by Tony Dokoupil
Last year was among the worst on record for charitable giving. But even with a rebound forecast for 2010, the world of good works will remain unnaturally depressed, according to a new study, and not because of the economy. The culprit is Uncle Sam.
Each year, the government gives thousands of grants to public-spirited nonprofits, many of which depend on these funds for a huge chunk of their budgets. But this “crowds out” private donors, according to a forthcoming paper in the Journal of Public Economics. For each $10,000 in annual government grant money, the study shows, nonprofits cut fundraising by an estimated $1,370, and private charitable donations fell by about $7,271.
This dynamic shows how much charities dislike shaking cups for cash.
Story Compliments Of Newsweek.com
