EFC 30th Anniversary

A special event celebrating 30 years of the EFC will take place from 6-7 November at Brussels’ cultural and artistic hub, Bozar, just a few minutes’ walk from Philanthropy House.

This invitation-only event will be the pinnacle of the 30^th birthday celebrations which have taken place throughout 2019, and will specifically draw on content from the specially commissioned blog series of posts from some of the most influential thought-leaders on philanthropy. Rather than a nostalgic meander through the EFC’s history, the blog posts have given priceless insights into what the EFC and the philanthropy sector must do (better) along the road that lies ahead. We are proud of our past, but even more excited about our future!

The two days will take shape as follows:

Wednesday 6 November

The first day will include the launch of the EFC’s 30th anniversary book, featuring a selection of 30 of the aforementioned blogs, and a chance to discuss the themes with your peers and network with the delegations from Chinese and Russian philanthropy at BOZAR, our anniversary venue and one of Brussels’ most known cultural and artistic hubs. A birthday isn’t a birthday without a party, and our evening full of surprises will be 1989-themed!

Thursday 7 November

The second day’s programme, which is from 09.00-15.30 will include three sessions based on some of the main threads of the blog series and book:

• ‘Wake up Philanthropy – Gearing up for the next 30 years’ is a call to arms for the sector and will look at why, with climate change and so many other urgent global challenges, philanthropy cannot afford to be on the sidelines, and why the next 30 years needs to start now.
• The 2019 Raymond Georis Debate: ‘Re-imagining the philanthropy infrastructure’ will look at why getting philanthropy’s architecture right is going to be key to the sector’s ability to create real impact and change
• ‘Foundations and the new zeitgeist – Transitioning in a new era’ will address the evolving paradigms philanthropy is taking and the ever greater need to collaborate and broaden horizons to meet today’s and tomorrow’s challenges

The event is open to EFC Members and Affiliated Partners only.