Corporate philanthropy in Australia: Evidence from Australia's top 100 listed firms

The article examines the philanthropic activity of Australia’s top 100 listed firms on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) for a 10-year period 2007–16 inclusive. There has been much discussion concerning the incidence of philanthropic activity by individuals. In contrast, there has been little research undertaken which investigates the incidence of philanthropic activity at the corporate level. The article aims to shed light on this important area and to demonstrate that corporate activity in the philanthropic field has been growing over the past decade. Interestingly, the empirical evidence shows that a number of listed firms across diverse sectors in Australia have been prominent in undertaking philanthropic activity. Some companies have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in philanthropy over a number of years. The programs are sophisticated, entrenched and provide considerable benefits to regional and urban communities located throughout Australia.