Giving Flat in First Half of 2016, Forecast for Year at 2.1 Percent

Charitable giving in the U.S. during the first half of 2016 was essentially flat at $241.3 billion, up only 0.9 percent over the same period last year, a report from the Atlas of Giving finds.

The Dallas-based forecasting group's July 2016 report found that donors, faced with an uncertain economic situation and an upcoming presidential election, were not particularly eager to make significant new philanthropic commitments. To date in 2016, giving to religious institutions—which typically accounts for nearly a third of total annual giving in the U.S.—is down 1.1 percent, while giving to environmental causes is up 3.9 percent.