From Donor to Partner – How the Bikuben Foundation is embracing mission-driven systems change in philanthropy
Section
Case in Brief
The issue
Many of the societal challenges we face are complex, interconnected and require collective approaches. Addressing root causes effectively depends on evolving the power dynamics between funders and grantees to encourage greater collaboration and alignment. Focusing on shared missions and futures thinking, and taking collective responsibility, can lead to more lasting societal change.
The context
Foundations often focus on specific areas, limiting their ability to address complex issues such as youth homelessness, a growing problem in Denmark and other countries. While recent reforms have started reversing the trend, homelessness remains a critical issue. Tackling its root causes requires collaboration across civil society, government, businesses and investors.
The path forward
Achieving lasting impact requires moving beyond organisational logic to align efforts toward shared goals. Futures thinking, which focuses on the long term, provides a framework for reimagining collaboration between funders and partners, and placing missions – rather than organisations – at the centre. By focusing on shared responsibility and systemic challenges, this mission-driven approach fosters sustainable, meaningful change.
The Bikuben Foundation: A Snapshot
Primarily active in Denmark and in Greenland, the Bikuben Foundation’s role is to catalyse systemic change. Established in 1857 as Sparekassen Bikuben to support Copenhagen’s working classes, the foundation has evolved through mergers and takeovers. With a mission-driven approach, the foundation supports innovative, high-quality, and sustainable solutions by engaging a variety of stakeholders around common goals. It focuses on the fields of performing and visual arts, biodiversity and young people aged 13 to 30 who face significant social challenges or are marginalised.
Mindset
- Enabling systems change
- Mission-driven strategy
- “Do-tank”, experiments and lab-based approaches
- Learning as mindset and culture
- Sustainability as foundational element
- Sharing as up-scaling strategy
Overview
Guided by a vision for a better future, the Bikuben Foundation focuses on systemic change. One critical area for the foundation is eradicating homelessness among young people in Denmark. Moving beyond short-term solutions, the foundation emphasises long-term strategies that address the root causes of issues by developing collaborative frameworks across municipalities, civil society, and other stakeholders, and aligning resources with specific societal missions. This holistic approach has led to tangible, lasting impacts, including a reduction in homelessness in Denmark and increased influence on national policymaking.
Challenge
The Bikuben Foundation addresses the entrenched issue of youth homelessness in Denmark, focusing on supporting marginalised young people who struggle with social and mental health challenges. According to the mapping Home for All Alliance in Denmark, the Danish Centre for Social Research and Analysis 2024, there are 1,577 homeless individuals aged 18 to 29 in Denmark, making up 27% of the total homeless population. Root causes include disadvantaged family backgrounds; “dual diagnosis” of mental illness and substance abuse; housing insecurity; inadequate support systems; and economic challenges.
These individuals often face exclusion from education, employment and stable housing, putting them at risk of long-term vulnerability. The foundation works to prevent this by co-creating solutions with young people, fostering collaboration across sectors, and tackling the root causes of their difficulties.
Simultaneously, the foundation recognises the transformative power of art to stimulate reflection, debate and insight. By supporting innovation in the performing and visual arts; fostering artistic development; and promoting dialogue among artists, institutions and decision-makers, the foundation aims to contribute to both social change and cultural enrichment.
To get to where it is today, the Bikuben Foundation went through a journey of reflection and transformation. Eleven years ago, the funder’s approach was largely limited to providing grants for individual projects. While these initiatives often delivered meaningful results, it was challenging to see how they contributed to changing the larger context of the issues they sought to address. This sparked a critical re-evaluation of the foundation’s practices and a shift toward a more strategic and systemic funding approach.
To effectively tackle youth homelessness, the Bikuben Foundation shifted from a project-centred to a mission-driven approach, in line with the principles outlined in Four Network Principles for Collaboration Success. This approach emphasises the importance of a shared mission, open communication and trust among partners. By focusing on long-term goals rather than isolated projects, the foundation fosters deeper collaboration and coordination across sectors. This allows for the pooling of resources and collective expertise, as well as a more holistic response to the root causes of youth homelessness, ensuring sustainable and impactful systemic change.
A pivotal moment in this transformation came during site visits to the US, UK, and Canada, where Bikuben observed innovative models of collaboration and the power of working in alliances. Notably, its engagement with the Collective Impact Homelessness Alliance in Canada provided inspiration: This coalition-based approach demonstrated how foundations could work with other organisations to tackle complex, multi-sectoral challenges, such as homelessness, by addressing root causes through coordinated strategies.
The foundation’s strategy also naturally evolved at the level of the board, which shifted from decision-making on individual initiatives to strategic discussions. This shift was further shaped by the Home for All Alliance, where the board’s participation highlighted the importance of long-term commitment and systemic change. The alliance, which involved 22 cross-sector partners, fostered a more experimental and collaborative approach, allowing the board to see firsthand the impact of long-term commitment and systemic change.
A key aspect of this shift for Bikuben was the importance of transforming the traditional application process into a genuine opportunity for innovation and development. Instead of merely evaluating requests for funding, the foundation reimagined these interactions as collaborative dialogues, focusing on capacity building and empowering partners to drive systemic change. In this way, Bikuben could support partners not only through funding but also by adding value in other ways, even when they could not provide financial support directly, encouraging partners to innovate and strengthen their impact.
Approach
The foundation’s approach in the area of youth homelessness extends to all areas of its work. Bikuben realises its vision of being a systems change funder through an expansion of its philanthropy toolkit. Apart from being a grantmaker and donor, Bikuben works in alliances by putting the mission at the heart through providing capacity building to its partners; initiating labs and social impact investments; and engaging in advocacy efforts and stimulating public debates. Bikuben’s proactive approach to philanthropy has resulted in an intentional positioning of its role as a partner. It has embedded itself within the social fabric it seeks to transform by co-creating a physical community space, Thoravej 29, in Copenhagen where people and organisations of different backgrounds come together in a professional network for forward-thinking individuals and organisations that are shaping our present and future.
The foundation is also committed to genuine reflection and transparency in its relationships with partners. By embracing a culture of openness, Bikuben ensures that partners feel comfortable sharing both successes and challenges, fostering trust and collaboration. This commitment to transparency extends to how the foundation views itself. In the 2024 Stakeholder and Development Partner Analysis report, Bikuben is described as an “ambitious partner” but also as “dominant”. The foundation took this feedback seriously, reflecting on the power dynamics within its own operations and leading by example, recognising the need for change. Bikuben is now actively inviting other philanthropic organisations to reflect on these dynamics as well, encouraging a broader dialogue around power and collaboration in systemic change efforts.
In line with their forward-thinking approach, Bikuben has introduced the position of Chief Visionary Officer to oversee the foundation’s future direction and break down organisational silos. This role focuses on integrating foresight and futures thinking into the foundation’s strategy and operations, ensuring that both the foundation and its partners are prepared for long-term challenges. As part of this, Bikuben and 20 partners are launching SOON Lab for Possible Futures, which intends to build anticipatory capacities among its partners and communities in the fields it works in. And all this with a clear intention to embed the future and future generations through different voices, methods, labs, art and technology at the Thoravej 29 community’s physical space.
Experiment, learn, share is how the Bikuben Foundation operates. The foundation recognises that experimentation and learning are essential for driving long-term, transformative change. By showcasing alternatives and shifting mindsets, this work can inspire change at both national and political levels. A key part of its approach is working with MVPs (Minimum Viable Projects), which are used as testing grounds for new ideas and solutions. These projects serve as a platform for learning, where insights gained are fed back into future initiatives, creating a continuous cycle of improvement.
To facilitate learning loops and ensure that learning is not only shared but acted upon and feeds into strategic development, Bikuben launched a new position – the cross-organisational Director of Learning and Capacity Building – to facilitate lessons learned across both external and internal actors, experiments and initiatives. The intention is to ensure that learning helps define future action.
Results
National impact on homelessness
The Bikuben Foundation’s work within the “Home for All Alliance” has contributed significantly to shaping Denmark’s approach to homelessness, particularly among young adults. The “Home for All Alliance” is a multi-sector collaboration formed in 2016 by the Bikuben Foundation, Realdania, Helsefonden and the City of Copenhagen to address youth homelessness through the Housing First model, which offers housing with support services.
The alliance of 22 partner organisations, mobilised and supported by a backbone office, has been an important advocate for the Housing First approach and has thereby pushed for the prioritisation of providing stable housing combined with intensive individual support, rather than focusing on emergency services such as long shelter stays. The alliance was instrumental in influencing a €134 million agreement for affordable housing and supporting legislative changes that urge municipalities to adopt the Housing First approach. These initiatives have not only provided immediate housing solutions but have also begun the reshaping of the entire system surrounding homelessness with a stronger focus on prevention and intervention – a more sustainable and long-term recovery-based approach.
Putting mission at the heart and acting in alliances
Bikuben has made collaboration and capacity building central to its strategy by actively fostering and supporting cross-sector alliances. Initiatives like the “Home for All Alliance” and “Policy Lab” demonstrate the foundation’s commitment to bringing together diverse stakeholders – ranging from governmental bodies and NGOs to private sector partners – to address deeply entrenched social challenges. By facilitating these partnerships, the foundation not only enhances the collective impact of these groups but also strengthens their capacity to innovate and drive systemic change.
As outlined in the foundation’s 2024 Stakeholder and Development Partner Analysis, Bikuben Foundation maximises its impact by strategically engaging with policymakers and rapporteurs at favourable moments, fostering ongoing relationships that effectively advance its mission and align with key decision-making processes. This approach underscores the foundation’s belief that lasting solutions to complex issues like youth homelessness and the transition of young people out of care require a coordinated and well-resourced effort that leverages the strengths and expertise of multiple actors.
Walking the talk and embodying collaboration
In 2023, the Bikuben Foundation together with SUS – Socialt Udviklingscentre, Danish Social Innovation Academy og Modstrøm supported the En Vej til Alle coalition, addressing the issue of 42,000 young people in Denmark excluded from education and employment. The coalition prioritises the involvement of young people in shaping policies, ensuring their voices guide the development of solutions. This approach aligns with the foundation’s commitment to co-creating lasting change. Through events like the Youth Summit, where 120 young people participated in discussions and workshops, the Bikuben Foundation demonstrated its dedication to collaboration, empowering young people and working across sectors to create meaningful, sustainable solutions. By joining forces with a broad range of organisations, En Vej til Alle works to create lasting change, experimenting with new ideas and spotlighting successful solutions, all while embodying the principle of collaboration at every stage.