Advocate for Highly Effective Philanthropy

We help excellent domestic enterprises, individuals and families to engage in charity, and aim to improve the effectiveness and influence of public welfare resources so as to boost more meaningful changes.

Corporate Citizenship in Action (CCiA), founded in 2008, is a leading philanthropy consulting company that provides services for Fortune Global 500, unicorn companies, foundations, international organizations and community leaders in China.We work to advocate corporate citizenship, optimize philanthropic resources and expand their influence. 

As a pioneer in engaging enterprises into philanthropy, we are the first Chinese initiator of ‘venture philanthropy’ and have guided enterprises towards innovative ways to practice corporate social responsibilities (CSR). We have facilitated Lenovo Venture Philanthropy, Master Kong Philanthropic Projects Competition, Intel Cinnovate, and China Merchants Award of Poverty Alleviationamong other renowned strategic public welfare projects.

The company links enterprises to the philanthropy though providing consulting services regarding philanthropic approach, project operation and voluntary service. Over the past decade, we have triggered an accumulative donation of 1.2 billion yuan, and introduced funding from private department to more than 1300 philanthropic organizations and social entrepreneurs.

We contributed to the establishment of Shanghai United Foundation, China Charity Fair, Information Sharing Mechanism of Chinese Environmental Grantmakers as part of our efforts towards higher effectiveness of resource distribution.

Currently based in Beijing, the company maintains healthy contact with philanthropic authorities at all levels, shares networks with the strategic partner, NPI, and cooperates with mainstream media and research institutes.

Our Story

CCiA was officially established in April, 2008 by several Chinese experts in CSR and public welfare, but our approach to effective philanthropy dated back as early as in May, 2006, when we had a primitive idea that we should persuade large-scale enterprises to shoulder proportionate social responsibilities.

We were inspired by Journal of Business Ethics, a periodical on CSR and sustainable business model listed as top 50 business publication by the Financial Times. The Journal annually published a list of 100 enterprises with good CSR practices. Sadly, however, Chinese enterprises was never on the list. That was the early 21st century, when foreign companies were expanding in China and Chinese enterprises were trying to adapt to market economy.

30 years after the Reform and Opening Up, it was first put forward in Regulations on Foundation Administration to develop non-public funds, which enabled enterprises and individuals to further engage in charity. At the same time, the seed of CSR started to be planted in China and people realized that philanthropy was the link between enterprises and the society. Under this circumstance, CCiA made use of the resources as a strategic partner of the British company, Corporate Citizenship, and the only Chinese advocate recognized by London Benchmarking Group (LBG), and started to introduce performance management into philanthropy. After years of research and practice, we have harvested experience to integrate enterprises with philanthropic organizations and to expand the influence of philanthropy.

Since 2014, as the public's awareness, enthusiasm and participation in philanthropy continue to rise, with annual social donations exceeding 100 billion yuan becoming the norm, and philanthropy entering the era of the rule of law after the promulgation of the Charity Law, CCiA has begun to explore a systematic and more effective philanthropy model to accelerate the performance and impact of the allocation and use of philanthropic resources. Through active practice, advocation of concepts such as effective philanthropic, catalytic philanthropy, grantmakers’ information sharing etc., and launch of a series of research reports, CCiA has determined its own value contribution and business approach. In 2018, after 10 years of exploration, CCiA announced its own positioning: a facilitator of highly effective philanthropy, capable of providing philanthropy consultation for corporations and corporate foundations, while aiming at advising for personal and family philanthropy.

After the 10th meeting of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs in 2021, it has become a top priority of Chinese society to leverage the third distribution of philanthropy and to promote high quality development of the philanthropy sector. Against this backdrop of positive social environment, CCiA has advocated the Corporate Philanthropy Impact Toolkit, launched the "Report on Major Gifts Received by University Foundations in China", promoted the practice of collaborative philanthropy in China, and continued to refine its philanthropic consulting expertise. With 15 years of experience in philanthropy consulting, CCiA is still on its way to become a better "highly effective philanthropy facilitator," and to provide consulting services to those who are genuinely concerned about social development.