Fidelity Charitable sees 14% increase in giving through first 6 months of 2016

RHODE ISLAND WAS ONE OF 17 states in which less than half of dollars donated by residents went to charities in the donors' home states. / COURTESY FIDELITY CHARITABLE
RHODE ISLAND WAS ONE OF 17 states in which less than half of dollars donated by residents went to charities in the donors' home states. / COURTESY FIDELITY CHARITABLE

(Updated 9:55 a.m.)
BOSTON – Fidelity Charitable on Tuesday announced record-breaking giving for 2016, as grants through the first six months have increased 14 percent to $1.6 billion compared with the same period last year.

At the same time, the volume of grants given through the charity, affiliated with Fidelity Investments, has grown 8 percent to 330,000 compared with the same period in 2015, according to a press release. The charity announced it’s trying to surpass a cumulative $25 billion of donor-recommended grants over the last 25 years by Dec. 31.

“As I consider the more than 800,000 donor-recommended grants that we are projected to make this year, I am humbled by the power of generous individuals like you to make the world a better place,” said the charity’s president Amy Danforth in a letter to donors.

A recent Fidelity Charitable Giving report shows the size of the charity has grown 40-fold since its 1991 founding. The number of grants has increased by more than 200 times during that same period. What started as grants for the Massachusetts and New England region has expanded to include nationwide and international causes.

- Advertisement -

“We are energized by the generosity of our donors and inspired by the way their grant recommendations have advanced education, supported cancer research, fed the hungry and supported local communities, among countless other causes. One of the only things to stay the same over the past 25 years is our commitment to making it as easy as possible for them to maximize their giving and support the organizations they care about,” Danforth said.

No posts to display