Philanthropy

Our Philanthropy Practice works with foundations and nonprofits addressing a range of social issues facing the world today. The practice has developed deep relationships with the leading global foundations, serving seven of the world’s ten largest foundations. In the past five years, we have worked on more than 300 client engagements in 50 countries, including foundations in 24 countries across Latin America, Europe, and Africa.

In an environment of increasingly constrained financial resources and growing societal challenges, we help our clients find ways to work more strategically and effectively.

The Philanthropy Practice focuses on the following areas:

Foundation and Nonprofit Strategy
We work with clients to design, strengthen, and implement organizational strategies that maximize social impact. We help new philanthropists build foundations from the ground up—articulating a vision, building a road map, and designing programs and interventions to achieve their charitable mission. We help create tools to better measure the impact of programs, so resources are allocated where they can do the most good.

Organization and Management
Leveraging McKinsey’s deep expertise in organizational design and management, we help charitable organizations think about how to internally organize and extend their reach through networks and collaboration. We work with clients to build organizational structures with appropriate leadership and governance, adequate financial resources, risk-management procedures, and a strong learning culture. We also guide clients through difficult transitions—from mergers and restructuring to leadership and board of director changes.

Corporate Philanthropy and Responsibility
Given the integral relationship between business and society, we work with corporate clients to address the alignment of philanthropy and corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs to their core business strategies. Specifically, we help clients identify risks, improve reputations, and navigate shifting regulatory landscapes. We are constantly searching for ways to help turn new trends into opportunities for enhanced business and social impact.

Knowledge and Innovation
In today’s complex and interdependent world, both long-standing and emerging challenges call for evidence-based, innovative solutions. The Social Sector Office is committed to sharing new insights and innovations that can help advance the missions of organizations across the sector. We also help clients build powerful advocacy and partnership strategies to ensure critical information is disseminated and best practices are scaled and replicated.

Read our knowledge highlights.