[Report] State of Corporate Purpose 2026

Key insights

1 Purpose survived the pressure test.

• Despite a year of political scrutiny, funding shifts and public narrative about corporate retreat, 78% of companies continued their purpose work as before.

2 The era of quiet purpose may be ending.

• Companies are focusing on brand reputation and trust, with communications and storytelling earning the largest budget jump in this year.

3 Corporate impact leaders are shifting from defense to strategy.

• From AI adoption to volunteering for skills development to enterprise-wide collaboration, a new infrastructure for a more resilient, business-aligned approach to purpose is emerging.

A year spent fighting for purpose

Last year put corporate purpose to the test. With unrelenting scrutiny coming from all directions, companies held firm on their purpose commitments, even as they recalibrated how those commitments showed up publicly. And that persistence paid off. Corporate giving rose almost 8 points year-over-year, the vast majority of companies stayed the course on their purpose strategies, employee volunteerism soared to new heights and impact leaders are feeling proud of the decisions their companies made. It was a year where impact was fought for, and well earned.

The road ahead

As we press on into the second half of this decade, we continue to face uncertainty on almost every front: economic volatility, job market instability, AI-induced anxiety and opportunity, funding squeezes, new charitable tax reforms and policies, fraught elections, escalating conflicts and war, and a continued trust crisis.

But with all of the hard-won lessons of the first half of the decade, corporate purpose is ready for its next chapter. One where we shift from a defensive posture to a strategic recalibration. Where we pause, reflect and consider what is needed for the future. Where we continue to align impact with the core of business purpose. Where we work together with a collective mindset to make purpose more resilient and measurable.

2026 is the year for a new playbook for purpose-driven business.

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