ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, October 28, 1996 TAG: 9610280174
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
Americans gave $23.5 billion to the nation's 400 biggest charities last year, giving most generously to the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross and Catholic Charities USA.
Giving was up 5 percent from a year earlier, The Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual survey of the 400 nonprofit organizations receiving the most private money showed. The 1994 increase was 6.3 percent.
Charities on the newspaper's Philanthropy 400 list received about $1 out of every $6 donated to nonprofits.
Although donations to the Salvation Army dropped by 11.3 percent, that organization topped the list for the fourth consecutive year with collections of $644.3 million.
The American Red Cross, No.2 for three years, raised $456.6million, which represented a 7.9 percent drop from 1994.
A 25-percent increase in giving to Catholic Charities USA boosted that organization from No.7 to No.3 on the list, as it raised $419.4million last year.
The survey also found:
* Community foundations, which raise and distribute money in a single geographic area, saw the biggest gain in donations - 93 percent.
* Giving rose 25.4 percent to museums and libraries, 17.5 percent to education groups, 17.4 percent to public broadcasting and 16.5 percent to arts organizations.
* Giving to human-services groups - charities that help the poor - was down 5.3 percent.
* Public affairs groups saw giving drop 8.2 percent.
The 400 top charities include 138 colleges and universities, 45 United Way organizations, 34 international groups, 21 human-services groups, 24 religious organizations, 21 health charities and 21 hospital and medical centers.
- Associated Press
LENGTH: Short : 43 linesby CNB