New development: Can existing frameworks protect the social mission when purpose meets profit?

IMPACTThis article is addressed to nonprofit managers, foundation trustees, charity regulators and policy-makers responsible for co-production frameworks. As third sector organizations increasingly enter partnerships under public funding contracts with private actors to deliver essential social services, the risk of mission drift and social-washing is growing. This article identifies the accountability gap at the heart of these arrangements and draws on evidence from Italian social co-operatives, university–industry research partnerships and cultural institutions to argue that existing governance frameworks lack mechanisms to detect or prevent mission drift before it becomes embedded in organizational practice. The findings are relevant to any practitioner or regulator seeking to strengthen accountability mechanisms before partnership agreements are signed, not after the damage is done.