This year marks a milestone for the Johnson Center: the tenth edition of our 11 Trends in Philanthropy report. What began in 2017 as a modest supplement to our annual report has grown into a widely read and discussed publication, reaching more than 100,000 readers each year. Each year’s report is really a compilation of 11 separate articles, each individually researched, written, and reviewed by teams of authors from the Johnson Center. Typically, these articles explore new shifts or evolving movements across the field of philanthropy, but this edition looks instead to past insights to inform the future.

For this tenth edition, however, we have taken a different approach. Rather than identifying a wholly new set of emerging trends, we have turned our attention backward to reflect on the themes that have shaped our sector over the past ten years, and to name both enduring shifts and new developments.

This reflective lens is not just a nod to our anniversary. It is also an acknowledgment of the moment we find ourselves in — a moment of hyper disruption, that combines both great anxiety about where we are headed and great possibility for what could come next. Our future feels more uncertain than ever, but the opportunity to create and scale life-changing innovations for our communities feels present, as well, particularly if we revisit past insights to inform the future of philanthropy.

One of the biggest challenges philanthropy faces as it seeks to plan for and build that future is that our day-to-day landscape is shifting so rapidly and in so many directions. As executive orders, legal contests, and legislative debates play out, we do not have a clear picture of how much federal funding has been rescinded or withheld from nonprofits and communities. We do not know how many nonprofits have closed or will close their doors, how many staff have lost their jobs, or how many communities have lost access to critical services. We do not know how many donors have paused or limited their giving out of economic anxiety, or how many foundations have shifted strategies in response to the moment. The data are incomplete, the timelines are unclear, and the reality on the ground keeps changing.

Read the full article about trends for philanthropy in 2026 at Dorothy A. Johnson Center.