Case Study: Adobe empowers employees to lead $3.8M in grantmaking and boost engagement with Benevity

How Adobe Engages Employees to Lead Their Grantmaking Program

Adobe, a multinational computer software company, wanted to broaden the impact of its philanthropy by empowering employees to drive grantmaking, build skills, and strengthen brand reputation beyond the company’s core markets. To do this, Adobe partnered with Benevity and uses the Benevity Grants platform to run its Employee Community Fund, giving staff a direct role in deciding where corporate philanthropic dollars go.

Using Benevity, Adobe set up a three-step employee-led process—vote, invite, evaluate—enabling site-level voting, simple nonprofit invitations, and trained employee review panels. The program drove strong engagement: 50% of employees (over 12,000) voted in one day, about 1,000 nonprofits submitted proposals (300 more than the prior year), and 140 employees served on local panels. Last year Adobe’s employee grantmakers invested $3.8 million across 192 grants; survey results showed 88% gained transferable skills, 97% felt proud to work at Adobe, and 85% are more likely to engage with the community—outcomes delivered via the Benevity platform.

Adobe

Kim Kerry - Tyerman

Senior Manager, Brand Purpose (CSR)