Giving Compass' Take:

• Indiaspora breaks down donations to American universities from Indian-Americans, highlighting the group's role in funding higher education. 

• How can funders work together to drive impactful giving? 

• Learn about funding higher education


Donations to American universities grew 6% to a record $43.6 billion in 2017 according to the Council for Aid to Education. More than $19 billion of these charitable funds were given by individuals.

Indian-Americans are the most educated ethnic group in the United States. What’s more, they have a higher income level than any other ethnic group in the U.S. As a community, Indian-Americans embody the ideal of hard work and have even been named the most entrepreneurial ethnic group in America.

Clearly, quality higher education is of extreme importance to Indian-Americans. In 2018, Indiaspora embarked to quantify that importance with the establishment of the Indiaspora Monitor of University Giving. The study aims to highlight Indian-Americans’ past philanthropic actions so the group’s commitment to higher education can become even stronger in the future.

Findings:

The first release of data from the Indiaspora Monitor of University Giving found Indian Americans donated more than $1.2 billion to 37 American universities and colleges from 2000 to August 2018.

Fifty different donors made the 68 donations analyzed. A total of 47 percent of the gifts in the database are from repeat donors who had also given $1 million or more to either the same or a different university.