As we look to refresh our approach to philanthropy this year, many of us are asking familiar questions: Where should we focus our giving? How do we invest for long-term impact? Which trends will shape the future of our communities? Increasingly, the answers to these questions hinge on one group—America’s teens and young adults.
Recent findings from Pew Research Center offer a timely lens into how the next generation is navigating a rapidly evolving world. Shaped by technological acceleration, pandemic disruption, and shifting social norms, young people today are growing up under conditions that differ profoundly from those of earlier generations. They are not a single, unified cohort—but together, their choices will influence civic life, workforce readiness, family systems, and community wellbeing for decades to come.
For donors, nonprofits, and advisors, the first quarter of a new year is an ideal moment to align philanthropic strategy with the realities young people are actually experiencing.
Technology Is Not a Backdrop—It’s Infrastructure
For today’s young adults, technology is not an addon to daily life; it is the infrastructure through which they learn, connect, and engage with society. For instance, Pew’s research shows that young adults are less likely than older generations to follow the news closely through traditional channels, and more likely to encounter—and trust—news on social media.
For philanthropy, this has significant implications. Civic participation, media literacy, and democracybuilding efforts must increasingly meet young people where they are. Funding models that rely on legacy institutions or legacy communications strategies may struggle to reach younger audiences unless they evolve.
At the same time, this shift creates opportunity. Social platforms can amplify the voice of younger generations, foster peer-to-peer learning, and support grassroots movements. Strategic philanthropy can play a role in strengthening trustworthy information ecosystems and equipping young people with the skills to navigate digital spaces thoughtfully rather than abandoning those spaces altogether.
Education, Gender and Unequal Pressures
Pew’s data also surfaces stark differences in how boys and girls experience adolescence, particularly in schools. Teen perceptions suggest that girls are more likely to earn higher grades, while boys face different academic and social challenges. These patterns raise important questions for donors supporting education, mentoring, and workforce pipelines.
For nonprofits working with youth, gender-responsive approaches are becoming essential—not ideologically, but pragmatically. Effective interventions must reflect how pressures, motivations, and barriers differ across students. Philanthropic advisors can help donors ensure their education portfolios account for these nuances, rather than assuming uniform outcomes across populations.
This data invites funders to reassess whether their education strategies are designed for the realities young people face today—or for learning mechanisms that no longer fully exists.
Interestingly, in our own research of how Millennials and Gen Z give, we found some differences based on gender. On the whole, women are more likely than men to give in an effort to make an impactful change to a cause and demonstrate their family’s values. Men, on the other hand, are more likely than women to use giving as a means of creating or continuing a legacy.
Rethinking Community and Belonging
Another finding with philanthropic implications concerns religion and identity. Despite public speculation, Pew finds little evidence of a broad religious revival among young adults. Instead, affiliation continues to decline, while sense of purpose and belonging take more varied, less institutional forms.
For donors invested in community cohesion, this shift matters. Traditional institutions no longer serve as the primary anchor for many young people’s sense of purpose. Community is increasingly built through personal and professional networks, shared causes, and hybrid online-offline spaces.
Philanthropy has a role to play in supporting these new forms of connection—whether through arts, service, advocacy, or place-based initiatives—while recognizing that belonging may look different for younger generations than it did in the past.
Mental Health in a Digital World
Few issues loom larger for families and communities than youth mental health. Pew reports that nearly half of teens now say social media has a mostly negative effect on people their age, and more say they spend too much time online than just a few years ago. Yet teens also continue to value these platforms for creativity and connection.
This complexity presents both a challenge and a call to action for philanthropy. Simplistic solutions—such as treating technology solely as a harm—risk missing the full picture. Instead, funders and nonprofits are increasingly called to support mental health strategies that are realistic, youth informed, and culturally relevant.
As philanthropic organizations plan for the year ahead, investments in youth wellbeing must reflect this nuance: supporting healthy digital habits, strengthening family and social supports, and expanding access to mental health resources that resonate with young people’s lived experiences.
A Call for Listening, Not Assumptions
Perhaps the most important takeaway from Pew’s work is not a single data point, but an approach. Young people’s experiences are diverse, evolving, and deeply shaped by forces that older generations did not encounter in the same way. Effective philanthropy in the years ahead will depend on replacing assumptions with listening.
For donors, that may mean asking harder questions about who is shaping program design. For nonprofits, it may mean elevating youth voices as partners rather than beneficiaries. For advisors, it means helping clients align giving strategies with credible data about where young people truly are—not where we expect them to be. If you’re looking for ideas on ways to reframe messaging and engagement strategies that resonate with these younger cohorts, check out our report.
As we map out the year ahead, one question stands out: How can philanthropy move beyond concern for the next generation to collaboration with them?
The future will not wait. But with clearer insight, thoughtful investment, and a willingness to adapt, philanthropy can help ensure that the next generation—and the communities they will lead—begin on stronger footing.
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