What Next? 2026 Trends and Predictions for Philanthropy & Civil Society

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we offer thoughts on the trends and topics that are going to shape philanthropy and civil society in 2026. Including: Philanthropy & Charities Ongoing political challenges for US philanthropy (more attacks on the legitimacy of foundations; will Trump weaponise the IRS?) More billion-dollar gifts; more donors signalling intent (e.g. by joining the Giving Pledge); the emergence of some new big-money philanthropists (including some high-profile women?) How will global civil society adapt to a new normal post-USAID? Will Asia start to shape global philanthropy? As the “impact economy" reframing takes hold in the UK, where will philanthropy fit in? Will the further rise of populism and the far right in UK lead to more attacks on charities and foundations? Renewed focus on locality/place as a lens for philanthropy? Societal Trends Will the growing desire for comfort/de-stressing and the emphasis on individual solutions contribute to the erosion of associational life? Do CSOs need to make the case for collective forms of wellbeing? Will growing demands for authenticity require CSOs to take stronger lines on issues, and to accord with supporters views and values? As people increasingly look to individuals as sources of authority, will CSOs need to find ways of partnering with influencers? As concerns about declining population growth enter the mainstream, what impact will this have on philanthropy and civil society? Technology: As platform philanthropy continues to grow, will we start to see the “enshittification of giving"? How can charities navigate the challenges of AI slop and misinformation? Will we see further ethical questions about CSOs use of GenAI? As search shifts towards GenA, will charities need to adapt to a new normal in which no-one visits their websites anymore? Is 2026 the year that technologies we’ve been talking about for a long time become mainstream? (E.g. autonomous vehicles, smart home appliances, AR/VR/Smart glasses?) Is 2026 the year of Quantum technology? (And what implications will this have for philanthropy and civil society?) Further Resources: WPM articles on Peter Thiel and Elon Musk WPM guide to quantum technology and philanthropy & civil society Philanthropisms podcast episodes on populism and AI Euromonitor's 2026 Global Consumer Trends report Nieman Labs 2026 Predictions for Journalism