charitable Foundation
- Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
- Silicon Valley Community Foundation
- Suzanne & Walter Scott Foundation
- The Blackbaud Giving Fund
- The Chicago Community Trust
- The Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift Fund
- The Independent Charitable Gift Fund
- The Jewish Federations of North America
- The Pew Charitable Trusts
- The Signatry Charitable Trust
- The US Charitable Gift Trust
- Tides Foundation
- Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program
Questions about philanthropy and grantmaking charities.
What is the largest philanthropy and grantmaking charity?
By spending, DAFgiving360 (Schwab Charitable) (CO), at $9.0B in its fiscal year ending 2025, per its Form 990.
How much do philanthropy and grantmaking charity CEOs make?
The median CEO of a philanthropy and grantmaking charity spending $1–5M a year was paid $135K. At charities spending $100M or more, the median was $570K. Figures are reportable compensation from the charity, Form 990 Part VII.
What percentage of donations to philanthropy and grantmaking charities goes to programs?
The median philanthropy and grantmaking charity spending $1M or more reported 88% of its spending on programs, on Form 990 Part IX. That is the charity's own split. Some charities count part of their fundraising mail as program work; our pages show the number both ways.
How many philanthropy and grantmaking charities are there?
12,081 philanthropy and grantmaking organizations filed a full Form 990 in the IRS's 2025 and 2026 e-file releases, 3,596 of them spending $1 million or more. Thousands more file the short 990-EZ or the 990-N postcard.
Where this comes from.
Each charity's latest Form 990 in the IRS's 2025 and 2026 e-file releases, joined to the IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File for its NTEE cause code. Organizations that file as charities but aren't funded like one (research contractors, sports bodies and similar) are left out of the comparison table. Charities that file a 990-EZ or 990-N aren't included. Figures are as filed; we haven't reviewed each one, except where a charity has our full file.
Charity Math, “Philanthropy and grantmaking charities, by the numbers,” data as of 2026-11-07. https://charitymath.com/causes/philanthropy-and-grantmaking/