Trends in philanthropy 2026
How family offices are shaping philanthropy, impact and wealth
Philanthropy and impact investing1 are taking a more strategic role in how families steward their wealth. In addition, the great wealth transfer is accelerating, with $124 trillion expected to change hands across generations over the next two decades.* Against this backdrop, family offices are taking center stage, shaping how capital is deployed to address social and environmental challenges.
Drawing on insights from the UBS Global Family Office Report 2025 and our conversations with clients, UBS Trends in philanthrophy highlights three emerging trends that show how the role and capabilities of family offices are being redefined—enhancing their ability to drive meaningful, lasting change on behalf of their clients.
Three emerging trends among family offices
From silo to spectrum
- Philanthropy is becoming more professional
- Family offices are expanding their role
- Impact is shifting from a siloed to an integrated approach across the entire portfolio of family assets
Shaping the impact space
- Sophisticated family offices are redefining the field beyond traditional administration and investment roles
- They are embedding impact across the entire family ecosystem and becoming influential players in the impact space
Unlocking scalable impact
- Governments are actively courting family capital
- Family offices are responding by engaging in structured public-private partnerships
- These partnerships can unlock scalable, systemic impact
Client story: A family’s evolving approach to philanthropy
A US-based in-house advisor at a multi-billion-dollar family office describes how the family’s philanthropic approach has evolved from supporting individual organizations to understanding the systems in which they operate.
Rather than beginning with specific causes, the family now starts by examining how public funding, policy frameworks, and institutional structures influence outcomes at scale.
For example, when reviewing its education strategy, the family started by analyzing:
- How federal and municipal budgets were allocated across a major US school system
- How resources were distributed
- Where outcomes were falling short
This analysis helped to inform where philanthropic capital could be deployed most effectively—not to replicate public funding, but to complement it.
For the family, impact is no longer understood primarily as the act of giving, but as a deliberate and analytical process—one that treats philanthropy as a form of disciplined, mission-driven capital within a wider ecosystem.
The client story presented is provided as an illustration and may not be representative of the experience of other clients. There is no guarantee of the future success of any of the strategies discussed.
An expanding sphere of influence to drive meaningful change
-
30 %
of families are starting to embed impact across their operating businesses and 26% across their investment portfolios.
(UBS Trends in philanthropy 2026)
-
27 %
of family offices globally are pioneering integrated models designed to address complex, systemic challenges.
(UBS Trends in philanthropy 2026)
-
46 %
of family offices now embed sustainability into their investment strategy, a number expected to rise.
(UBS Global Family Office Report, 2025)
Considerations for family offices
Practical considerations and actions for family offices to think about in the context of their own operations include:
- Broadening the mandate: Shifting from siloed philanthropic activity to a portfolio-wide impact approach and embedding the family’s mission across operating businesses, investment strategy and philanthropy
- Building advanced impact capability: Strengthening in-house expertise by adding practical skills in project due diligence, partner selection, and impact measurement
- Using the full spectrum of “poly capital” to drive systemic outcomes: Deploying a family’s assets to address the root cause of issues the family cares about as part of a unified, mission-led strategy
- Treating government incentives as strategic opportunities: Mapping which jurisdictions offer incentives aligned with the family’s priorities and assessing the degree of presence that could unlock strategic advantages
- Strengthening institutional relationships to shape emerging ecosystems: Building relationships to stay ahead of evolving opportunities and influence sector direction
- Positioning the family office as a “bridge” between private capital and public priorities: Engaging in sectors where the family has expertise and using the family office to align capital, knowledge and partnerships to amplify both financial and societal outcomes
- Using structured partnerships to scale impact efficiently: Using structured vehicles like blended finance funds or state-backed co-investment platforms to participate in large, systemic projects without needing deep in-house expertise
Dive deeper
For additional insights and considerations for family offices, download UBS Trends in philanthropy 2026. And speak with a UBS Financial Advisor about the full range of family office, philanthropy and impact investing services available.
* The Cerulli Report—U.S. High-Net-Worth and Ultra-High-Net-Worth Markets, 2024.
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With the next generation—Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z—set to inherit substantial wealth over the coming decades, their opinions and preferences will increasingly influence the future of philanthropy.
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1 This terminology refers to definitions in the UBS Sustainable Investing Framework and does not refer or relate to any product specific regulatory labelling regime or naming conventions.
Review code: 5164805 Expiration date: 2/6/2027
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