Top 100 U.S. Charities Still See 4.4% Hike in Donations

There’s no denying it has been a difficult period for some of the nation’s top charities.

Private donations to the 100 charities on the 2025 list rose 4.4%, beating the 2024 inflation rate of 2.9%. (Photo: Save the Children)

Organizations such as Save the Children and the New York-based International Rescue Committee were sent reeling by the Trump administration’s dramatic scaling back of foreign humanitarian aid, Forbes Daily reported.

Domestic-focused charities have also had to scramble to adjust to less drastic cuts to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding and reduced support for food banks at home.

Organizations such as Save the Children and the New York-based International Rescue Committee were sent reeling by the Trump administration’s dramatic scaling back of foreign humanitarian aid, Forbes Daily reported.

Domestic-focused charities have also had to scramble to adjust to less drastic cuts to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding and reduced support for food banks at home.

Forbes’ 2025 list of America’s Top 100 Charities, released today, does not fully reflect the extent of that damage, but it does highlight which organizations may be most at risk — and most deserving of donor support now.

The ranking, now in its 27th year, is designed primarily as a tool for individual donors and is based entirely on private contributions in each charity’s most recently reported fiscal year.

In most cases, that year ended before President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.

Private donations to the 100 charities on the 2025 list rose 4.4%, beating the 2024 inflation rate of 2.9%. Meanwhile, several of the wealthiest Americans, including MacKenzie Scott and Bill Gates, have stepped up with notable contributions.