Just as families grow and evolve, so does their approach to giving.
Over the past five years, family philanthropy has undergone significant shifts, reflecting evolving priorities, growing asset sizes, and deeper-rooted commitments to community needs. The latest Trends 2025 report from the National Center for Family Philanthropy provides a fascinating snapshot of how philanthropic families are adapting to the changing landscape and what the future may hold.
1. Shift Towards Issue-Focused GivingMore family foundations are prioritizing specific issues rather than spreading their resources too thin.
In 2025, 74% of family foundations reported an issue-based focus, a sharp increase from 54% in 2015.
2. Growth in Asset SizesThe financial landscape for family foundations has grown significantly.
Family foundations managing assets over $10 million increased from 30% in 2015 to 47% in 2025.
3. Donor Intent Stays StrongWhile founding donors continue influencing family philanthropy, their active membership numbers are declining.
56% of family foundation founders remain active, and 63% of foundations closely follow the founder’s original intent. This underscores the unique challenges of balancing tradition with evolving philanthropic strategies as new generations find their place at the giving table.
4. Emphasis on Grantee-Centric PracticesMore family foundations are embracing grantee-friendly approaches.
Foundations are streamlining applications (40%), offering multiyear grants (20%), and providing additional support beyond financial contributions (23%). However, general operating grants have declined, with only 66% of foundations offering them last year, down from 83% in 2015.
Many areas of family philanthropy are anticipated to change as the torch is passed to the next generation of givers. We are already seeing the following trends take place with Greater Horizons donors.
1. Accelerating Impact through Principle-Based GivingFoundations are moving from a donor-centric to a community-centric model.
More family foundations are prioritizing grantee relationships and increasing their own accountability and learning. We anticipate increased initiatives focused on fostering relationships and deepening community engagement rather than relying on historical grantmaking.
2. Generational Engagement ShiftsWhile more family foundations plan to involve younger family members in decision-making, generational dynamics have added new complexities to family philanthropy.
Barriers such as geographic dispersion and time constraints challenge younger generational engagement more than they did historically. We also see increased disparities in conflicting political, social and religious beliefs and opposing views regarding wealth between generations.
3. Impact Investing on the RiseFamily foundations seek innovative ways for their investments to align with issues they care about.
19% of foundations engage in mission-related investments and 25% report they are interested in impact investing in 2025. This trend is expected to grow as families seek to align their financial strategies with their philanthropic values.
4. A Renewed Focus on Transparency and CommunicationDespite a recent decline in external communications from family foundations, there is an increasing awareness of the importance of transparency.
While fewer family foundations are broadly sharing information about their work—61% in 2020 to 47% in 2025—they have also reported significant increases in soliciting grantee feedback. As we look to the future, we anticipate stronger partnership development between funders and grantees.
The philanthropic sector is at a critical juncture. While incremental, family philanthropy is changing with an invigorated appetite for community-centric grantmaking and relationship-building. As a philanthropic advisor, I’m excited to use these new insights to support individuals, families and private foundations with their charitable giving in 2025 and beyond.
If you would like to learn more about incorporating these best practices into your philanthropy, please contact us at info@greaterhorizons.org or 866.719.7886.
Authored by: Mariah Roady, Philanthropic Advisor
