At a glance
- The United States accounts for 43 percent of all global giving by ultra-high-net-worth individuals, which the report defines as those with net worth of $30 million or more.
- A 2026 study by The Philanthropic Initiative put the share of high-net-worth clients who say they would be more likely to select an advisor knowledgeable about philanthropy at 75 percent, up from 40 percent in 2018.
- Altrata attributes the higher totals to capital-market returns, technology-sector wealth gains, and intergenerational estate transfers that have enlarged both the UHNW population and the liquid assets available to give.
Ultra-high-net-worth households in the United States gave roughly $107 billion to charitable causes in 2025, up from about $85 billion in 2022, according to Altrata's High Net Worth Philanthropy 2026 report published October 15.
The United States accounts for 43 percent of all global giving by ultra-high-net-worth individuals, which the report defines as those with net worth of $30 million or more. That cohort is 1.1 percent of the global millionaire population but 38 percent of all individual philanthropic donations worldwide. Roughly 37 percent of the world's UHNW population lives in the US, more than the combined share of the next nine largest countries, according to the report.
Clients ask for advice; fewer than half of advisors deliver it
A 2026 study by The Philanthropic Initiative put the share of high-net-worth clients who say they would be more likely to select an advisor knowledgeable about philanthropy at 75 percent, up from 40 percent in 2018. Fewer than half of advisors deliver on that expectation, according to Foundation Source research published in 2026.
Altrata attributes the higher totals to capital-market returns, technology-sector wealth gains, and intergenerational estate transfers that have enlarged both the UHNW population and the liquid assets available to give. The 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act caps the maximum federal tax benefit on charitable donations at 35 percent beginning in 2026, down from 37 percent, and federal international aid has retreated under the second Trump administration. Altrata's reading is that giving becomes more concentrated and more strategic.
Reported by the RIA desk from InvestmentNews, Altrata High Net Worth Philanthropy 2026 report (as reported by InvestmentNews), The Philanthropic Initiative 2026 study (as reported by InvestmentNews), Foundation Source 2026 research (as reported by InvestmentNews) and 2026 Bank of America Private Bank Study of Wealthy Americans (as reported by InvestmentNews). Published . Corrections