A donation to Catholic Charities would count as a religious donation although 0% if it will go to the Church's political activities. A great deal of the aid to

A donation to Catholic Charities would count as a religious donation although 0% if it will go to the Church's political activities. A great deal of the aid to the needy in the US is provided by religious-affiliated charities. Heck, even the Salvation Army is a religious charity. But I think you're right that the structure of a country like France allows it to run on less charitable giving. I would imagine that the welfare state eliminates the need for a lot of food kitchens and shelters, for instance. American numbers are also inflated by a large number of organizations operating as 501c3s and collecting contributions that would not be considered "Charities" by most people. For instance, the second largest 'purpose' grouping for 501c3s is "education".[1] Is Harvard University really a 'charity?' Notice that the largest purpose grouping (by revenue) is health care. I know that Advocate Healthcare -- one of the largest hospital chains in Chicago -- is a 501c3 which has been attacked by health reform advocates for being very stingy with charity care and engaging in aggressive billing practices. The "healthcare" segment is over 52% of the 501c3 sector by revenue. Some of that may be charity clinics, but I imagine the vast majority of it is institutions like Advocate. If you combine the healtchare and education segments, they account for over 71% of the entire sector. [1] http://nccsdataweb.urban.org/PubApps/nonprofit-overview-sumRpt.php?v=nteeFilers&t=pc&f=0 http://nccsdataweb.urban.org/PubApps/nonprofit-overview-sumR...