The Power of Permanence: 2019 Philanthropic Trends Report - The New York Community Trust

November 18, 2019 | By The New York Community Trust

The Power of Permanence: 2019 Philanthropic Trends Report

For 95 years, The New York Community Trust has served as New York’s community foundation—granting more than $4.6 billion to support nonprofits.

But where, exactly, does that money go? Which causes do philanthropically minded New Yorkers care most about? And how has their giving changed over the years?

To answer these questions, we mined The Trust’s data and interviewed and surveyed scores of donors to create this 2019 Philanthropic Trends Report, which looks at the last 20 years of giving in America’s largest city.

Among the key findings:

As climate change has taken center stage in the national consciousness, New Yorkers have been stepping up support of nonprofits working to address environmental causes. The number of funds at The Trust dedicated to environmental issues has nearly tripled since the 1980s.
Doctors Without Borders, WNET, and the ACLU were the nonprofits that received the highest number of grants in 2018. Overall, The Trust and its donors supported nearly 5,000 nonprofits last year.
Donors have contributed an average of nearly $113.6 million annually to The Trust since 1998 through donor-advised funds, endowed funds, unrestricted funds, and field-of-interest funds. During the same time period, The Trust and its donors have granted nearly $157.2 million annually to registered nonprofits.
Nearly 9 in 10 donors surveyed by The Trust say they expect to give the same amount or more in 2019 than they did in 2018.

Download the report here or view on ISSUU. You can also request printed copies from Vice President for Philanthropic Initiatives Kerry McCarthy at (212) 686-2578 or kem@nyct-cfi.org.

Read the press release about the report.

If you are a member of the media and would like to interview Trust staff or donors, or feature the report in other capacities, please contact Senior Communications Officer Amy Wolf at (646) 214-1004 or aw@nyct-cfi.org.