CSR Trends in India for 2026: What CSR Leaders Should Know
More than a decade of mandated CSR has changed the sector. Eight trends for 2026: multi-year programmes, impact assessment, underserved geographies and more.
India's mandatory CSR regime is now more than a decade old. Total CSR spending reached about ₹40,794 crore in FY 2024-25, roughly four times the first year's figure, according to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Here are the trends shaping CSR in 2026.
1. From projects to programmes
Companies are moving from one-year projects to multi-year programmes, helped by the ongoing-project rules and the Unspent CSR Account (see unspent CSR rules).
2. Impact assessment goes mainstream
Mandatory impact assessment for larger spenders is pushing the sector from outputs to outcomes (see outcomes vs outputs).
3. Attention on underserved geographies
CSR remains concentrated in a few industrial states. Companies, PSUs and governments are paying more attention to aspirational districts and to states like Bihar, where per-capita CSR is lowest (see CSR in Bihar).
4. Collaboratives and pooled funding
More companies are co-investing to reach scale (see pooled CSR funding).
5. Climate and resilience
Climate adaptation, including flood and heat resilience, water security and climate-smart farming, is rising up CSR agendas (see CSR for flood resilience).
6. Technology for monitoring
Live dashboards, mobile data collection and geo-tagged photos are making CSR more transparent and easier to audit.
7. Stronger partner due diligence
CSR-1 registration is now the baseline. Companies look closely at governance, finances and field capacity (see our due diligence checklist).
8. Government convergence
The most effective programmes align with public missions and work through government systems (see working with state governments).
What this means for CSR leaders
The question is shifting from "how much did we spend?" to "what did we change, and where?" Companies that answer it well will lead the next decade of CSR. Talk to Orvys about building a programme for that future.
