Economic Factors in the Growth of Corporate Giving

Examines the dramatic changes in the philanthropic behavior of business corporations in their support of education, health, welfare, and the arts. This analysis shows how traditional patterns of corporate philanthropy have undergone changes across the years, and how, presently, a favorable attitude exists toward giving. The author traces these shifts through periods of depression, war, and peace. He examines economic and non-economic reasons for the growth of corporate giving, and treats the innovative role of company-sponsored foundations. 1. Introduction And Summary -- Orientation Of The Study -- Unrecorded Philanthropic Involvement -- Summary Of Findings: The Growth Of Corporation Giving, Economic Determinants Of Giving, Company-sponsored Foundations -- 2. The Focus And Growth Of Corporation Giving -- The Growth Position Of Corporation Giving Relative To Other Components Of Private Philanthropy -- Historical Development Of Giving -- Relation Of Giving To The Gross National Product -- Relation Of Giving To Corporate Net Income: Contributions By Corporations With Profits, Contributions By Corporations Having Losses -- The Number Of Companies Making Contributions -- Trends In Net After-tax Outlays For Contributions -- Interpretation Of Tax Return Data: Philanthropic Outlays Included As Business Expense, The Mixture Of Family And Corporate Giving In The Small Corporation -- 3. Economic Analysis Of Corporate Giving -- Factors Affecting Corporate Giving: The Scale Effect, The Price Effect, The Trend In Tastes And Other Influences On Giving, Anticipation Of Tax Rate Changes, The Profitability Effect -- Time-series Analysis: Scale And Profitability Elasticities, Price Elasticity, Expectations Of Changes In Excess-profits Taxes, Trend In Tastes And Other Influences On Giving, Changes From 1963 To 1964 -- Cross-sectional Analysis: Corporate Size, Profitability And Giving, Employment And Giving, Dividends And Giving -- Summary -- 4. Company-sponsored Foundations -- The Functions Of Company-sponsored Foundations -- Growth Of Endowment Since 1950: 1951-1956, 1956-1960, 1961-1964 -- Effect On The Flow Of Total Corporate Contributions -- The Mix Of Family And Corporate Support Of Companysponsored Foundations. [by] Ralph L. Nelson. Publications Of Russell Sage Foundation. Includes Bibliographical References. Cover Title page, Copyright page Contents 1. Introduction and Summary 2. The Focus and Growth of Corporation Giving 3. Economic Analysis of Corporate Giving 4. Company-Sponsored Foundations Appendix A: Basic Tables of Gross National Product and Corporate Contributions, Income and Tax Rates, 1936-1964 Appendix B: Illustrative Computation of Net After-Tax Cost of Corporate Contributions Appendix C: Regression Coefficients Relating Corporation Giving to Successively Larger Numbers of Explanatory Variables, Based on Time-Series Data Appendix D: Table, Matrix of Simple Correlation Coefficients for Regression Equations Based on Cross-Sectional Data Appendix E: Comparison of Nelson and Schwartz Analyses of the Determinants of the Growth in Corporate Giving Appendix F: Table, The Contributions Dollar Index Economic research study of the economic implications of private enterprise philanthropy in the USA showing the ever increasing trend to financial aspects support of education, health, welfare and the arts during the period 1936 to 1964 - examines enterprise taxation and top management attitude illustrative of the changing rationale and pattern of private giving in a pluralistic society. References and statistical tables