The Jenkintown-based National Philanthropic Trust, the nation’s largest independent, donor-advised fund administrator, has identified record-setting philanthropic trends in the just-released “Giving USA 2016: Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2015.”

The 61st annual report — considered the country’s longest-running and most comprehensive report on giving — revealed Americans donated an estimated $373.25 billion to charitable causes in 2015, surpassing for the second year the inflation-adjusted pre-recession peak in 2007 of $355.17 billion.

“The four percent increase in giving reinforces the American spirit of philanthropy is alive and thriving,” said Eileen Heisman, CEO of National Philanthropic Trust, celebrating 20 years of grant making in 2016. “I am heartened by the trends I see happening in philanthropy, like Millennials’ commitment to the intersection of innovation and social good.

“Philanthropy is driven by individuals (72 percent in 2015) that support what means most to them every year. For example, international giving saw the largest sector growth in 2015 due to high-profile humanitarian disasters including the Nepal earthquake. Giving USA’s data confirms the continued six-year climb in philanthropy’s major sources of giving.”

Heisman added that, from the importance of social media in giving to the rise of donor-advised funds, there has never been more opportunity for donors to give in a way that’s both easy and impactful.

She said that this is the age of #GivingTuesday and crowdfunding.

“The rate of innovation in the nonprofit sector is unprecedented and exciting and reflected in the historic growth in this report,” said Heisman.

A closer look by Giving USA at the nine charitable categories detailed giving in 2015 to:

• Religion – increased 2.7 percent to $119.30 billion
• Education – increased 8.9 percent to $57.48 billion
• Human Services – increased 4.2 percent to $45.21 billion
• (To) Foundations – decreased 3.8 percent to $42.26 billion
• Health – increased 1.3 percent to $29.81 billion
• Public Society Benefit – increased 6.0 percent to $26.95 billion
• Arts/Culture/Humanities – increased 7.0 percent to $17.07 billion
• International Affairs – increased 17.5 percent to $15.75 billion (largest growth)
• Environment/Animals – increased 6.2 percent to $10.68 billion