Canada and United States

The Global Philanthropy Environment Index “Canada & the United States” region includes Canada and the United States. 

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 government supports 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, healthcare and education in particular.   

The region’s donors have grown increasingly sophisticated in their knowledge and expectations of nonprofit organizations. Donors in Canada and the U.S. seek more 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 (POs) accountable to be professional, transparent, responsive, and effective. New investment vehicles, including online platforms, donor-advised funds, LLCs, and crowdfunding, driven largely by technological change, will drive donor expectations higher and challenge POs accordingly. While the public level of trust in POs is high in the region currently, the sector must continually perform and evolve to maintain its longstanding crucial role in society.