Most large companies cut their giving in 2025, and about 4 in 5 fall below the new 1% tax floor, CECP finds

Corporate giving held steady in 2025, but more than half of large companies gave less and growth came from a smaller group of big givers, according to Giving in Numbers: 2026 Edition, the annual benchmark published by Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP) on October 15, 2026.

The report draws on 2025 data from 152 companies that together reported $19 billion in total community investments, a measure that includes direct cash, foundation cash and non-cash giving such as product donations and pro bono services.

Growth at the top

In the 139 companies that reported in both 2024 and 2025, the median company gave $23.5 million, up 7.5%, and giving at the top quartile grew 10.6%, even though aggregate giving across all participants was essentially flat. In a five-year matched set, top-quartile giving has grown to 2.79 times the median, from 2.47 times in 2021. Across all 152 companies, the report puts median giving in 2025 at $23.7 million.

The mix also shifted. In a three-year matched set covering 2023 to 2025, median giving rose most for civic and public affairs (up 39%), the “other” category (up 27%) and the environment (up 22%). It fell most for health and social services (down 28%), disaster relief (down 26%) and K-12 education (down 11%).

Corporate giving is no longer on autopilot.

The 1% floor

Starting with tax years beginning after December 31, 2025, a corporation can deduct charitable contributions only to the extent they exceed 1% of its taxable income, and still no more than 10%, under Public Law 119-21. Gifts disallowed by the 1% floor can be carried forward only from years in which a company also exceeds the 10% ceiling.

CECP found that median estimated deductible giving was 0.39% of pre-tax profit, which it says means roughly 4 in 5 companies would receive no deduction at 2025 giving levels. CECP’s measure uses pre-tax profit, while the law uses taxable income, so the result is an estimate. For a company below the floor, the law means its gifts produce no federal deduction for the year and nothing to carry forward.

With roughly 4 in 5 companies falling below the new 1% floor, 2026 will test which companies treat community investment as a core strategy and which treat it as a line item.

Foundations and employees

Company foundations carry more of the load. Of the companies surveyed, 84% have a foundation, and on average those foundations handle 56% of corporate cash giving. Among companies that moved money into a foundation, the median transfer was $10 million. Employee programs are widespread: matching gifts are offered by 94% of companies and employee hardship funds by 60%, while volunteer participation averages 25% of employees.

Giving teams are stretched. Staff handle 18% more recipient organizations per person than a year earlier, and the median cash managed per staff member went up from $1.5 million to $2.0 million. Community investment most often sits in the human resources department (23%).

About the survey

CECP, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, says more than 650 multi-billion-dollar companies have taken part in Giving in Numbers over the life of the survey. The 2026 edition was sponsored by Bristol Myers Squibb and Wells Fargo. Companies with more than $500 million in revenue can take part in the survey free of charge. Our explainer on how corporate giving works sets out the deduction rules in more detail.