Description: Communities of color are often portrayed as takers rather than givers, as significantly less generous than white Americans. But this important study of ethnic philanthropy finds strong and distinctive patterns of giving in minority communities. This book describes the specific practices and customs of giving money, goods, and services within the Mexican, Guatemalan, Salvadoran, Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and African American communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. It finds that, rather than giving large amounts of money to charitable organizations that distribute it to strangers, members of these communities share their modest wealth with other people they usually know well. The study suggests that the amount of minority giving may be roughly consistent with that of white America, relative to personal resources, but the forms and beneficiaries of minority giving may be quite different -- giving to or helping needy individuals, families, and informal groups rather than supporting the mainstream charities usually studied by researchers.

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