Charitable giving in the United States is recovering from a recession-induced decline, rising by nearly four percent in 2010.

A study by the Giving USA Foundation being released Monday shows that charitable contributions increased by $10 billion last year. While individual gifts rose only slightly at 2.7 percent, corporate donations soared by 10 percent.

Charitable giving had dropped more than 13 percent in 2008 and 2009 – the largest decrease in charitable giving in more than four decades.

In total, Americans donated nearly $291 billion to charitable causes last year. The biggest recipients were religious organizations, which received 35 percent of the donations. Haiti earthquake relief efforts also helped spark a 15 percent increase in gifts to international relief organizations.