logo
Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Brief Publisher Logo
FACT BRIEF

Have some private donors increased giving in response to the pandemic?

By Allegra Taylor
Copy link
email
Copy featured image
email
YES

Fidelity Charitable, which manages dedicated charitable-giving accounts on behalf of individual donors, says its clients increased contributions by 16% in the first four months of 2020 to $2.35 billion. Donations to free-food programs jumped almost sevenfold to $75 million.

The Foundation Source, which advises foundations set up by private individuals and families, reported that 42% of surveyed clients had increased giving since the start of the year. The group said 37% significantly shifted their missions to accommodate pandemic-related needs such as food security.

Feeding America, a nonprofit supporting 200 food banks, said increased support helped it provide 1.3 billion meals between March 1 and mid-June, up 40% from the same period last year. It didn't provide specifics about its funding sources during the period.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Fidelity Charitable: How donors are responding to COVID-19
Fidelity Charitable: Communities in crisis—full report
The Foundation Source: Private donor giving in 2020
Feeding America: COVID-19 response fund report
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
FACT BRIEF BY
Brief Publisher Logo
Latest fact briefs
facebook
twitter
email
email
About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.