As the United States approaches its 250th birthday, we have an opportunity to ask a deeper question: What should philanthropy look like for the next 250 years?

For me, that question is personal.

I was born and raised in Mexico City in a Catholic family. And from a young age, I understood that helping others was not something reserved for the wealthy. My mother, an educator, taught me that all of us are responsible for doing whatever we can to assist the community with whatever resources we have.

That lesson has shaped my life’s work. And it is why I believe the future of philanthropy cannot look like its past.

For many years, philanthropy in the United States has been imagined through the faces of billionaires and large institutions. That giving is needed and has moved significant resources, but it has also too often concentrated decision-making power in the hands of a few.

Even as charitable donations in the country reached $617 Billion in 2025, we saw that fewer people gave. In 1985, 80% of dollars came from individuals; now it is just 64%. That means less of us are participating in shifting the resources needed in our neighborhoods.

The future I imagine asks something deeper of us. My friend Asha Curran, CEO of GivingTuesday, calls it “radical generosity.”

What does radical generosity look like? Well, it’s the neighbor who organizes a community garden, the friend group planning support for nonprofits from a living room, the grassroots leader producing a block party, or the local business sponsoring the little league team. While this appears simple, it reminds us that we can actively build the future we desire—and in doing so, address the isolation that many people are experiencing.

Radical generosity can also look like addressing the funding gap we’ve seen within many Black, Indigenous, immigrant, rural, LGBTQ+, disabled, and other marginalized communities. Research from Candid and ABFE has shown that Black-led nonprofits were less likely than white-led nonprofits to receive foundation grants from 2016 to 2023.

That gap reminds us that philanthropy is not neutral, it requires us to look deeper in how we show up, who we trust, whose leadership we follow, and what kinds of resources we are willing to move. All of us can start to offer our time, talent, treasure, ties, and testimony (also known as the 5T’s) to help build an expansive and accountable practice of giving.

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re already answering the call toward radical generosity. One that asks us to move from transaction to responsibility.

From 2017 to 2023, nearly 4,000 giving circles in the United States mobilized approximately 370,000 people and contributed over $3.1 billion to causes and communities. Collective giving has more than doubled in impact since 2017. On top of this, our research finds that collective giving groups foster belonging and connection: an overwhelming 91% of members stated that their participation has positively impacted their sense of belonging to a community.

Collaborative funds, women’s funds, and other community-led funds are also reshaping how we help grassroots organizations by pooling capital, sharing decision-making, and moving resources toward movements and communities that traditional philanthropy has often overlooked. Many are led by women and people of color, and just over 70% describe racial, ethnic, or gender equity as a core or intentional focus of their work.

We are not waiting for the future of philanthropy. We’re already building it together through radical generosity: the kind of care that cultures around the world have practiced for generations.

At Philanthropy Together, our own team carries the richness of many places, cultures, and lived experiences. We are all based in the United States, but our families come from various countries and represent multiple faiths. That diversity shapes how we see generosity and reminds us that giving has never belonged to one country, one culture, or one kind of giver.

If we want our next 250 years as a country to be more democratic, more participatory, more representative, and more joyous, our giving must match that vision. When we  give together, we just might live up to the full promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all.

I hope you’ll join us in this effort.

Sincerely,
Sara Lomelin
CEO of Philanthropy Together

Header: Latino Giving Circle Network. Photo Credit: Bryan Patrick