Communities Of Color Are Sharing With Philanthropy.

Communities of color are passing their newfound wealth to charities, and a growing percentage of the $190 billion given annually is coming from philanthropists of color.

According to Cultures of Caring: Philanthropy in Diverse American Communities Report, African-American, Asian-American, Latino and Native American communities are contributing more in the nonprofit sector because the opportunities to succeed financially are more prevalent than in the past.

The report was funded by The Ford Foundation, The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and conducted by the Council on Foundations in Washington, D.C., during 1998 and early 1999.

"We talked with 86 people from around the country based on their gifts of $10,000 a year or who have established foundations in which they contribute that amount (or more) annually," said Joanne Scanlan, senior vice president for professional development for the Council on Foundations.

Also, another 175 foundation managers and nonprofit chiefs were interviewed and "that's how we got information directly," she said.

Joel Orosz, program direction, philanthropy and volunteerism, of Battle Creek, Mich.-based W.K. Kellogg Foundation, said, "There is new money being earned by these communities, and they will leave estates to their children and to charities."

The statistics on African-American giving (53 percent of all African-American households give to charity) is comparable to white households, said Orosz. And, he said, one lesson that can be learned from the report is that every culture that makes up the United States gives.

"Traditions are already in place in those cultures, and philanthropy is one of them," said Orosz. "There are more opportunities for people of color today than there ever were and with that more capital in which to be philanthropic."

A significant finding of the report, Orosz explained, was that personal contact solicitation efforts work more with the four groups studied than direct mail, telecommunication, or Internet appeals. Moreover, appeals from well-respected members of their ethnic community are more successful.

The report was conducted through a number of lengthy telephone calls and personal interviews with participants gathered through a database compiled by the Council on Foundations.

The report also showed Latinos exhibited no patterns in philanthropic giving. Other findings include: a portion of financial resources sent outside of the states to support family members elsewhere, they feel overlooked when nonprofits do not ask them for contributions, and that the most important reason for giving was to give back to their community and accelerate Latino opportunities.

Asian-Americans also gave in large amounts to family members abroad. Furthermore, giving is looked at as a sense of duty and obligation to one's family.

"I certainly see an increase in the next level of giving (from minorities)," said Emmett D. Carson, president and chief executive officer of The Minneapolis Foundation. "Now minorities are setting up estates and creating charitable funds, they are more strategic and targeted in their giving plans."