The Role of Corporate Philanthropy in Accelerating Climate and Nature Transitions

The report finds that while corporate philanthropy for climate and nature is small—representing less than 5% of reported corporate philanthropic funding from 2018-2022—it is growing rapidly. It emphasizes that corporate actors can uniquely combine financial grants with non-funding resources like technical expertise and networks to catalyze larger transitions.

• Corporate philanthropy for climate and nature is a small fraction of overall corporate giving, with less than 5% of global corporate philanthropic funding reported in Candid’s Foundation Directory directed toward these themes between 2018 and 2022.
• Despite its small overall share, corporate philanthropic funding for climate and nature grew by 127% in dollar terms from 2018 to 2022, increasing from $268 million to $607 million.
• A small number of actors dominate the field; 20 corporate entities accounted for over half of the reported corporate philanthropic funding for climate and nature, deploying over $700 million between 2018 and 2022.
• Corporate philanthropy leverages both funding tools (grants, programme-related investments, and mission-related investments) and non-funding tools (employee volunteer time, skills-based expertise, advisory services, and assets).
• There is a significant geographic imbalance in funding, as less than 10% of the funding from the top-20 corporate philanthropic actors was directed to organizations based outside the US and Europe.
• Corporate philanthropy can be strategically deployed through four primary approaches: supporting early-stage initiatives, exploring intersections with existing priorities (such as health or workforce), leveraging corporate affiliate resources, and convening multiple stakeholders.
• Significant data gaps exist in corporate philanthropy, particularly outside the US and regarding non-funding contributions, which hinders the ability to measure progress and coordinate strategies.

APA

World Economic Forum (2024). The Role of Corporate Philanthropy in Accelerating Climate and Nature Transitions. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Role_of_Corporate_Philanthropy_in_Accelerating_Climate_and_Nature_Transitions_2024.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. The Role of Corporate Philanthropy in Accelerating Climate and Nature Transitions. 2024. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Role_of_Corporate_Philanthropy_in_Accelerating_Climate_and_Nature_Transitions_2024.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=The Role of Corporate Philanthropy in Accelerating Climate and Nature Transitions |date=September 2024 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Role_of_Corporate_Philanthropy_in_Accelerating_Climate_and_Nature_Transitions_2024.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2024role, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{The Role of Corporate Philanthropy in Accelerating Climate and Nature Transitions}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Role_of_Corporate_Philanthropy_in_Accelerating_Climate_and_Nature_Transitions_2024.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }