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While 94% of corporate chief executives remain internally supportive of corporate purpose programs, nearly two-thirds of companies changed the nonprofits or programs they funded. Companies where officials said that say they will increase funding for diverse-led, equity-focused nonprofits fell from 62% (2024) to 36% (2026). International development dropped from 56% to 32%, and crisis response from 58% to 31% over the same period.
And nearly three-quarters of corporate impact leaders believe the political and regulatory environment directly influenced their strategy, with scrutiny coming from executives and boards (47%), employees (41%) and legal and compliance teams (39%).
That is some of the data from a new survey from Benevity, The State of Corporate Purpose 2026. The survey was fielded from March 31 to April 17, 2026. It targeted nonprofits that had received funding during the past 12 months across 13 countries. Of the 250 organizations that started the survey, 165 completed it.
Responding organizations were headquartered in the United States, Canada, India, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, France, Singapore, Germany, and Spain.
Scopes of impact ranged from city/community to regional/provincial, country, and worldwide levels. Respondents could select all applicable missions from a list of 25 distinct cause categories and there was broad representation.
“Simply put, companies can no longer design and execute purpose the way they did just 6 years ago in the face of the pandemic and racial justice movement,” said Sona Khosla, chief impact officer at Benevity. “In the face of ongoing shareholder activism, new political regulations and heightened stakeholder scrutiny, and the rapid proliferation of AI, corporate executives have had to adapt their approach.”
According to a Khosla via a statement, “Today’s corporate purpose is significantly more anchored to business value and goals, more enterprise-wide and more durable. What the data is telling us is that purpose is being redesigned quietly, deliberately, and with far more strategic intent and accountability than ever before. At this moment, it is the job of business leaders to ensure that the pendulum doesn’t swing too far in the other direction, and that the redesign works for everyone, including the nonprofits and the communities they serve.”
Key findings from the State of Corporate Purpose 2026 include:
* Purpose survived the pressure test, even as it came from every direction: Nearly three-quarters of corporate impact leaders said the political and regulatory environment directly influenced their strategy, with scrutiny coming from executives and boards (47%), employees (41%) and legal and compliance teams (39%).
* Trust is the new business case for corporate purpose: The number one reason companies invest in purpose is corporate reputation and trust. In response, communications and storytelling climbed from the ninth-ranked investment priority in 2024 to the second fastest-growing budget line item in 2026.
* The burden on nonprofits is growing: Last year, 70% of companies reportedly planned to reduce reporting requirements on nonprofits. Today, only 10% expect to do so. Nearly half of nonprofits absorb the increased workload through unpaid staff overtime, and 49% say corporate donors rarely or never fund the associated effort.
* AI adoption is accelerating but appropriate hesitation is holding companies back: 87% of corporate impact leaders believe AI will reduce the burden on nonprofits, yet only 16% say it is a core part of their impact strategy. Key hesitations preventing AI adoption for social impact include concerns about reinforcing funding biases (77%), excluding smaller organizations (75%), and misclassifying nonprofits with sensitive missions (60%).
* Volunteering is the new workforce development strategy, but its value for nonprofits is in question: In an AI-driven world, companies are increasingly turning to employee volunteering to build the critical human skills that aren’t taught at a desk. From the report, 96% of large corporate firms list employee engagement as a top reason to invest in volunteering, in part to focus on social connections (57% of companies), seek innovation (50%), build empathy (49%) and grow creativity (47%), all skills that are becoming increasingly important to foster.
As volunteering proves its value for corporations, the opportunity now is to ensure it also supports long-term capacity building for nonprofits, especially since only 28% say volunteer groups consistently perform tasks aligned with their most pressing needs.
“The data in this report reflects a sector at an inflection point that needs smarter infrastructure, not just stronger intentions,” Soraya Alexander, CEO of Benevity, said via a statement. “The critical gaps exposed here, in AI adoption, compliance navigation and nonprofit support, demand a more deliberate and intelligent approach to corporate purpose.”
To read the full 2026 State of Corporate Purpose report visit: https://benevity.com/state-of-corporate-purpose/2026 or for a full picture of corporate giving in 2025, see the Benevity 2025 Annual Impact Report.
