In a context marked by pressure on public budgets and the rise of hybrid models in the social economy, donations from individuals and corporate patron represent essential financial resources for public interest structures. In France, they represented €5.4 billion and €3.8 billion respectively in 2022, according to the latest data from France Générosités.
While these amounts reflect real mobilization, they remain modest compared to the needs. Some causes, such as rare diseases or the environment, still struggle to attract a significant share of this funding. For example, less than 7% of corporate philanthropy is directed toward environmental issues. In this context, endowment funds play a strategic role in channeling these resources toward impactful projects.
🌱 The importance of individual donations
Giving is making the invisible visible
Individual donations represent a crucial source of funding for endowment funds like Playgreen For Environment, which supports both the fight against Sanfilippo disease and environmental protection.
In the case of rare diseases, such as Sanfilippo, public funding is too limited to support research alone. This neurodegenerative disease affects approximately 1 in 70,000 children, and there is currently no cure. However, the cost of a clinical trial often exceeds €1 million. Each individual donation therefore makes a concrete contribution to advancing research. It also helps support affected families and raises awareness of this disease, which is still under-reported.
A simple action for a lasting impact
In 2022, 50% of French people made at least one donation to an association or endowment fund. This encouraging figure shows that solidarity is part of our civic instincts. And thanks to existing tax measures, a donation remains accessible to many: a €100 donation actually costs only €34 after tax relief.
🏢 Corporate philanthropy, a driver of engagement
A strategic lever for businesses
Today, nearly €3 billion is invested each year by French companies in philanthropic initiatives. And contrary to popular belief, 97% of corporate philanthropists are VSEs or SMEs. In other words, philanthropy is not reserved for large companies: every organization can get involved, at its own level.
Supporting the Playgreen For Environment endowment fund provides a company with an opportunity to:
- Strengthen its CSR policy and purpose,
- Mobilize its teams around strong causes,
- Assert its local roots,
- And benefit from a tax reduction of 60% of the donation amount (up to 0.5% of annual turnover).
A win-win relationship
Beyond financial support, sponsorship can also take the form of skills patronage, equipment loans, or co-organization of events. The benefits are positive for all parties:
- For the endowment fund, this means more resources to take action.
- For the company, it’s a way to unite its employees around a meaningful project.
At Playgreen For Environment, partner companies can support environmental awareness campaigns, finance educational tools, or co-develop solidarity events. This is a concrete opportunity to put impact at the heart of economic activity.
🧩 A strategic challenge for public interest causes
Support from individuals and businesses now represents a structural lever for public interest actors. This is particularly the case in areas that are still underfunded by public authorities. Health, like the environment, suffers from a lack of visibility in traditional funding channels. The role of endowment funds is therefore becoming central to supporting long-term projects, pooling resources, and coordinating field action and advocacy.
In a context where philanthropy is evolving towards greater transparency, impact assessment, and hybridization of models, donations and patronage are no longer one-off gestures but sustainable instruments of transformation. For beneficiary structures, it is therefore essential to professionalize their approaches, to report on their results, and to build relationships of trust with their partners.
