For 26 years, The Chronicle has ranked America’s nonprofits based on the contributions they raise from individuals, foundations, and corporations. This year, for only the second time, United Way Worldwide has been pushed from the top rung — a changing of the guard that may signal a new era in philanthropy.
Total giving to the Philanthropy 400 reached $104 billion in 2015 — a record high. This year’s coverage also includes looks at how large groups are outperforming small ones and what drove big gains at some of the year’s notable organizations.
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NewsFidelity Overtakes United Way as New Charity Champion
For the first time, the sponsor of a donor-advised fund tops the Chronicle’s annual ranking of the 400 U.S. charities that raise the most in private support. Another first: Giving to groups on the list tops $100 billion. -
News
Fidelity Charitable Knocks United Way Out of Top Place in Charity Rankings
The stunning rise of a young charity founded by a for-profit company comes as total giving to America’s 400 most successful fundraising groups increased by 7 percent. -
News
A New Way to Give: Inside the Donor-Advised-Fund Explosion
A Chronicle analysis of 85 sponsors of donor-advised funds offers insights into the phenomenal growth of these giving vehicles that are challenging conventions of philanthropy. -
News
Donor-Advised Funds Reshape the Philanthropy Landscape
The donation vehicles managed by Philanthropy 400 leader Fidelity Charitable and other sponsors are changing how Americans view giving — and how charities compete. -
News
Flush With $51 Billion, Donor-Advised Funds Face Payout Questions
As the funds’ collective coffers swell, their rate of grant making has slowed, further fueling criticism that the popular charitable accounts are warehousing dollars that could be doing good. -
Advice
U. of Oregon Taps Its Scholars to Be Fundraisers
With state spending on higher education down, the institution is asking academic leaders to help cultivate big donors. -
Advice
Rapid Expansion Plans Lift a Youth-Focused Faith Charity
Nonprofits like InterVarsity Christian Fellowship that aim to shepherd young adults’ spiritual lives are finding a receptive audience among a notoriously “unchurched” generation. -
News
Social Issues Strike a Chord With ACLU Donors
As the group looks to raise nearly $1.3 billion by its 2020 centennial, heightened interest in immigration and incarceration policies is prompting seven-figure gifts that once would have been unthinkable. -
News
Nonprofits That Saw Big Gains in the Philanthropy 400
How the Sierra Club Foundation, Junior Achievement, and other groups made major moves in The Chronicle’s rankings. -
Opinion
Opinion: Critics of Donor-Advised Funds Miss What’s Great About These Tools
The fast growth of these accounts means more money for charities and has led to misplaced concerns about financial institutions like Fidelity that offer them. -
Opinion
Opinion: Charities and Taxpayers Deserve More From Donor-Advised Funds
As the controversial method of giving becomes increasingly common, concerns about the funds become ever more consequential. -
News
How the 2016 Philanthropy 400 Was Compiled
A variety of sources were used to make The Chronicle’s list as comprehensive and accurate as possible.
