Philanthropy Panel Study
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The Philanthropy Panel Study (PPS), formerly known as the Center on Philanthropy Panel Study-COPPS, follows the same families’ philanthropic behaviors throughout their lives. The study provides nonprofit sector professionals, fundraisers, policymakers and public officials a unique perspective of families’ giving and volunteering behaviors over time. Collection of the Philanthropy Panel Study data within the Panel Study on Income Dynamics was begun in 2001 with funding from the Atlantic Philanthropies, with continuing waves funded by partnering donors; recent institutional donors include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Fidelity Charitable Catalyst Fund, Givelify Foundation, Google. Org Charitable Giving Fund, and the John Templeton Foundation.
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Item Infographic: The Next Generation of Philanthropy(Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, 2025)Item The Next Generation of Philanthropy(Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, 2025)There is growing interest in understanding how Generation Z (also referred to as Gen Z) and Millennials will reshape the future philanthropic landscape. Often referred to as the next generation of donors, their story is still being written. Nonetheless, we already know that this unique group of young donors is influencing the sector in discernible ways. The Next Generation of Philanthropy report takes a close look at how the next generation approaches giving differently than the generations that came before them. The analysis provided for this study was derived using the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy’s Philanthropy Panel Study, a module of the University of Michigan’s Panel Study of Income Dynamics, which has been tracking households since 2000. By following the same households over time, this longitudinal approach provides unique insights into changes in giving behavior by individuals and within households and families. This study shows that profound generational differences exist in giving to religious and secular causes. Collection of the Philanthropy Panel Study data within the Panel Study on Income Dynamics was begun in 2001 with funding from the Atlantic Philanthropies, with continuing waves funded by partnering donors; recent institutional donors include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Fidelity Charitable Catalyst Fund, Givelify Foundation, Google. Org Charitable Giving Fund, and the John Templeton Foundation.Item Overall household charitable giving: 2021 overview(Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, 2024-10-23)This fact sheet shares findings on overall charitable giving from American households in 2020. It uses data from the 2021 wave of the Panel Philanthropy Study (PPS), a module of the Panel Study on Income Dynamics (PSID). The PPS is the nation’s first and largest ongoing longitudinal study examining the charitable giving of American households over time. This fact sheet presents the giving rate (the percentage of U.S. households that gave) and the average and median gift amounts among U.S. donor households to charity.Item The giving environment: Giving during times of uncertainty(Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, 2024-10-23)The pandemic and its aftermath have reshaped numerous facets of our everyday lives, including our philanthropic motivations and behaviors. To gain deeper insights into these giving trends, we analyzed longitudinal data from the Philanthropy Panel Study (PPS), a biannual survey of household giving behaviors, comparing pre-pandemic periods to the pivotal first year (2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The report quantifies shifts in overall giving rates and average giving amounts while also identifying key drivers of altered giving behavior. Although some findings explore well-researched aspects of giving, this report also uncovers how pandemic factors—such as social distancing mandates, economic loss, and COVID-19 related morbidity/mortality—impacted giving patterns. These findings contribute to an emerging body of research that explores how donors respond during times of crisis and uncertainty.Item The Giving Environment: Understanding Pre-Pandemic Trends in Charitable Giving(2021-07-27) Osili, Una; Zarins, Sasha; Han, XiaoCharitable giving reached an all-time high in 2020 with Americans donating $471 billion. This includes an adjustment of over $4 billion for COVID-19 relief and racial justice giving on top of what would normally be expected for those types of causes in 2020. However, in order to better understand these trends, we need to better understand the landscape of philanthropy before the onset of the pandemic and the increased awareness of social and racial justice issues.Item 16 Years of Charitable Giving Research(2019-12-12) Osili, Una; Clark, Chelsea; Han, XiaoThe underlying data for this research brief is drawn from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy’s Philanthropy Panel Study (PPS)—a signature research project of the school. The PPS, formerly known as the Center on Philanthropy Panel Study (COPPS), follows the same families’ philanthropic behaviors throughout their lives. The study provides nonprofit sector professionals, fundraisers, policymakers and public officials a unique perspective of household giving and volunteering behaviors over time.Item Changes to the Giving Landscape(2019-10-22) Clark, Chelsea; Han, Xiao; Osili, UnaThis report presents a detailed analysis of shifts in American household giving from the year 2000 to 2016, which includes information about giving behaviors from before (2000-2008) and after (2010-2016) the Great Recession (which occurred from December 2007-June 2009). Understanding changes in how American households are giving can provide useful insights for donors, leaders, and policy makers.Item Basic Facts about Charitable Giving from the Center on Philanthropy Panel Study(2005-09-16) Ottoni-Wilhelm, MarkBasic facts about the charitable giving of families are presented using the first wave of the Center on Philanthropy Panel Study, a new module in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). The basic facts are about the relationship between giving and income and the distribution of giving.Item Patterns of Overall Giving in COPPS 2003(2006-05-24) Yoshioka, TakayukiIn this paper, I describe how patterns of overall giving differ across socioeconomic characteristics of households with the data set called the Center on Philanthropy Panel Study (COPPS). The COPPS is the nation’s first and only ongoing philanthropy study surveying the same families every two years, along with the families created by their adult children. The COPPS 2003 wave asks about the value of household charitable contributions, which consist of money, assets, or property given in 2002.