Canada and United States

Regional Reviewer: Kathi Badertscher, Ph.D.
Institutional Affiliation: Indiana University, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

Overview

The United Nations region of Northern America contains five countries: Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and the United States of America. The region has an estimated population of 368 million (in 2020), with Canada and the United States accounting for more than 99% of the population in the region. Philanthropy in the region is generally robust with a sound regulatory framework and socio-cultural setting, having emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic accustomed to hybrid living and working. The field faces significant challenges amid rapidly evolving Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, economic and political polarization, and the massive intergenerational transfer of wealth that is beginning to occur. The demands of next generation donors and philanthropists, for technological interfaces, demonstrable impacts in real time, and social justice, will reshape the sector in the coming decades.

KEY FINDINGS: 

• Countries in the North American region enjoy a high degree of philanthropic freedom. Both Canada and the United States have a large and diverse philanthropic sector with minimal regulation and high participation in voluntarism and charitable giving. The region’s governments support nonprofit organizations primarily through favorable tax treatment, service programs that promote volunteering, demand-side funding through grants and contracts, supply-side funding for users of nonprofit services, and public recognition of charitable activities. The government supports philanthropy and relies on it for essential services, particularly healthcare and education.
• The region’s donors have grown increasingly sophisticated in their knowledge and expectations of nonprofit organizations. Donors in Canada and the US seek more—and more immediate—feedback about the impact of their gifts and organizations’ mission impact, governance, and management. As donors expect more involvement and information, they hold philanthropic organizations accountable to be professional, transparent, responsive, and effective. New investment vehicles, largely influenced by technological change (including online platforms, donor-advised funds, LLCs, and crowdfunding), drive donor expectations higher and challenge philanthropic organizations accordingly.
• The public level of trust in philanthropic organizations is relatively high in the region currently, although the sector must continually perform and evolve to maintain its longstanding crucial role in society. Independent Sector (IS) reports that Americans trust nonprofits more than other institutions (government, the media, and the market), yet only 57% indicate high trust in nonprofits. IS distinguishes between nonprofits and philanthropy (e.g., foundations, high-net-worth individuals, and corporate philanthropy), in which between 31–37% of Americans indicate high trust. Moreover, Americans reveal less trust in nonprofits to advocate for public policy, a crucial function of the sector (Independent Sector, 2024). Taken together, while trust in nonprofits remains relatively high, this is not entirely good news, since trust in the grantseeking and grantmaking sides of philanthropy are decidedly uneven. The field writ large has opportunities to communicate its value to the public during a time of economic and political polarization.

View the full 2025 GPEI Canada & United States regional report:

View Canada & United States Report