Four Asian organisations are among the world’s 20 largest “corporate givers”, creating initiatives that support charitable activities that contribute positively to social and environmental outcomes, according to a new report by global non-profit The Bridgespan Group.
Together, these four firms contribute more than US$1.6 billion ($2.06 billion) annually to philanthropic causes. They are: the Hong Kong Jockey Club and its Charities Trust (in eighth place), Samsung (12th), Tencent (14th) and China Three Gorges Corporation (20th), according to the second report in Bridgespan’s multi-year series, released on Sept 9.
Between 2019 and 2023, the Hong Kong Jockey Club and its Charities Trust’s average annual philanthropic giving was US$575 million. It is topped by three European names — the UK’s AstraZeneca, in third place; the Netherlands’ Postcode Lottery Group, in sixth place; and Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, in seventh place.
According to Bridgespan, the world’s two largest corporate givers are US healthcare firms Eli Lilly and Company and Johnson & Johnson, which averaged US$2.893 billion and US$3.148 billion in annual philanthropic giving respectively.
“Companies describe their giving in many ways, from corporate social responsibility or ESG commitments to corporate sustainability efforts or as part of their core business purpose,” says Gwendolyn Lim, co-author of the “High-Impact Approaches to Corporate Giving” report and partner at Bridgespan. “We use the term ‘corporate giving’ because it goes beyond traditional philanthropy to cover initiatives that support charitable activities that contribute positively to social and environmental outcomes.”
The report’s authors looked at over 300 of the world’s largest companies by market capitalisation and profitability across various industries. Corporate givers that do not publicly report their giving were excluded.
The ranking excludes institutional philanthropy, which is unrelated to a business enterprise. It also excludes enterprise foundations that actually own major enterprises, such as Novo Nordisk, Ikea and Lego, which have indicated that their foundations operate at arm’s length from their companies.
Asian characteristics
The report also finds that founder, family and state-linked leadership is “far more common” in Asia.
Three-fifths of the region’s largest corporate givers are founder- or family-led, compared to just 20% globally, reflecting Asia’s deep tradition of family-owned enterprises.
A quarter of Asia’s top givers are state-linked, compared to none among the top global corporate givers. The report’s authors say this highlights how philanthropic priorities in Asia often align with state-led initiatives.
Conglomerates dominate the landscape within the region. Only 10% of the world’s largest corporate givers are conglomerates, versus 60% in Asia, where multi-industry giants remain central to both business and philanthropy, reads the report.
In Asia, direct giving is the norm; 80% of global corporate givers rely on external partners, while Asian corporate givers are more likely to fund their own projects, suggesting a hands-on approach or gaps in local partnerships.
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The 33-page report also compares national policies across the region.
Since China made corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting mandatory in 2005, the number of CSR annual reports published by Chinese companies rose from four to more than 2,648 by 2022.
Indonesia first mandated CSR in 2007, but its laws do not stipulate how much to spend or how to implement initiatives, note the authors.
The report’s authors say India “stands out” as the “leading country in Asia” on this front. Since 2013, India has mandated qualifying companies to spend at least 2% of their average three-year net profits on CSR activities that promote social, environmental and economic development.
Annual CSR spending has nearly tripled since the Companies Act came into effect in 2014, from approximately US$1.2 billion to US$3.5 billion, and it now accounts for 30% of the country’s total philanthropic funding.
While the law applies to some 24,000 companies in India, just 200 of the largest account for half of all CSR spending. Spending by private companies in India — many of which are family-owned — far exceeds that of public companies, at 85% and 15% respectively.
Nepal also generally requires companies to give between 1% and 3% of their annual profits to CSR activities, based on their size and sector.
About the authors
Bridgespan released the report at the AVPN Global Conference 2025 in Hong Kong, with some 1,500 delegates in attendance.
The non-profit’s previous report, released in October 2024, detailed five practices that philanthropic institutions pursue to achieve meaningful results. It was supported by the China- and Asia-focused think-tank Institute of Philanthropy (IOP), which was founded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and its Charities Trust in 2023 with a HK$6.8 billion ($1.12 billion) seed grant.
This year’s report received wider funding support, with the inclusion of the Gates Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation.
Infographics: The Bridgespan Group
