2025 Workplace Giving Shifts Toward US Relief Efforts
Benevity Inc., a provider of global corporate purpose software, released its annual top charitable causes and workplace giving trends data. The data reveals a landmark year for generosity shown by companies and their people, with total donations on Benevity’s Enterprise Impact Platform – including corporate grants and workplace giving programs – reaching $3.74 billion, a 9.2% increase over 2024.
In 2025, workplace giving programs were defined by a distinct pivot toward domestic issues and emergency response in the U.S., reflecting a heightened emphasis on humanitarian needs at home.
Key Findings from the 2025 Data
Domestic Emergency Response Primarily Shapes Workplace Giving
In 2025, employees pivoted from international aid to domestic relief. Driven by political and economic instability, these donors prioritized immediate support for communities hit “at home” by natural disasters and food insecurity. This reversed a long-standing trend of giving to global conflicts - including wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
- Outpouring for Texas: Following the tragic Kerrville floods in July 2025, the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country garnered $15.7 million, causing it to jump an astounding 56,381 positions to reach rank #5 overall.
- California Wildfire Relief: Southern California experienced a similar surge in support following the January 2025 Los Angeles fires, which destroyed more than 525,000 acres. This event propelled seven local nonprofits into the Top 50, as employees mobilized to provide essential resources to displaced residents and their animals.
- International pullback: Funding for International, Foreign Affairs and National Security causes dropped 9% year-over-year. In particular, Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee saw drops in their annual rankings, slipping from the 12th and 18th spots to 18th and 23rd respectively.
- Spotlight on World Central Kitchen (WCK): WCK emerged as a dominant force in crisis funding both in the U.S. and abroad, hitting an all-time high of Rank #3. WCK’s rise may underscore a donor preference for agile, highly visible organizations capable of immediate response.
Food Security Nonprofits Rise in the Ranks in the U.S.
As economic stress continues to mount, donations made to emergency food nonprofits grew by 35% with employees and their companies rallying in a national effort to bridge the gap left by inflation and changes in government funding via the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
- Feeding America: A cornerstone of the national response, Feeding America continued its significant upward climb reaching 16th place on the strength of a 32% increase in donations.
- Second Harvest of Silicon Valley: The San Francisco/Bay Area organization rose to 10th place, highlighting the intense local demand for food security.
Civil Rights and Legal Services Rebound
Donations to Civil Rights causes rose 15% – double the overall Benevity growth rate – while law and legal services saw a 21% increase.
- The ACLU rose, finishing at rank #6, driven by concerns over civil liberties and a renewed focus on legal defense.
- Planned Parenthood remained relatively consistent at rank #7, as ongoing threats to reproductive rights at federal and state levels kept health advocacy at the forefront of employees’ minds.
Health and Cancer Causes Remain Consistent
In an otherwise volatile environment, medical access and research remained stable. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital maintained its status as a Top 5 nonprofit, while the Alzheimer’s Association stayed in the Top 20. Over $71 million was donated to the top 13 cancer-focused organizations alone.
“In a year defined by corporate caution and uncertainty, employees refused to stay on the sidelines,” said Sona Khosla, Chief Impact Officer, Benevity. “2025 saw a distinct turn towards ‘at home’ as donors prioritized support for local crises and disasters, including the Texas floods, the LA wildfires, and food insecurity at the national level. In 2026, we hope to harness this momentum to ensure generosity remains borderless, supporting the critical work needed domestically and across the world.”
Methodology
This analysis draws on Benevity platform data from January 1 to December 31, 2025, representing the activity of over 2.12 million unique donors. The rankings focus exclusively on workplace giving, which comprises employee donations, corporate matching, and volunteer rewards; corporate grants are excluded. Donation volume represented in this “Top Charitable Causes” analysis amounts to $2.7B. To accurately reflect organizational reach, national and regional chapters of nonprofits have been grouped into single entities. Conversely, corporate foundations and fund aggregators are omitted to ensure specific impact areas are revealed and measured as accurately as possible.
The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of NonProfit PRO.
