Understanding 2026 Philanthropy Trends

Federal financing cuts; attacks on equity, immigrants, the rule of law, and the nation's democracy; a new tax costs; and the growing use of artificial intelligence are simply some of the elements that have overthrown the nonprofit world. Amidst this turmoil, how can funders and their beneficiaries prepare for 2026 and beyond? In this unique bundle, you'll speak with foundation leaders and significant donors about giving trends in the coming year and efforts to react to Trump administration risks.

You'll discover bold forecasts from leaders and thinkers across the sector about what lies ahead, including what the sector will appear like five years from now, and how to react to what promises to be another unprecedented year. It's time to shed our fear and acknowledge that those who want modification will fail if the individuals closest to the cash lack the guts to bear the most run the risk of.

Kathleen Enright, president & CEO, Council on Foundations The humanitarian sector must be clear-eyed about the obstacles ahead: the pattern of targeted attacks and federal government overreach developed to stifle our most basic liberties. John Palfrey, president, MacArthur Structure Nonprofits are addicted to the hamster wheel of fundraising, and in 2026, AI may supersize both the wheel and the dependency.

Michael McAfee, CEO, PolicyLink It's difficult to think of passage anytime soon of legislation needing greater payout rates. Bella DeVaan and Chuck Collins coordinate the Charity Reform Effort, Institute for Policy Researches Communication is no longer background noise.

How Global Brands Prioritise Children's Well-Being

Dimple Abichandani, author of A Brand-new Era of Philanthropy. Lighthouse illustration by Greg Mably for The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Findings from Church Mutual can assist direct nonprofits as they browse 2026 and changes in generational offering. In December of 2025, the "2026 Charitable Providing in America" survey was performed by Church Mutual, taking reactions from 1,010 adults who contribute financially to nonprofits and other charitable causes. According to a post on the study from NonProfitPro, Church Mutual shows several essential trends within the not-for-profit fundraising world, including the alarming truth that donors are planning to downsize their providing in 2026.

With that, here are 5 essential takeaways from the Church Mutual 2026 study: The Church Mutual survey found homes of worship continue to take in the lion's share of donations. All four generations represented (Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers) contributed mostly to places of worship, making up 74% of charitable donations.

Organizations that have spiritual ties need to highlight this connection to donors, specifically if they actively support holy places or schools. Another crucial finding from the study was that donors tended to make their contributions towards the end of the year (OctoberDecember). Across the 4 generations, end-of-year donations comprised the greatest portion, with JanuaryMarch taking second place, followed by AprilJune, then JulySeptember.

Furthermore, out of the 4 generations, Gen Z was most likely to provide throughout the slowest time of the year (JulySeptember). Those who work in the not-for-profit space ought to remember of the end-of-year increase in contributions, which indicates that OctoberDecember campaigns such as Giving Tuesday events, matches, and so on, could generate a fundraising windfall.

Key Tips for Better Charitable Partnerships

That stated, "slow-down" durations must not be overlooked, as the younger generations might still be inclined to offer even when the older ones are not. The study includes an area that details "contribution expectations" for 2026, and it is these findings that might sound alarm bells. On the one hand, around half of donors (48%) said they will not make any modifications to their financial contributions, with Boomers being the group most likely to leave their charitable offering unchanged.

Millennials were determined as the group most likely to cut their providing, whereas Gen Z was not just determined as the group least most likely to cut their offering, but also the group more than likely to increase their giving in 2026. Church Mutual has a couple of sections devoted to the main monetary concerns of donors, something that falls beyond the scope of this post.

One finding that nonprofits must also be aware of is that a majority of donors have issues about the financial health of the groups they support. Church Mutual found that 54% of donors are stressed over the financial health of the recipients of their donations. By generation, Gen Z was the most concerned, followed by millennials and Gen X respectively, while Boomers were the least concerned.

They should be prepared to attend to more youthful donors' issues and be proactive in addressing any concerns affecting the organization internally. Doing so might make a difference in winning over younger donors during economically unsure times. While lower monetary contributions might be uneasy for nonprofits, there might be some good news.

When asked if they would increase "time and effort" to assist in other methods must they reduce their financial contributions, a bulk of donors indicated they would; 26% stated they were "extremely likely" and 32% stated "rather likely," equaling 58% of donors overall. The study recommends these actions might indicate "strong capacity to convert lowered financial giving into more volunteering, advocacy, or other non-financial support." In the face of smaller sized financial contributions, nonprofits must lean into other channels to engage their donors.

Why Modern Brands Prioritise Children's Well-Being

There are other findings from Church Mutual that were not covered in this short article, such as donation techniques and the leading monetary concerns of donors, and so I motivate all those in the not-for-profit space to go through the report. The findings from Church Mutual can assist assist nonprofits as they navigate 2026, specifically as Gen Z begins to handle a more popular function in the offering world.

Sign up for the Johnson Center's email newsletter! This year marks a turning point for the Johnson Center: the tenth edition of our 11 Patterns in Philanthropy report. What started in 2017 as a modest supplement to our annual report has turned into an extensively checked out and talked about publication, reaching more than 100,000 readers each year.

Usually, these posts check out new shifts or evolving motions throughout the field of philanthropy. For this tenth edition, nevertheless, we have taken a various method. Instead of determining a completely new set of emerging patterns, we have turned our attention backwards to review the themes that have actually shaped our sector over the previous ten years, and to call both withstanding shifts and new developments.

It is likewise a recommendation of the minute we find ourselves in a moment of hyper disturbance, that combines both terrific stress and anxiety about where we are headed and great possibility for what might come next. Our future feels more uncertain than ever, however the opportunity to produce and scale life-altering innovations for our communities feels present.

Reimagining Business Philanthropy Strategy for Success

As executive orders, legal contests, and legislative disputes play out, we do not have a clear photo of just how much federal funding has actually been rescinded or withheld from nonprofits and neighborhoods. We do not understand how numerous nonprofits have actually closed or will close their doors, the number of personnel have lost their tasks, or the number of communities have actually lost access to critical services.