In the wake of the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and others, the share of U.S. households that gave in support of racial and social justice increased from 13 percent in 2019 to 16 percent in 2020, a report from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy finds.

Based on a survey conducted in September 2020 of more than fifteen hundred adults, seven focus groups with donors of color, a literature review, and two case studies, the report, Everyday Donors of Color: Diverse Philanthropy During Times of Change (46 pages, PDF), found that while giving in support of racial and social justice increased across all demographic groups last year, Asian-American/Pacific Islander (31 percent) and Black (19 percent) households were more likely than Hispanic/Latinx (14 percent) or white (13 percent) households to give to those causes. Compared with donors to other causes, those who gave to social justice causes in 2019 tended to be slightly younger, less likely to attend religious services regularly, less likely to be married, and more likely to show higher levels of general trust and willingness to "work for the well-being of society," "make an effort on behalf of others," and "give help to the poor and those who need it."

Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the study also found that donors of color take diverse approaches to giving and are helping lead a shift toward non-traditional forms of philanthropy, such as mutual aid, crowdfunding (34 percent), and other sources of grassroots giving, as well as donating goods (70 percent), volunteering (53 percent), and donating blood (34 percent) in a typical year. During the COVID-19 and racial justice crises of 2020, donors of color prioritized giving to minoritized racial/ethnic communities and supporting racial justice efforts, including by championing diverse leadership in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector. Another notable development was a growing focus on philanthropy across ethnic/racial boundaries to build coalitions and solidarity — for example, between AAPI, Black, and Indigenous communities.

In addition, researchers found that grassroots leaders of communities of color increasingly are shaping how philanthropy is organized to maximize impact on social and racial justice, with wealthy donors and major funders turning to and supporting grassroots leaders, bringing visibility to the philanthropic approaches, tools, and networks of communities of color.

"Donors of color are changing the fabric of philanthropy in this county as a whole by bringing greater visibility and awareness to giving practices and approaches that have been particularly relevant amidst COVID and the movement for racial justice," says Una O. Osili, the Dean's Fellow of the Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy. "We're witnessing a re-imagining of how the philanthropic sphere can approach issues of social and racial justice. Donors of color are leading initiatives to drive change and tackle inequities from the past year, and those efforts are also being more frequently recognized and supported by institutional funders outside of communities of color.""Everyday Donors of Color: Diverse Philanthropy During Times of Change." Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy report 08/25/2021."Study: Philanthropic landscape shifting as everyday donors of color increasingly shape giving." Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy press release 08/25/2021.

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