LOCAL ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT | CHARITABLE GIVING

Texans master the art of giving back

By PAMELA YIP
Staff Writer pyip@dallasnews.com

When it comes to charitable giving, Texans are among the most generous, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Using 2008 data from the Internal Revenue Service the most recent available the publication ranked Texas 13th among the most generous states, with Utah on top.

Generosity among the states

The Mormon tradition of tithing is a primary reason Utah residents outpace those in other states. Median percentage given: Less than 4% 4-5% 5-6% 6-7% 7-8% More than 8%

1. Utah
Total contributions: $2.4 billion Median contribution: $5,255 Median discretionary income: $49,551 Median percentage given: 10.6%

50. New Hampshire

Total contributions: $408.5 million Median contribution: $1,497 Median discretionary income: $59,269 Median percentage given: 2.5%

13. Texas
Total contributions: $10.7 billion Median contribution: $3,284 Median discretionary income: $63,806 Median percentage given: 5.1%

Generosity among Americas 50 biggest cities

North Texas residents have big hearts for the less fortunate. Rank/City 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 13 19 Salt Lake City Memphis, Tenn. Birmingham, Ala. Nashville, Tenn. Atlanta Charlotte, N.C. Oklahoma City Washington, D.C. Dallas-Fort Worth Jacksonville, Fla. Houston San Antonio Total contributions $834.5 million $703.8 million $771.8 million $850.9 million $3.2 billion $1.1 billion $640.1 million $4.3 billion $3.7 billion $617.3 million $3.1 billion $650 million Median discretionary income $48,282 $56,240 $56,913 $59,081 $55,948 $54,862 $56,442 $54,878 $63,504 $58,811 $66,264 $61,386 Median contribution $4,340 $4,035 $4,045 $3,568 $3,286 $3,162 $3,094 $3,006 $3,394 $3,078 $3,332 $2,846 Median percentage given 9% 7.2% 7.1% 6% 5.9% 5.8% 5.5% 5.5% 5.3% 5.2% 5% 4.6%

Percentage of tax returns claiming charitable deduction

Top 10 states and Texas for the tax year 2011: Rank/state 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 44 Maryland New Jersey Connecticut Utah Minnesota Virginia Massachusetts Oregon New York Colorado Texas Number of tax returns 2,837,882 4,325,769 1,747,468 1,159,631 2,601,604 3,801,986 3,258,058 1,758,128 9,387,780 2,420,566 11,417,280 Tax returns claiming charitable deduction 1,139,087 1,556,791 627,472 384,348 849,801 1,236,419 1,048,510 542,630 2,819,562 724,602 2,181,862 Percentage 40.1% 36.0% 35.9% 33.1% 32.7% 32.5% 32.2% 30.9% 30.0% 29.9% 19.1%

Distribution
Total grant distribution from the Communities Foundation of Texas for fiscal year 2012 ended June 30, 2012: Education: 33% Other: 5% Youth and recreation: 7% Arts and culture: 9% Community improvement: 10% Health and scientic research: 15%

Religious activities: 11% Housing, human services: 10%

SOURCES: The Chronicle of Philanthropy; IRS; Communities Foundation of Texas; Tax Foundation

The bottom line

Theres something about that self-made spirit and that strong entrepreneurial spirit that is so dominant in Dallas that I think also encourages people to want to give back and to support their community. One reason, too, is the inuence of faith. The correlation is quite strong between higher rates of church attendance and giving. Part of that is because people give when theyre asked, and if youre at church every week, youre being asked more frequently than not. Although Texas has a strong philanthropic spirit, federal income tax data dont bear that out. Texas ranks near the bottom in the percentage of tax returns in states that claim the deduction for charitable gifts. Thats because you have to itemize to claim the deduction, and few Texans itemize, opting instead to take the standard deduction.

Brent Christopher, chief executive, Communities Foundation of Texas

Emily Gipple, database reporter, The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Pamela Yip, staff writer, The Dallas Morning News