Top Philanthropic Donors Returned to Pre-Pandemic Causes in 2022

The world of charitable giving and philanthropy has long been a rollercoaster of ebbs and flows, affected by significant events, trends and shifts in humanity, but nothing quite compares to the upheaval of 2020 and everything that’s come afterward. As the entire world faced a global pandemic, and much of it bore witness to a surge of awareness around racial inequity, philanthropists seemed to answer the call.

As the COVID pandemic gripped the globe, many charity advocates began to see hope in the giving patterns that took hold. The significant events in 2020 prompted unprecedented giving for historically underfunded projects. Operations supporting food banks, racial justice groups, human service organizations and historically Black colleges and universities received an outpouring of support from the philanthropic community.

However, as the world grew weary and tired of the ongoing effects of pandemic disease, many again became complacent in the battle for social and racial justice, giving patterns, unfortunately, followed suit. While there were a few exceptions within the space, the vast majority of ultra-wealthy donors once again returned to familiar stand-bys, choosing to support universities, hospitals, medical research and their own foundations. 

Although this return doesn’t exactly come as a surprise, it does come as a disappointment for many. Issues surrounding hunger, racial inequity and social injustice have not gone away, nor did a year of increased funding resolve the underlying causes for their persistence. Yet the realm of philanthropy seems to be shifting gears, returning to the old routine now that the dust has settled.

Many of the top philanthropists in the US made their fortunes in the technology or finance sectors. It should be no surprise that a great majority of charitable giving has historically focused on keeping those same sectors strong, innovative and profitable. Donor-advised charities continue to rank among the most heavily funded organizations, usually owned by the people who fund them. 

While donors are greatly missing the mark in the realms of racial equity and social justice reform, it’s not necessarily for lack of trying. The issue is largely based on a lack of knowledge or fortified research. While many ultra-wealthy charity owners or organizers may have the best intentions, their idea of what is needed or helpful is often misaligned with reality. 

Is this misalignment an underlying cause for charity’s inability to truly rise to the occasion when supporting the causes heavily championed during the height of the pandemic? Or could public support for those initiatives, which has dulled considerably over the past two years, be an underlying factor for the giving regression?

The answer is likely a combination of both. Fickle as it may seem, philanthropists and their actions are often guided by public opinion and outcry. Pushback from the general population is a philanthropist’s Achilles heel, and falling out of step with what the people view as important can hurt the success of an initiative. 

As the world adjusts to our “new normal,” injustice and tragedy almost become part of our daily lives. War and unrest wage worldwide, politics divide families, natural disasters fall atop one another like dominoes, and the international health crisis looms large. Unsurprisingly, most Americans have entered a state of ennui, turning a blind eye to the problems we can’t afford to ignore. As a result, many philanthropists seem to have done the same. 

But that glimmer of hope that appeared at the height of the pandemic still shines. Many philanthropists are still seeking ways to fight back against injustice and support the causes that provide the most promise for humanity. 

The trick here is for philanthropists to resist the urge to return to long-term gifting habits and instead focus on the current crises at hand and touch base with more grassroots-based strategies. 

By joining community-based donor collaboratives or consulting with grassroots leaders in underserved communities, philanthropists can find ways to break their pre-pandemic giving habits. Now they can refocus on the behavior that showed significant promise of progress for a short moment and make it last a lifetime.