Holiday Gift Guide 2025: Gifts That Give Back

Perfect for the do-gooder in your life, here are nine ideas for stylish, well-made gifts that give back.

Above: For the chicest bohemian you know: Add some color back into gray mornings with Block Shop’s Pajama Set ($175) in Kingfisher Stripe. Hand block-printed by fifth-generation master printers in Jaipur, each set is made from 100 percent cotton and features an elastic waistband for a comfortable night’s sleep. Five percent of profits from Block Shop are donated to community initiatives in LA and India, including local NGOs that provide educational and healthcare resources. Above: We first spotted baskets and lampshades from Mifuko at Lost & Found. Born out of a collaboration between two Finnish designers and artisans living in rural Kenya, each piece from Mifuko is woven by hand using traditional techniques. The company utilizes the Living Wage Ladder tool from the WFTO and invests in the local artisans and communities who produce their projects. With an elegant, fluted shape and open weaving pattern, the Kiondo Open Lamp Shade ($135), designed for use with pendant lights, diffuses light softly. Above: We’ve long admired NYC-based knitwear company Lingua Franca’s commitment to natural materials and sustainable production—and we especially love their Give a Damn collection, sweaters embroidered with slogans meant to “spark conversation,” according to their website. A portion of proceeds from each design is donated to a specified nonprofit. We especially love this Be Truthful, Not Neutral Crewneck: 10 percent of each purchase is donated to the Committee to Protect Journalists. It’s made from 100 percent cashmere and hand-stitched at their atelier in NYC; $380. Above: Ceramicist Helen Levi donates 50 percent of proceeds from her Do Good Mug to a rotating charity; currently, it’s Bushwick City Farms, “who are supporting migrants without access to basic human needs including food, housing, clothing, and access to showers.” The mugs are $64 for the traditional size and $76 for the giant. Above: For the home cook whose kitchen skews towards the artisanal: Alice Waters’ famous egg spoon, available from her daughter Fanny Singer’s shop Permanent Collection. Hand-forged from iron by master blacksmith Shawn Lovell, the Original Egg Spoon ($325) has an extra-long handle and is designed to cook a single egg over an open flame (as Alice famously does in her home kitchen). Five percent of each spoon purchase is donated to The Edible Schoolyard Project, founded by Alice in 1995. Above: Proceeds from the World Central Kitchen Cookbook ($35) support the World Central Kitchen’s urgent work feeding communities in crisis. With recipes inspired by the many locales that relief workers travel to, the cookbook also contains stories from the volunteers, chefs, and communities served. Above: Darn Tough is your favorite outdoorsy person’s favorite sock brand—and with good reason. Their socks are made to last, and the Vermont-based company will send a new pair out to you if your socks “expire” before their time. These sweet Farmer’s Market Crew Socks ($24) are part of Darn Tough’s Knit-to-Give collection: 5 percent of proceeds from each sock purchase are donated to the Vermont Foodbank. Above: Tbco donates a portion of all proceeds to do good: Two percent of every purchase “supports positive impact charities,” they say. We like the Recycled Wool Blankets, available in a slew of warming colorways and patterns (e.g. “Wine Gingham,” shown); currently on sale for $138. Above: We’ve been fans of Oakland-based arts nonprofit Creative Growth for years: The organization fosters growth and inclusion of artists with developmental disabilities in the contemporary art world, providing materials, studio space, and gallery representation. To support their studio operations, Creative Growth produces limited collections designed in collaboration with their artists. This Playing Card Deck ($15), designed by artist Alice Wong, is perfect for the gin rummy player in your life.

P.S. Need more ideas? See Gifts That Give Back, 2023 Edition, for a list of places to donate.