Philanthropy Barometer 2026: an increasingly diverse range of good causes supported
The Fondation de France’s Philanthropy & Society Observatory has published the 2026 edition of its annual Philanthropy Barometer on foundations and endowment funds in France. This latest edition reflects the vitality of the philanthropy sector, with the number of foundations and endowment funds having more than doubled in ten years. It also highlights the diversification of the causes supported by foundations. Since 2020, nearly half of all foundations have supported multiple causes, compared with just a quarter prior to the year 2000.
In 2025, the number of philanthropic organisations continued to grow at a steady pace, with a 3% increase over the course of a year. The sector now comprises 6,040 active foundations and endowment funds. “Despite a crisis-prone and uncertain environment, the vitality shown by the philanthropy sector is a source of hope, with private stakeholders continuing to commit to the public good,” emphasises Axelle Davezac, Chief Executive of the Fondation de France. These philanthropic organisations are becoming increasingly active and their expenditure has risen by nearly 5% year-on-year, totalling more than €18 billion in 2024.
Growing diversification of the causes supported
The second key finding of this barometer is that foundations are increasingly engaging in several areas of public interest simultaneously. Before the year 2000, one in four foundations (27%) were involved with multiple causes. Since 2020, nearly half of all foundations have adopted a multi-cause approach. “This trend reflects a belief held for several decades by the Fondation de France, a ‘foundation for all causes’, that to effectively serve one cause, one must serve all of them,” says Axelle Davezac. Jean-Marc Ollagnier, co-founder of the Jean-Marc and Nathalie Ollagnier Foundation, agrees: “The multi-cause approach is a coherent response to the complexity of the world we live in.”
This trend is accompanied by a rise in causes that have historically been more marginalised, such as the environment, research (academic research excluding medical research), employment, and justice and democracy.
The year 2020 marks a clear break with the trends observed previously: arts and culture have become the leading area of focus when setting up foundations and endowment funds (33%, compared with 26% in the previous period), whilst the environment has seen a sharp rise (26% of new foundations, compared with 12% in the previous period). “The rise of environmental causes in philanthropy reflects a growing awareness of the fragility of life,” says Barbara Chénot, Chair of the Elze Foundation. According to Louis Hallonet, Director of Cultural Action at Sacem, artistic creation, for its part, constitutes “a particularly effective way of rebuilding social ties” in a post-Covid context that has highlighted the growing isolation affecting a section of the population.