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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 If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Has charitable giving gone up during the coronavirus pandemic?

Thursday, September 17, 2020

By Allegra Taylor

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While organizations in the medical and vaccine-research field have seen a surge in philanthropic donations during the pandemic, charities not directly involved in pandemic relief have faced significant shortfalls.

A June survey released by a national membership organization of nonprofits found that 83% of the 110 nonprofits surveyed reported a decline in earned revenue, individual giving and philanthropic grants during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals estimates that giving to charitable organizations in the U.S. and Canada fell 11% in March of 2020. The group reported that if the first-quarter's trend were to continue for the rest of the year, nonprofits funding would fall short by $25 billion.

In Massachusetts alone, nonprofits have lost $8.6 billion in funding during the pandemic, according to a report by the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Candid: Philanthropic grants

Independent Sector: COVID-19 inflicted a heavy toll on mid-size nonprofits

Association of Fundraising Professionals: Nonprofits hit by 6% decline in giving due to COVID-19

Massachusetts Nonprofit Network: COVID-19 pandemic impacts

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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.

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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.