Rich Americans’ Philanthropy Dropped in 2009, But not for the Arts

Bank of America and Merrill Lynch recently partnered with the Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy to conduct a survey on the giving habits of individuals with high net-worth. The study highlighted the arts as the category with the biggest divide between wealthy and middle class giving habits, with religious giving the second biggest difference. Households with incomes of $200,000 or more, or a net worth of at least $1 million, devoted 7.5 cents out of their charitable dollar to the arts during 2009, compared to a penny for the population at large. Nearly three out of four wealthy households gave to the arts; for the general population it was just over one in 13.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/11/rich-arts-charity-merrill-lynch.html