Looking to expand beyond individual donors and grants? There’s a whole world of corporate giving programs out there that most nonprofits barely tap into. We’re talking billions in donations, matching gifts, and in-kind support just waiting for the right pitch. To harness this potential, nonprofits should consider implementing recurring donor strategies for nonprofits that focus on relationship building with corporate partners. By developing tailored approaches and demonstrating impact, organizations can create sustainable revenue streams. Engaging in these strategies not only enhances financial stability but also fosters long-term collaborations that can elevate mission-driven initiatives. To complement these strategies, nonprofits should also explore donation form design tips for nonprofits to simplify the giving process for corporate partners. A user-friendly donation page not only attracts more contributors but also reflects professionalism and trustworthiness. When businesses see a well-designed interface, they are more likely to engage and contribute to the organization’s mission.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through 50+ companies with active nonprofit programs, plus the strategies we’ve seen work best for actually landing this support. Think of it as your roadmap to corporate partnerships that stick around.
Why Corporate Partnerships Beat One-Time Grants
Here’s the thing about corporate giving: it creates predictable revenue in ways that individual donations rarely do. You’re not just getting cash grants. We’re talking matching gift programs, volunteer grants, product donations, and employee engagement opportunities that amplify everything you’re already doing.
Consider this. Matching gifts alone represent $4-7 billion in unclaimed funds sitting there annually (Funraise). One organization we work with scaled their matching revenue from $3.5M to $7.3M over 2.5 years by simply optimizing how they approached corporate giving. And nonprofits using platforms with corporate giving integrations? They’re growing online revenue 73% year-over-year on average and recurring revenue 52% annually (Funraise).
These aren’t pie-in-the-sky numbers. They’re totally achievable when you systematically go after companies with established 501(c)(3) donation programs.
Protip: Start by looking at your existing donor database for corporate employees. Tools like Double the Donation integrate with platforms like Funraise to automatically spot match-eligible donors. You’d be surprised how much revenue is hiding in plain sight. To maximize your chances of securing funding, consider researching strategies for corporate sponsorship requests that resonate with potential partners. Tailoring your proposals to align with a company’s values and social responsibility goals can lead to more successful outcomes. Furthermore, highlighting the mutual benefits of partnership will strengthen your case and attract more interest.
Tech Companies Setting the Donation Standard
Technology firms consistently lead corporate giving lists. Beyond cash, they’re offering cloud credits, software licenses, and tools that can transform how you operate.
| Company | Donation Types | Key Focus Areas | Application Process |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash grants, Ad credits, Workspace | Education, digital innovation | Apply via Google.org; rolling applications | |
| Microsoft | Software licenses, Azure credits, Matching | Digital equity, skills development | Azure for Nonprofits portal; requires 501(c)(3) |
| Adobe | Creative Cloud subscriptions, Funding | Creativity in education | Named Civic 50 honoree; employee-nominated causes |
| Alphabet Inc. | Grants, Volunteer programs | Community tech access | Matches employee charitable gifts |
Microsoft reports that nonprofits using their donated technology tools scale operations 2-3x faster than those without. So yeah, these partnerships are transformational beyond just saving money.
Protip: When you’re pitching tech companies, frame your needs around specific operational challenges. “We need Azure credits to host our beneficiary database serving 10,000 families” converts way better than “We need technology support.”
Retail Giants With Year-Round Giving Programs
Consumer-facing retailers are ideal partners for local nonprofits with immediate needs. They’re donating products, food, and community grants on an ongoing basis.
Walmart provides community grants up to $5,000 plus product donations through local stores, with a heavy focus on hunger relief and education. Target awards over $1M annually in grants with volunteer matching programs, and they accept online applications for events and sponsorships. Kroger and Meijer offer rolling food donations requiring only W9 documentation for verified 501(c)(3) organizations.
Coffee giant Starbucks funds local projects through community stores, targeting youth employment programs. Costco and Trader Joe’s both donate food and products. With Trader Joe’s, you can actually submit store-level requests for shelters and food banks.
Collectively, these retail brands contributed over $20 billion in 2022, with significant chunks allocated to matching gifts and volunteer grants (Double the Donation).
Common Challenges Before Nonprofits Optimize Corporate Giving
We see the same patterns play out among nonprofit leaders before they get serious about corporate giving strategy.
The “We’ll get to it later” trap: You know corporate matching exists, but it feels like a nice-to-have rather than a revenue priority. One organization discovered they’d left $47,000 unclaimed over 18 months simply because they hadn’t promoted matching to donors. Ouch.
Manual tracking chaos: Without integrated tools, you’re spending hours cross-referencing employer names, googling matching policies, and emailing donors individually. A development director once told us she maintained three separate spreadsheets just to track potential matches. None of which talked to each other, naturally.
The application overwhelm: Corporate giving programs each have their own portals, deadlines, and requirements. Nonprofits abandon applications midway through, especially smaller organizations without dedicated grant writers.
Misaligned pitches: Submitting generic proposals to companies with laser-focused giving areas. Asking a health-focused pharmaceutical company for general operating support when their entire program targets medical access initiatives? That’s a guaranteed rejection.
Look, these challenges disappear when you use purpose-built fundraising software. Funraise integrates corporate matching directly into donation forms, automatically identifies eligible donors, and provides templates for common corporate applications. The manual chaos just… goes away.
AI Prompt: Generate Your Corporate Giving Strategy
Ready to identify your best corporate targets? Copy this prompt into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Perplexity to create a customized outreach plan:
Create a prioritized corporate giving strategy for my nonprofit:
Mission/cause: [your specific mission, e.g., "youth STEM education in underserved communities"]
Annual budget: [your operating budget, e.g., "$500K"]
Geographic focus: [your service area, e.g., "San Francisco Bay Area"]
Current corporate relationships: [list any existing corporate donors or partnerships]
Provide: (1) Top 10 companies most likely to fund us based on mission alignment, (2) Specific giving programs at each company we should target, (3) Application timeline and requirements, (4) Estimated funding potential from each source.
Now, AI tools provide excellent strategic starting points. But here’s what they can’t do: daily fundraising work requires context-aware solutions. Platforms like Funraise embed AI components directly where you’re already working. We’re talking automatically suggesting match-eligible donors on donation records, drafting thank-you emails with full campaign context, and identifying major gift prospects from behavioral data. Generic AI just doesn’t have that operational context that converts strategy into actual revenue.
Food and Beverage Corporate Champions
Major food and beverage companies prioritize hunger relief, water access, and sustainability initiatives.
Coca-Cola contributed $139M in 2022 through its Foundation (approximately 1% of prior year income), focusing on water stewardship and education programs. PepsiCo provided $63M+ in grants and products, including $59M in COVID relief efforts. Heads up though: they accept product requests only, not cash grant applications.
General Mills earned Civic 50 recognition for nutrition and community grants supporting food security programs.
Here’s an unconventional approach we’ve seen work: Host “taste-test fundraisers” in partnership with these brands. PepsiCo catalyzed an additional $59M in community support through similar experiential activations that combined product sampling with cause marketing (WildApricot).
“Corporate partnerships aren’t just about the money. They’re about aligning your mission with companies whose employees already care about your cause. That’s where sustainable revenue comes from.”
Funraise CEO Justin Wheeler
Apparel, Toys, and Home Improvement Donors
Consumer product companies donate goods for children, disaster relief, and housing initiatives.
Nike and Levi’s offer community grants with employee-voted local funding programs. Mattel, LEGO, and Hasbro distribute toys through Good360, with LEGO contributing $143M to child development funds specifically (Kindsight). Home Depot and Nordstrom each award $2M+ annually in grants targeting veteran support and disaster relief.
Johnson & Johnson provides surgery supplies and $1M in disaster relief funds alongside volunteer time off and matching programs.
In our experience, nonprofits with 50% donation form conversion rates maximize these in-kind gifts by converting product recipients into cash donors through strategic follow-up campaigns (Funraise). Implementing effective donor retention strategies for nonprofits is crucial for sustaining these revenue streams. Engaging with donors through personalized communication and recognition can significantly enhance loyalty and increase the likelihood of repeat contributions. Moreover, leveraging data analytics to understand donor preferences helps tailor approaches that resonate with individual supporters, ultimately leading to stronger relationships and increased funding potential.
Protip: Bundle product donation requests with employee volunteer days. Home Depot regularly provides both building supplies and volunteer labor for housing rebuilds. You’re basically multiplying the impact of a single partnership.
Financial Services and Entertainment Sector Support
Banks and media companies offer grants tied to financial literacy, arts programming, and digital equity.
Bank of America’s Neighborhood Builders program provides $250K+ over multiple years to selected nonprofits. Capital One and Charles Schwab both earned Civic 50 recognition for financial education grants. Disney contributed $63M+ through foundation giving focused on entertainment access for children. Comcast NBCUniversal targets tech grants supporting digital equity initiatives.
Corporate giving overall hit $44.4B in 2024, up 9.1% from the previous year, driven largely by stock donations (Groundswell).
Protip: Align your proposals with corporate ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) goals. Sixty-five percent of large firms offer matching gift programs compared to just 28% of small and mid-sized companies. So when capacity’s limited, prioritize larger corporations (Groundswell).
Energy, Healthcare, and Diverse Industry Leaders
Additional sectors round out the corporate giving landscape, and there’s more variety here than you might think.
Chevron and ExxonMobil both offer matching and volunteer grant programs. Dow Inc. and Freeport-McMoRan earned Civic 50 recognition for environmental focus. Honeywell contributed $53M+ in corporate contributions. Ben & Jerry’s provides grassroots justice grants aligned with their social mission (because of course they do). Aflac and Elevance Health support health and insurance-related causes.
The Points of Light Civic 50 list aggregates 50+ additional companies including Aramark, Caesars Entertainment, and Delta Air Lines, all with established giving programs. Worth checking out.
Your Complete 50+ Corporate Donor Directory
Here’s your verified list of companies with regular nonprofit donation programs:
- Microsoft
- Walmart
- Amazon
- Coca-Cola
- Starbucks
- Target
- Disney
- Costco
- PepsiCo
- Home Depot
- Nike
- Mattel
- LEGO
- Hasbro
- Nordstrom
- Meijer
- Kroger
- Trader Joe’s
- Johnson & Johnson
- Bank of America
- Capital One
- Adobe
- General Mills
- Chevron
- Dow
- Comcast
- Delta Air Lines
- Aflac
- Ben & Jerry’s
- Alphabet
- Honeywell
- Entergy
- Freeport-McMoRan
- CSAA Insurance
- Blue Cross/Blue Shield
- Citi
- Charles Schwab
- DTE Energy
- Aramark
- Caesars
- Comerica Bank
- Elevance Health
- RealNetworks
- Colgate
- Jansport
- Chewy
- Build-A-Bear
- Good360 Partners
- Reyes Holdings
- Walt Disney Co.
Verify current programs via company CSR pages or Good360.org, as program details and focus areas evolve annually. Seriously, double-check before you apply.
Actionable Strategies to Secure Corporate Support
Diversification is key. Seventy percent of employees say they value employer philanthropy programs, making employee-connected asks particularly effective (DonorPerfect).
- promote matching gifts through email and text campaigns immediately after donations,
- leverage volunteer grants that pay $15-25 per employee volunteer hour,
- submit product requests through aggregators like Good360 for toys, food, and supplies,
- target local grants by aligning your mission with company focus areas. Think Meijer for food security, Home Depot for housing, Nike for youth sports.
One often-overlooked insight: 90% of Funraise donors cover processing fees, preserving over $8M for mission work rather than transaction costs (Funraise). And this donor behavior extends to corporate giving. When you frame corporate partnerships as “100% goes to programs,” approval rates increase significantly.
Ready to unlock corporate funding at scale? Start with Funraise’s free tier to implement automated matching gift identification, corporate donor tracking, and integrated application management. No commitments required. Just measurable revenue growth from partnerships you’re already positioned to win.



