Trialogue 2026 Survey Explores Funding Pressures Facing South Africa’s Nonprofit Sector

Nonprofits are being asked to do more with less while also navigating rising compliance and reporting expectations, which continue to shape how they are viewed by funders and financial institutions.

Against this backdrop, Trialogue’s 2026 NPO survey offers a practical opportunity for nonprofits to strengthen the evidence base on how the sector is funded - and what it takes to remain resilient.

For companies that fund and partner with nonprofits, this data informs where resources are allocated, how partnerships are structured, and how risk is assessed in an environment where organisations must simultaneously manage sustainability and compliance - including deregistration risk, tax obligations (including Section 18A requirements), and meeting anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism regulations.

This year’s survey focuses on income sources, financial reserves and fundraising approaches, as well as emerging operational shifts, such as the role of volunteerism and the use of AI to support delivery.

Win a full-page advertisement in the Trialogue Business in Society Handbook 2026

Nonprofit organisations that participate in the 2026 survey also stand a chance to win a full-page advertisement in the Trialogue Business in Society Handbook 2026, South Africa’s leading publication on responsible business and social investment.

Now in its 28th year, the Handbook is the country’s most authoritative source of insight on corporate social investment (CSI) and development funding. It is built on Trialogue’s primary field research, tracking how both companies and nonprofits are adapting to South Africa’s changing social, economic and regulatory context.

2026 Handbook findings

In 2025, Trialogue’s research revealed that the income of more than half of NPOs (55%) increased from the previous year, while 30% reported a decrease in income. Six in 10 nonprofits (60%) expected their organisation’s income to increase in the next two years, down from 69% in 2024.

Source: Trialogue Business in Society Handbook 2025

Consistent with the 2024 findings, almost three-quarters of nonprofits (70%) received income from South African companies. Corporate funds again accounted for the largest share of nonprofit income, averaging 29%. Forty-three percent (43%) of nonprofits reported that company funding had increased in the past year, while 23% reported a decrease from companies. Almost half of nonprofits (48%) generated their own income in 2025, accounting for an average of 17% of organisational income.

• The survey closes on Thursday, 31 July 2026, and the winning organisation will be notified in August 2026.

Enter the survey here.

All NPOs completing the survey will receive a complimentary hard copy of the Trialogue Business in Society Handbook when it is published in December 2026.