George Shears III, D.Min. discusses the critical role philanthropy plays in sustaining the Black church.

Lake Institute’s Resource Library collects and curates a wide range of resources that can help deepen understanding and practice at the intersection of faith and giving.
Search by keywords or browse by themes to find current research, leadership insights, inspiring stories, discernment guides, theological reflection, and more.
The Faithful Generosity Story Shelf highlights congregations and other religious organizations who have sought to use their assets and resources in creative—and sometimes surprising—ways as an expression of faithful giving.
The Center for the Church and the Black Experience and Lake Institute on Faith & Giving were proud to co-host the 2025 Symposium on Philanthropy and the Black Church. Focused on faith communities in the Black Church, the event united leaders across sectors to build trust, foster strategic partnerships, and reimagine philanthropy through the lens of faith, legacy, and mutual respect.
Erica Dollhopf, Ph.D., Meredith McNabb, and Dr. Carlos Perkins explore the newest data on religious giving and share key insights from the Giving USA 2025 report.
George Shears III, D.Min. discusses the critical role philanthropy plays in sustaining the Black church.
David King and Elizabeth Lynn discuss the resources faith leaders need in order to make crucial turns on the shifting ground of faith and giving today.
Elizabeth Lynn and David King discuss what faith leaders can do in response to the reported changes in faith and giving.
A Presbyterian church transforms their unused manse (minister's house) into a home for Afghan refugees, and serve as community for the home's first tenants.
A closed church reopens as a worship space for Spanish-speaking immigrants, offering healing sound therapy.
This landscape analysis of the American generosity ecosystem summarizes what we currently know about the decline in giving and volunteering rates, with a particular focus on the “dollars up, donors down” (or “volunteer hours up, number of volunteers down”) dynamic and how it was manifested during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this short article, Rick Reinhard offers a helpful set of “Gos and Pauses" for faith communities who want to repurpose their properties for affordable housing—and he suggests alternative uses for religious properties as well.
Giving USA 2024 reports that giving to religion has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Newest Giving in Faith report uncovers insights in faith-based generosity: Four key insights on faith and giving
Salwa Tareen writes about the legacy of humanitarian, Abdul Sattar Edhi, and the rise of dissident care.
Insights is a bi-weekly e-newsletter for the religious community and fundraisers of faith-based organizations that provides: