What’s Next for Philanthropy

In 2020, the Monitor Institute by Deloitte—Deloitte’s social impact strategy consulting unit—launched the What’s Next for Philanthropy in the 2020s initiative to help funders reflect on the future of the field. The project’s final report, Seeing Philanthropy in a New Light, identified seven “big shifts” now reshaping the role and context for philanthropy, and highlighted four emerging “edges” of practice that have outsized potential to change the field in the next decade.

Over the course of the work, the Institute team interviewed more than 200 philanthropy executives, professionals, donors, board members, experts, and grantees to develop a broad mosaic of perspectives about where the field might be headed.

But mosaics are built from many individual tiles. And there’s no replacing the unique viewpoints and insights of the talented individuals who are tackling our most pressing problems and working to help our communities thrive. So to add additional color to that report, this in-depth article series amplifies the perspectives of five important leaders in the field. We asked them a simple question: What’s next for philanthropy? Their answers are hopeful, honest, and acutely human. And we hope they can spark ideas and start a dialogue about how philanthropy can continue to change and improve in the coming years.

All opinions expressed by the authors within the series are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of Deloitte LLC or the Monitor Institute by Deloitte.