Future 500

06/11/2026

See our June update on some emerging trends that may shape corporate priorities in 2027.

It's been a great couple of months for the Future 500 community. From a rich two-day gathering in San Francisco — the city of our birth — to a thought-provoking virtual session with NYU Professor Alison Taylor on what stakeholder engagement really means, we're facilitating timely conversations c...

04/21/2026

Last week, our CEO, Erik Wohlgemuth, was in San Francisco for the annual Fete celebrating Pacific Forest Trust (PFT), for which Erik is proud to serve on its board.

For the past 30 years, PFT has been a leader in private forest conservation in the U.S., pioneering approaches that demonstrate forest communities can achieve more sustainable economic and ecological outcomes by collaborating with nature to balance ecosystem health and working-forest economies.

As a true trailblazer, PFT has demonstrated that protecting biodiversity, safeguarding watersheds, and sequestering carbon should not come at the expense of rural communities and sustainable timber production. Through landmark conservation easements, groundbreaking climate solutions, and collaborative stewardship models, they've shown the nation what it looks like when forests thrive — and so do the people who depend on them. 🌲

03/31/2026

Our VP Brendon Steele was honored to host three philanthropic leaders at CERAWeek in Houston for how a discussion on how climate and environmental philanthropy is evolving this year and beyond:

- Marilu Hastings, Executive Vice President, The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation

- Kimberly Karol, APR, CFRE, IPA Karol, Head of Development, Global Methane Hub

- Randall Kempner, Founding Executive Director, Climate Philanthropy Catalyst Coalition (CPCC)

While the climate field faces significant headwinds from political scrutiny to changing policymaker priorities, the panelists underscored the opportunities to build trust between civil society and industry to help advance durable solutions—sharing examples right in the heart of Texas, and also accelerating progress on methane emissions—alongside the need for more climate philanthropy to enter the field in order to tackle the scale of the challenge.

We were encouraged at the level of interest in this discussion at CERAWeek, and hope to continue forward the dialogue and relationships we made there. And our deep appreciation to Marilu, Kimberly, and Randall for joining us!

03/18/2026

While we at Future 500 continue to see a lot of value in the term "stakeholder engagement," Alison Taylor's nuanced piece in Trellis Group today highlights several important pitfalls and shortcomings we've seen in companies' stakeholder efforts. It's an important read for anyone tasked with an external stakeholder function—to consider the deeper why, as well as questions around stakeholder definitions, prioritization, objectives, and how to genuinely incorporate feedback. Perhaps most important to ensure success? That companies exercise "some practical curiosity over the impact of your business decisions on real human beings."

One additional item to add, from Future 500's perspective: Most companies have systems or well-established models to follow for engaging traditional stakeholders—that is, employees, governments, communities, media, investors, and suppliers. Where they often fall short is in understanding so-called "non-traditional" stakeholders, such as civil society advocates (like NGOs and SRIs) and their funders—including those across the political left and right—who mobilize issue campaigns that can materially impact a company and its sector financially and reputationally. To navigate a world of rising, unpredictable risks of political and legal reprisal, what will separate companies is their ability to synthesize external, cross-partisan stakeholder perspectives. These systems require companies to be adept at earning and maintaining relationship capital built on trust, enabling them to see around the corner, anticipate emerging risks before their competitors, and take proactive steps aligned with their critical stakeholders to turn risks that threaten the business into opportunities to build shareholder value. If you want to learn more, our team is happy to connect.

This observation and Professor Taylor's great points all speak to the need for each company to clearly define what stakeholder engagement is to them. And, we recommend her book, Higher Ground: How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World.

Alison Taylors full article:

The vague term is undermining sustainability's credibility.

02/24/2026

🚀 Out Now: The Force For Good Forecast 2026
The rules of corporate engagement are shifting. As we enter 2026, the "virtuous race-to-the-top" has been replaced by a landscape of high political volatility, "greenhushing," and a sharp pivot toward supply chain, financial, and community resilience.

We’ve spent the last year tracking the social, environmental, and political currents that will define corporate risk and opportunity. Today, we are proud to release our Force For Good Forecast 2026, mapping the 10 trends companies need to watch.

🔎Some of what’s inside this year?
- Climate Resilience is the New Mitigation: Why "storm preparedness" and financial risk are replacing "carbon footprints" in the bipartisan conversation.
- The Energy Affordability Crisis: Data centers are the new symbol of the energy crunch. If your project makes a neighbor’s bill soar, expect a challenge.
- The Politics of Nature: Nature is hyper-local. Securing a "social license" now requires deep, place-based trust, not just a permit.
- The Responsible AI Gap: With fewer than 1% of companies having mature AI governance, civil society is mobilizing to close the gap.

In a year where "greenhushing" is becoming a survival strategy, the most resilient companies won't be the ones staying silent, they’ll be the ones building durable, trust-based relationships behind the scenes. Success in 2026 will be determined community by community, project by project, and relationship by relationship.

Whether you are navigating a fragmented plastics activism landscape, evolving human rights accountability, or the controversy of new carbon accounting protocols, the 2026 Forecast provides the roadmap for navigating this year of volatility.

(full report link in comments)

02/17/2026

The economic divide is widening, and AI is the new accelerator.

Recent headlines tell a stark story: Corporate profits and valuations are soaring, but the rewards are shifting heavily toward capital over labor. As AI moves from augmenting tasks to automating them, the "Responsible AI Gap" is becoming a critical business risk.

In a world of "greenhushing" and rapid technological shifts, companies chasing speed alone risk losing more than just compliance, they risk losing public trust and long-term resilience.

In our 2026 Force For Good Forecast we take a look at "The Responsible AI Gap" and explore how boards must evolve their governance to keep pace with innovation while protecting workers, communities, and society.

Read the sneak peek on our blog and keep an eye out for our full Forecast of this years top 10 most notable social and environmental advocacy trends. It's coming your way soon!

Read the full teaser on our blog:

A sneak peek article from our 2026 Force for Good Forecast, The Responsible Ai Gap. Stay tuned for the full Forecast!

12/16/2025

At Future 500, we foster constructive engagement between companies and advocates to tackle critical environmental and social challenges. For over a decade, our intimate Corporate Working Groups (part of our Corporate Affinity Network - CAN) have provided a confidential space, under Chatham House Rule, for candid discussions, best practice sharing, and reducing barriers to collaboration. We empower delegates to actively engage, speak up, and ask tough questions.

We're excited to welcome Amy Brachio, CEO of Carbon Measures, to our upcoming Corporate Working Group, January 27-28 in Houston, Texas.

Amy will introduce Carbon Measures, a new initiative advancing a "ledger-based" carbon accounting framework to accurately track emissions across the entire value chain. This could significantly impact established standards like the GHG Protocol and global investments in low-carbon solutions. Amy will share her vision for collaborating with peers, industry, and investors to achieve meaningful emissions reductions.

Join Amy and other experts covering methane, plastic pollution, and corporate climate resilience. Our events are capped at 25 people, designed for authentic dialogue and peer support.

Is your corporation ready to gain insights into cutting-edge initiatives and collaborate with a network of committed peers?

👉Learn more about Future 500 and our Corporate Affinity Network (CAN):

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

12/03/2025

Our final Corporate Affinity Network (CAN) virtual convening of 2025 is coming up on December 5th.

Tensie Whelan, Founding Director of NYU Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business, will be joining us to walk through the Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI) Framework. As ESG faces new political and legal headwinds, this session will spotlight practical ways companies translate sustainability into cost savings, risk reduction, and new market value — from pollution cuts to circular supply chains.

Our Corporate Affinity Network (CAN) virtual and in-person meetings are an ideal space to learn from experts, share tactics with peer sustainability leaders, and sharpen strategies for constructive engagement and long-term resilience.

Interested in joining CAN or want more details? Contact Gleeson Ryan: [email protected].

11/17/2025

🚀 Join us on December 5th for our final network-wide convening of the year! We're excited to host Tensie Whelan, Distinguished Professor of Practice at NYU and Founding Director of the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business, who will present an insightful overview of the Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI) Framework.

As ESG continues to face political and legal challenges, corporate leaders are refining their strategies—highlighting the financial benefits of sustainability investments. From pollution reduction to circular supply chains, multinationals are innovating to lower costs and unlock new market opportunities.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from Tensie Whelan’s expertise in driving sustainability-linked value creation, corporate governance, and evolving consumer expectations.

🗓️ When: Friday, December 5th @ 12:30pm ET / 9:30am PT
📍 Where: Virtual (F500 CAN Meeting)
💡 Topic: The Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI) Framework

To learn more and register go to:

With ESG subject to rising political and legal risk, corporate leaders are staying the course but shifting their nomenclature and sharpening their business case to convey the financially material benefit of sustainability-related investments.

10/31/2025

Missed our initial announcement about our next CAN Virtual? Don't worry, there’s still time to register to join us on November 13th!

This is a great opportunity to join us as we look back on our Force for Good Forecast 2025. We'll reflect on how our predictions have held up, see how the trends are unfolding, and hear your thoughts on whether we’re on the right track.

Remember, the discussion will be under Chatham House Rule to encourage open and honest dialogue. We value your insights and look forward to having you involved.

🔗 Want to learn more and save your spot: Email [email protected]

Join us as we continue exploring these important topics, together.