The Nation - News from May 7, 1986

Americans gave to charities at a record pace last year, donating nearly $80 billion, a report said. The annual study, “Giving U.S.A.,” was published in New York by the American Assn. of Fund-Raising Counsel’s Trust for Philanthropy. Americans gave $79.84 billion to charity in 1985, an 8.9% increase from the previous year, the report said. In 1984, $73.3 billion was given. Charles Lawson, chairman of the trust, said the findings provide “adequate testimony to the enormous impact philanthropy has on the very fabric of the quality of life we enjoy.”