A new study to be released later this month by the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers and the Baltimore Giving Project finds that the average Maryland taxpayer contributes less to charity than his or her counterpart in other states.

The study, "The State of Giving in Maryland," reports on individual, foundation, and corporate giving trends and challenges in Maryland, with an emphasis on central Maryland.

Among its findings, the study reports that approximately one-third (33 percent) of the grantmaking foundations in the central Maryland region have been created since 1996, with more than ninety foundations established in 2000 alone. Over the past five years, these new foundations distributed more than $35.7 million in grants to charities.

The Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers and the Baltimore Giving Project commissioned the report to develop a baseline measure of regional and statewide philanthropy. Data for the report were compiled from various sources, including Jankowski and Associates, the Maryland Secretary of State's Office, the Foundation Center, and the Baltimore Business Journal.