The 2018 U.S. Trust Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy examines the giving patterns, priorities, and attitudes of America’s wealthiest households for the year 2017. This latest research study is the seventh in this series of studies and was once again written and researched by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in partnership with U.S. Trust.

To inform longitudinal tracking of high net worth philanthropic activity, several areas analyzed in this study — giving patterns, perceptions, motivations, decision-making, strategies, values, traditions, volunteering, and demographic dimensions — build on those examined in the previous studies in this series. In addition, the current study presents new areas of research in order to gain a deeper understanding of the giving patterns of America’s high net worth households.