Corporate social responsibility and non-profit corporate foundations: a systematic literature review (2015-2025)

This study presents a systematic literature review (SLR) on non-profit corporate foundations as the implementation strategies of corporate social responsibility (CSR), in particular the analysis is aimed at finding how these hybrid organizations create value and impact. Using Scopus and limiting the analysis to the period 2015-2025, the review identifies 45 peer-reviewed articles published in ABS-ranked journals (levels 2-4*). The selected studies were coded into three main themes: (1) Stakeholder engagement and organizational performance, (2) Sustainability and ethical governance and (3) Value creation through social initiatives. The paper proposes a comparative examination of the characteristics of CSR as a corporate strategy and as institutionalised through corporate foundations, using key dimensions of analysis. The results show that, although research on CSR is extensive, the role of corporate foundations in this direction deserves further exploration, opening the way to further studies