With global crises multiplying and government aid spending in sharp decline, eyes are increasingly trained on philanthropy to step up. Yet the act of giving, especially across borders, is being hampered by tightening restrictions threatening to blunt its impact.
These are among the findings of Indiana University’s recently released Global Philanthropy Environment Index 2025, a sweeping analysis that evaluates the legal, political, and economic conditions for philanthropy across 95 economies.
While the majority of those countries maintain a generally positive philanthropic environment, there are risks: democratic backsliding, closing civic space, and the proliferation of “foreign agent” laws have all had a role in shrinking financial flows between countries.
About the author
Lauren Evans@laurenfaceevans
Lauren Evans was formerly an Assistant Editor/Senior Associate in the Office of the President at Devex. As a journalist, she covers international development and humanitarian action with a focus on climate and gender. Her work has appeared in outlets like Foreign Policy, Wired UK, Smithsonian Magazine and others, and she’s reported internationally throughout East Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
