Charitable donations hit record for second year in a row, at estimated $373.25 billion.

Donations from America's individuals, estates, foundations and corporations reached an estimated $373.25 billion in 2015, setting a record for the second year in a row, reports  Giving USA 2016: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2015, released this month.

That new peak in contributions is record-setting whether measured in current or inflation-adjusted dollars. In 2015, total giving grew 4.1 percent in current dollars (4.0 percent when adjusted for inflation) over 2014. The revised inflation-adjusted estimate for total giving in 2014 was $359.04 billion, with current-dollar growth of 7.8 percent, and an inflation-adjusted increase of 6.1 percent.

But that's not the only big news about charitable giving in this year's report.

"If you look at total giving by two-year time spans, the combined growth for 2014 and 2015 hit double digits, reaching 10.1 percent when calculated using inflation-adjusted dollars," said Giving USA Foundation Chair W. Keith Curtis, president of nonprofit consulting firm The Curtis Group, Virginia Beach, Virginia. "But these findings embody more than numbers-they also are a symbol of the American spirit. It's heartening that people really do want to make a difference, and they're supporting the causes that matter to them. Americans are embracing philanthropy at a higher level than ever before."

Charitable contributions from all four sources went up in 2015, with those from individuals once again leading the way in terms of total dollar amount, at $264.58 billion. This follows the historical pattern seen over more than six decades.

Giving USA, the longest-running and most comprehensive report of its kind in America, is published by Giving USA Foundation, a public-service initiative of The Giving Institute. It is researched and written by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

The Numbers for 2015 Charitable Giving by Source:

The Numbers for 2015 Charitable Giving to Recipients

As noted in the report, all but one of nine categories that Giving USA's research covers saw increased giving in 2015; donations to foundations was the exception.

In addition to the above, 2 percent of 2015's total charitable giving, $6.56 billion, went to individuals. These contributions were largely in-kind donations of medicine contributed via pharmaceutical foundations' patient assistance programs.

Adding further context to the giving by recipient data, "Five charitable subsectors saw large increases in 2015: giving to education; arts, culture and humanities; environment/animals; public-society benefit; and international affairs. Each of these subsectors grew by more than 5 percent," said Una Osili, Ph.D., director of research at the school. "And two of those-education and the arts-traditionally include organizations and institutions that wealthy donors are most likely to support. In addition, the increase in education giving was fueled by a number of very large gifts to colleges and universities."

To see this and more on Giving USA, visit their site at www.givingusa.org.