4 principles to guide your philanthropy in 2025

Philanthropy has rarely been more critical to building the world we know is possible. Here are four guiding principles from our Director of Philanthropy to help shape your giving this year.
- Blog
- All Problems
- All Regions
As we embark on 2025, the year has already emerged as a pivotal one—from climate events with sweeping implications to enormous shifts in leadership. Significant uncertainty looms over the implications for corporations, nonprofits, and the world at large.
History shows us that it is precisely in moments like these when the builders of a better world get busy and when philanthropy can step up to fund critical initiatives, drive innovation, uplift voices, and build resilience in the face of adversity. At Acumen, we’ve seen this happen firsthand through our work, bringing clean energy to the hardest-to-reach regions, expanding access to affordable healthcare, and highlighting for the world a new definition for success.
Here, then, are four principles to guide your philanthropy in 2025.
1. Proximity matters
If you want to have a big impact on a problem, support organizations that are close to the cause. At Acumen, we have seen the critical link between investing in proximate leaders and solving real problems. Consider Denis Karema, CEO of Acumen investee SokoFresh, who grew up working on his grandmother’s farm in Kenya and saw firsthand the struggles faced by smallholder farmers. His deep understanding of the ripple effects of postharvest loss on farming communities inspired him to create SokoFresh, a solution that has not only stored 1M+ Kgs of food that could have otherwise been lost, but has also increased farmers’ incomes by an average of 20%. By moving resources closer to the source, we can foster more swift, effective, and sustainable outcomes.
2. Concentrating capital
In an era where societal and economic challenges seem endless, the collective need can be overwhelming and may far outstrip what most philanthropists can sustainably support. Concentrating your giving across fewer initiatives maximizes their chances for success. This approach not only allows organizations to prioritize implementation over constant fundraising but accelerates progress towards outcomes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the power of collective action became clear when Acumen launched the Acumen Emergency Facility (AEF) to support the local entrepreneurs in our network who were at risk. Thanks to this focused effort, not a single Fellow or investee failed due to the crisis. Imagine applying that same determination to today’s challenges, funding organizations like we wanted them to win.
3. There is urgency in patience
When many causes that you care about are under threat, it can feel like you’re trying to plug holes in a bucket that keeps springing new leaks. It can be easy to lose your focus and patience and adopt a reactive approach. At Acumen, we have long championed the necessity of Patient Capital to address the world’s most pressing challenges of poverty. Effective philanthropy calls us to embrace this approach—not as a slow process, but as an active, deliberate commitment to creating lasting solutions. Patient Capital offers the confidence and latitude to build the right solutions, reducing, and hopefully one day eliminating, the impact of the challenges we aim to address. Take early Acumen investee d.light, which has spent over 20 years innovating clean energy solutions that have transformed the lives of over 192 million people and offset 40 million tons of CO2. Throughout this journey, d.light’s hard-won impact has brought cleaner, safer, and brighter realities to communities around the world at every step. d. light shows us that while the challenges we tackle have long-term roots, their impacts are deeply felt today.
4. Stay in the light
To effect positive change, we must refuse to allow progress and possibility to be overshadowed by despair. Staying in the light means focusing on what is possible, even – rather especially – when times are tough. It’s about fostering resilience—not just in ourselves, but in those we support and work alongside. Recent studies have illuminated the mental toll and burnout that a lifetime of living and fighting against injustices can breed. By anchoring your philanthropy in optimism and possibility, you are not only extending your resources but your belief that change isn’t just necessary but within reach. That belief that the future we hope for is in sight can make the difference between giving up or winning that last leg of the race.
If we embrace these four principles , we see that the year ahead is actually one of possibility. It is one of vibrant, unfulfilled dreams brimming with a collective energy to enable that which we have yearned for. The path towards progress is also a precarious one, threatened at many points along the way with adversity and conflict. Yet, we must press on, holding tightly to the dream of the world we know is possible. As Langston Hughes wrote, “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” When we dare to dream, we create. And when we courageously take those daunting steps forward, the world often conspires to light the way. This isn’t just an ideal; it’s a call to action. It is a powerful reminder that the world we know is possible can be built when we act with purpose and belief.