Giving by corporations, 1968–2008 ($ in billions)

14. 50

12. 94

11. 17

11.06

9. 72

9. 64

7. 93

8. 46

6. 47

5. 57

5. 14

5. 61

5. 34

3. 67

1. 70

0.90

1.06

Current dollars Inflation-adjusted dollars

1968

1973

1978

1983

1988

1993

1998

2003

2008

 

Corporate contributions, which include distributions from corporate foundations, reached an estimated $14.50 billion in 2008.

The estimate shows a drop in giving during 2008, reflecting lowered corporate profits. The decline in corporate profits reported by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis includes the closure, merger, and losses reported by firms in the financial and insurance sector in 2008.

Estimated contributions by corporate foundations are approximately 30 percent of the estimated total for 2008. In 2006, the most recent year for which there are complete data, corporate foundation giving was 27. 5 percent of the total amount contributed by companies. From 2001 through 2006, corporate foundation grantmaking averaged 29 percent of corporate giving.