Faith-based charities in the United States play a vital role in delivering essential services to people in need, rebuilding communities, and fostering social cohesion. Almost all religions promote universal values like compassion, generosity, and doing good for others, and faith-based charities live out these principles every day. 

Although secular nonprofits account for a larger percentage of total donations in the U.S., religious organizations often have some of the most committed donors. According to a Gallup poll, 44% of American adults contributed to a faith-based organization in 2021. This figure is just shy of the nearly 47% of adults who belong to a church, mosque, temple, or synagogue. 

Essential Funding for Safety Net Services

In the United States, where 68% of people self-identify as Christian, most faith-based charities are Christian. Many of these organizations—such as Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Feed the Children, and Habitat for Humanity International—offer vital services to people struggling with poverty, hunger, homelessness, mental or physical health challenges, and addiction. However, the great diversity of the U.S. means that not all faith-based organizations are Christian—far from it. For example, Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA) is the largest Muslim faith-based nonprofit in the U.S., and one of the largest in the world. It extends a variety of essential services to at-risk populations, both domestically and internationally, from food aid to healthcare, to emergency response and education.

Faith-based organizations account for approximately 40% of the funding for safety net services in the U.S., as noted in a 2021 report by The Bridgespan Group, which examined community funding across six major cities. Furthermore, religious providers in 11 cities featured in the study provided around 60% of the total emergency shelter beds available. Without these efforts, governments would struggle—even more than they already are—to fulfill basic needs for people at risk.

Disaster Response

Faith-inspired charities such as IRUSA play a crucial role in rebuilding communities after natural disasters by mobilizing resources, fielding disaster response teams, and working together to maximize their impact. Places of worship frequently act as gathering sites in affected areas, providing a range of immediate needs to communities impacted by such disasters, while religious leaders can provide spiritual comfort amid a crisis. 

IRUSA, Catholic Charities, and the Jewish Coalition for Relief represent just a few of the many religious charities dedicated to disaster recovery services. For its part, IRUSA is active in disaster relief efforts both nationally and internationally, and its roots lie in responding to calamities. It became the first Muslim partner of the American Red Cross in 2014 and has responded to several crises before and since, including the September 11 terrorist attacks, multiple hurricanes, and the Flint water crisis. Most recently, IRUSA mobilized volunteers to assist in cleaning homes damaged by Hurricane Helene across six states, including North Carolina and Florida.

The Importance of Collaboration 

People of faith have much in common, even when their beliefs differ. They believe in something beyond our material world, be it a “higher power,” divine force, god, multiple gods, or the spirits of ancestors, plants, animals, and the Earth itself. Almost all religions have an ethical system based on eschewing hate and treating our fellow humans with compassion. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam even share common figures in their sacred texts, notably Ibrahim/Abraham. With these strong commonalities and shared principles, it’s no wonder that faith-based organizations often come together to multiply their efforts. 

One example: IRUSA has worked with the Faith Alliance for Health—an interfaith organization that also includes Catholic Medical Mission Board, World Vision, Episcopal Relief & Development, Catholic Relief Services, and Nigerian Interfaith Action Association—to enhance health outcomes for pregnant women and children, particularly in countries where child mortality rates are high. IRUSA has also worked in other capacities with faith-based organizations like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, the Women, Faith, and Development Alliance, and other groups. 

The Connection between Faith and Philanthropy

In addition to providing crucial services and disaster relief, religious organizations in the U.S. have a significant role in encouraging volunteerism and charitable giving. Many people in the United States are inspired to donate money or time due to their affiliation with a faith-based organization or house of worship. 

Several studies have underscored the faith-philanthropy connection, including the 2021 report Muslim American Giving from the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. The report showed that, despite Muslims only making up 1.1% of the U.S. population, they represented 1.4% of individual giving. And despite being lower-income than the average American household, Muslim-Americans participated in volunteerism and charitable at a higher rate. A separate study by North Carolina State University of 4,000+ volunteers involved in a Christian nonprofit service project came to a similar conclusion. Some 93% of the volunteers said that their faith was the primary motivation for their participation, and they were more likely to engage in future volunteer activities compared to their secular counterparts. 

Putting Beliefs into Practice 

Faith-based charities benefit people in need, but they also benefit the faithful who donate their time and resources. For a person of faith, supporting a faith-based organization is a way to live out the teachings and values of their religion. It’s a way to put belief into practice—and a way to connect with other people of faith and build community. Many volunteers, especially, note that coming together with their fellow believers helps deepen their faith. 

For these reasons, faith-based organizations are vitally important in the U.S. From proving safety-net services and disaster relief, to encouraging philanthropy and volunteerism, to empowering the faithful to put belief into practice, it’s clear that faith-based charities are doing an enormous amount of good across the country.