Religion is America’s Mighty Engine of Charitable Goodness

Of the roughly 1.5 million charitable entities in the United States (not including foundations), one-third are either explicitly religious, motivated by a religious mission, or in some other way “faith-inspired.” According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, faith-inspired groups represent four out of every 10 international aid groups, account for 40 percent of spending on social services, and sustain an astonishing 73 percent of addiction treatment programs. The Washington Post reported in 2020 that about half of the nation’s houses of worship operate a food pantry or some other program to feed the poor. Of the more than 60,000 food banks and meal programs affiliated with Feeding America, a nationwide network for food-assistance programs, 62 percent are linked in some way to religion.