Major endowment donors and their families are increasingly concerned about what happens to charitable gifts when nonprofit institutions close.

In 2025, 15,000 churches and sixteen colleges closed in the United States.Many fraternal and social organizations have continued a decades long decline, with clubs, lodges, and chapters consolidating or disappearing. Many arts organizations, including small museums, have also closed.

Some projections suggest these trends may continue due to demographic, social, and economic factors.

As institutions disappear, donors and their families are beginning to ask important questions:

• What happens to the property and endowment funds of these organizations?
• What happens to planned gifts or bequests if the nonprofit no longer exists?
• How closely will donor intent be honored?

The answers are not always straightforward.

Originally published in September 2021. Updated in February 2026 with added resources.

Did you know that 90 percent of high net-worth households give to charity according to the National Philanthropic Trust? It’s an impactful way to ensure your wealth goes to good use. Nonprofit and charitable organizations are fueled by individuals who support their services. Currently, there are about 1.54 million charitable organizations in the U.S., and in 2019, 69 percent of charitable giving came from individuals.

In our first post in this series on living with wealth, we discussed giving to family. In this post, we concentrate on charitable giving. Outside of playing a pivotal role in helping a nonprofit organization thrive, charitable giving boasts a number of benefits for donors. Making a donation to a qualified 501(c)(3) makes you eligible for tax deductions, and giving a considerable amount can benefit your overall estate planning.

Take a closer look at how you can position yourself for sustainable charitable giving and, in addition, leave an enduring legacy after your death.

About five years ago, “Giving Tuesday” was created and is celebrated the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. This day celebrates and encourages giving in both monetary and non-monetary ways. Just on that day alone, approximately $117 million was raised online for charities. The increased awareness for charitable giving is a testament to the
good hearted and selfless nature of many individuals and corporations.

We here at Carnegie recently spent an afternoon cooking lunch for those in residence at the Ronald McDonald House in Cleveland. Sometimes it’s best to get away from the grind of “every day” life and give back to those in need and less fortunate. As someone who spends the majority of his days in the office, I really enjoyed preparing a meal together for those in need with my fellow co-workers. 

One of the ways we have helped encourage charitable giving is through the use of Donor Advised Funds.