Hungary

Introduction to Philanthropy Research in Hungary

By Marton Gero

Research on philanthropy in Hungary has been conducted only sporadically over the past two decades. The most recent comprehensive population study dates from 2004 and used a broad understanding of philanthropy that included monetary and in-kind donations to civil society organisations and churches, contributions to public institutions, and direct assistance to people in need. That study found that almost half of the adult population made in-kind donations and more than 60% contributed financially.

The Hungarian Central Statistical Office is the only institution that publishes consistent annual information relevant to philanthropy. Its nonprofit-organisation surveys provide data on organisational income, private donations and grants distributed by foundations and other grantmaking organisations. However, the available statistics often do not distinguish between donations from individuals, businesses and other organisations.

Interest in philanthropy has nevertheless increased. Nonprofit and commercial organisations have commissioned surveys on giving habits, willingness to donate and public attitudes towards charitable causes. A Hungarian Red Cross survey conducted in 2023 found that almost 60% of respondents had donated: approximately two-thirds gave money and one-third provided in-kind support. Only 19% described themselves as regular donors.

Research by the HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences and TÁRKI provides additional insights through studies of political participation, social integration and solidarity with refugees and migrants. These studies often capture informal help and direct individual support rather than giving through established philanthropic organisations.

The Nonprofit Information and Education Centre, known as NIOK, is an important actor in research and fundraising practice. It commissioned a nationwide survey on individual giving in 2023 and operates adjukossze.hu, Hungary’s largest crowdfunding and micro-donation platform. Platform data are increasingly used to examine donation frequency, campaign performance and repeat giving.

EffekTeam, formerly known as the Hungarian Philanthropic Forum, conducts research on corporate social responsibility, environmental, social and governance practices, corporate philanthropy and corporate volunteering. Its work generally refers to philanthropy as corporate social investment and covers both financial and non-financial forms of business engagement.

Hungary also operates a personal income-tax designation system under which taxpayers can allocate 1% of their income tax to eligible public-benefit organisations. This mechanism is an important source of nonprofit-sector funding, but it is not classified as philanthropy because the funds originate from taxation rather than from additional voluntary contributions.

Overview of Giving in Hungary

Giving by individuals

Population surveys provide the main information on individual giving, but the results vary significantly according to question wording and the types of recipients included.

Representative surveys found that 8% of adults reported donating to a civil society organisation in 2017. This fell to 3% in surveys conducted in 2018 and 2021. The difference may partly reflect changes in the questionnaire, as the later studies combined civil society and political organisations in the same question.

A nationwide survey commissioned by NIOK in 2023 found much higher participation when giving was defined more broadly. Approximately 65% of Hungarians reported providing financial assistance to a person or organisation during the preceding year. Thirty-six per cent donated to civil society organisations, while 15% supported church-based organisations. These categories may overlap.

Women were slightly more likely than men to donate to civil society organisations, at 38% compared with 35%. People under 40 and over 60 were more likely to give than those aged between 40 and 59. Education had the strongest relationship with donation behaviour: the likelihood of giving, particularly to civil society organisations, increased markedly with educational attainment.

Healthcare and education were considered the causes most deserving of donations, followed closely by animal welfare, social welfare and environmental protection. Culture, human rights, sport and religion received lower priority ratings.

Most donations are made infrequently and involve relatively small amounts. Forty-five per cent of respondents reported giving no more than two or three times per year, while only 20% donated more than three times annually. Half of donors gave less than €7 per donation.

A separate survey conducted in late 2024 found that 35% of respondents occasionally made financial or in-kind contributions to organisations, while 18% specifically supported organisations working with people in need. The Hungarian Red Cross and the Maltese Charity Service were recognised by almost the entire population and had received donations from approximately 40% of respondents.

Giving increases substantially during emergencies. Following the 2010 red-sludge disaster, charitable organisations and the government collected HUF 763 million within two months. In early 2024, a campaign supporting homeless young people raised HUF 219 million in six days.

During the displacement crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, 23% of Hungarian adults made in-kind donations, 23% contributed financially and 2% provided accommodation. Overall, 40% offered some form of assistance. These responses demonstrate a strong capacity for crisis mobilisation, although regular and institutionalised giving remains less developed.

Crowdfunding is becoming a more important channel. Between November 2016 and May 2023, 229 civil society organisations ran 367 campaigns on adjukossze.hu. The platform recorded 42,466 donation events and at least 15,295 donors.

Social causes represented 36% of campaigns and received 37% of recorded donation events. Education accounted for 19% of campaigns but 9% of donations. Animal protection represented 7% of campaigns and 11% of donations, while sport received only 0.2% of donation events.

The average platform donation was approximately €12.40. Total contributions over the observed period amounted to around €526,000. Repeat donations accounted for 73% of donation events, although three-quarters of identified donors gave only once and just 13% donated more than three times.

The 1% income-tax designation system

Although the 1% system is not classified as philanthropy, it is an important source of support for Hungarian civil society. Taxpayers may direct 1% of their personal income tax to an eligible organisation without making an additional payment.

In 2022, 1.44 million taxpayers designated approximately €27.97 million. Participation increased to 1.81 million taxpayers and €40.13 million in 2023. In 2024, 1.77 million designations generated approximately €43.84 million.

The mechanism is excluded from estimates of private philanthropic giving because it reallocates public tax revenue. It nevertheless contributes substantially to the financial sustainability and public visibility of civil society organisations.

Bequest giving

No systematic national data are available on charitable bequests in Hungary. Bequests are not separately identified in the principal population surveys or Central Statistical Office datasets used to measure private donations.

The absence of regular information makes it impossible to estimate the number, value or distribution of charitable bequests or to assess whether legacy giving is increasing.

Corporate giving

Information on corporate philanthropy is particularly limited. Available evidence comes primarily from small corporate studies and surveys of recipient civil society organisations rather than from comprehensive company-level financial data.

A 2020 EffekTeam study examined social investment among 15 large companies. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, a slight majority had increased the resources allocated to social causes and expected to continue doing so. Corporate volunteering and pro bono services were also becoming more common. During the pandemic, however, half of the companies reduced their contributions and only one-third increased them.

Children and disadvantaged groups were the most frequently supported beneficiaries, followed by older people and residents of small towns. Civil society organisations were the principal recipients, with 12 of the 15 companies reporting partnerships with nonprofit organisations.

A 2024 survey of 491 civil society organisations found that 41% had received donations from companies, foundations or other organisations. Larger organisations were substantially more likely to receive this support: the share ranged from 26% among organisations with annual income below €1,250 to 62% among those with revenue above €125,000.

Among organisations identifying particular social issues as important, donations from companies and other organisations generally represented between 20% and 25% of their 2023 budgets. The likelihood of receiving organisational donations varied relatively little by field of activity.

Because organisational donations include contributions from corporations, domestic and international foundations and other institutions, these figures cannot be used to calculate a separate national total for corporate giving.

Foundations and grantmaking organisations

The Hungarian Central Statistical Office publishes annual information on organisations that distribute financial and in-kind grants. Its data distinguish between support given to organisations and individuals, although some categories have no longer been separately reported since 2009.

In 2023, 6,504 organisations made financial grants to organisations or individuals, compared with 7,794 in 2017. When organisations making either financial or in-kind contributions are included, the number declined from 9,979 in 2017 to 7,780 in 2023.

The value of financial donations to organisations and individuals increased from approximately €668.5 million in 2017 to €1.150 billion in 2023. Financial contributions directed specifically to organisations rose from €564.4 million to €1.104 billion.

Including in-kind giving, grants to organisations and individuals amounted to approximately €1.245 billion in 2023. Of this amount, around €1.176 billion was directed to organisations.

Financial donations have become increasingly dominant. Their share of all financial and in-kind grants rose from 82% in 2018 to 92% in 2023. For grants directed specifically to organisations, the share has remained close to 90%.

These figures cover a broad group of grant-distributing organisations and do not isolate giving derived from foundation endowments. They may also include resources originating from individuals, businesses, government or international donors. The amounts therefore cannot be treated as a pure estimate of independent foundation philanthropy.

Charity lotteries

No separate national system of private charity lotteries is documented in the available Hungarian data. Lottery-related funding is not presented as an independent category of private philanthropic contributions.

Conclusion

Hungary does not currently have sufficiently disaggregated data to produce a reliable consolidated estimate across individuals, bequests, corporations, foundations and charity lotteries.

Source

Gero, M. (2026). Philanthropy in Hungary. In B. Hoolwerf & J. Vamstad (Eds.), Philanthropy in Europe: Mapping Research and Data on Donations by Households, Bequests, Foundations, Corporations and Charity Lotteries (pp. 129–142). European Research Network on Philanthropy.

You can download the full publication here: Philanthropy in Europe.