GiveRate / Methods
Methods
Show the work. Every GiveRate is a simple fraction with a visible numerator, denominator, source and date.
Principles
- One-sentence test. If a high school student cannot understand what the numerator and denominator mean, the metric needs more work before publication.
- Source hierarchy. Public filings and government data first; official organization disclosures second; established third-party datasets when primary data do not exist.
- Rates, not verdicts. GiveRate describes scale. It does not claim a higher rate proves greater virtue, sacrifice, effectiveness or social impact.
- Unknown beats falsely precise. When inputs cannot be matched, the rate stays blank.
Formulas
- Top 20 philanthropists
- Lifetime giving ÷ (lifetime giving + current net worth). Lifetime giving: Forbes, through Dec. 31, 2025. Net worth: Forbes 400, Sept. 2026.
- Forbes 400
- Forbes scores every member 1 to 5 by lifetime giving as a share of net worth: 1 under 1%, 2 1-5%, 3 5-10%, 4 10-20%, 5 20% or more. GiveRate shows that range. Where the Forbes profile states a lifetime giving total that agrees with the score, GiveRate shows the calculated rate. Partial totals (one cause, one fund) are not used. Political giving is excluded. "≥" marks totals stated as "more than."
- Companies
- Annual company-reported charitable and community giving ÷ pretax income for the same fiscal year. Cash, products and in-kind support are identified, not silently mixed.
- Foundations and giving accounts
- Grants or qualifying distributions ÷ the relevant asset base, using each source's stated method.
- Historical benchmarks
- Lifetime or major giving ÷ the fortune at the time, with the definition shown on each row.
- State almanac
- No single score. Arts appropriations (NASAA), film incentives (NCSL), Transportation Alternatives funds (FHWA) and K-12 spending (U.S. Census) are shown separately with their own years.
Labels
- Reported
- Directly stated by the underlying source.
- Calculated
- Simple arithmetic from visible sourced inputs.
- Estimated / range
- A source-derived estimate or published range, labeled as such.
Limits
Wealth and lifetime giving are estimates, even at the source. Giving through pledges, trusts, LLCs and donor-advised funds is counted differently by different sources. Dates of the numerator and denominator can differ; each page shows both.