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Kyrill Hartog
Co-founder and Editor, Are We Europe
Teresa O'Connell
Editor, Are We Europe
Opinions - 12 January 2023

Systems change and the future of philanthropy

How can foundations and philanthropic organisations apply a systems change lens to their work, and what is the unique role of philanthropy in bringing about systemic change? Kyrill Hartog and…
Caroline Paulick-Thiel
Director, Politics for Tomorrow
Opinions - 12 January 2023

Leveraging the work of infrastructure organisations towards regenerative futures

The next few years are a crucial moment in human history for mitigating the polycrisis. This scientifically backed timeframe has to be understood as a turning point for WHERE philanthropy is heading and HOW to coordinate the work of infrastructure organisations towards regenerative futures. 10x100 is an organising mode for agile transformation, which aims to combine short-term crisis responses with long-term systemic change.
Victoria Dunning
Senior Program Officer, BUILD
Opinions - 12 January 2023

Learning from BUILD – Why it matters and how, right now

Mission-driven organisations in pursuit of social change need to be strategic, strong, persistent, agile and adaptable. But traditional funding frameworks can constrain them. The Ford Foundation’s BUILD grants provide five-year, unrestricted funding and dedicated support for institutional strengthening in order to build strong and resilient organisations that can achieve their intended impact.
Hana ElSafoury
Programs & Community Building Officer, EDGE Funders Alliance
Jana Stardelova
Grants and Engagement Manager, Ariadne
Opinions - 11 January 2023

Funding real change is funding fully & flexibly to fight the starvation cycle

Despite civil society organisations being at the forefront of fighting the complex problems of our world, most of them suffer from financial instability. This is in part due to restricted funding. In 2022, Ariadne and EDGE Funders created the Funding For Real Change website to support funders in understanding the non-profit starvation cycle and offer a spectrum of tools for breaking it: from full indirect cost coverage to multi-year flexible funding.
Oriana Persico
Artist and co-funder, HER: She Loves Data
Opinions - 11 January 2023

Art as an engine of technological and social innovation

The relationship between art and technology has always been the result of our co-evolution with the environment. In the context of rapid technological change, it is at the nexus of art, science and society that people and organisations can respond to the uncertainty of our times in unexpected and innovative ways.
Stefan Einarsson
Board member, Association of Swedish Foundations
Opinions - 10 January 2023

Leading from behind: the challenge of herding cats

National philanthropy associations represent one of the most fiercely independent organisations there is: the philanthropic foundation. This text discusses some of the strategies on how to balance the two roles of creating opportunities for networking and peer learning while functioning as the voice of the philanthropic sector.
Alice Forsman
Programme Officer - Thematic Collaborations, Philea
Opinions - 15 December 2022

The road to KoneKtor: Philanthropy East Forum

Some may be surprised by our continuous description of the Forum as "the first ever". Understandable, as the Grantmakers East has been around for almost as long as I have been alive. However, if one knew the process that has taken place during the pandemic and its general impact on the sector, it may not be surprising.
Anna Sienicka
VP Europe, TechSoup
Opinions - 13 December 2022

KoneKtor: Highlighting resilience in times of crisis

Against the backdrop of the multiple crises facing societies across the globe, KoneKtor – Philanthropy East Forum took a deep dive at our annual event held this year at the…
Ignasi Miró Borràs
Corporate Director Culture & Science Area, 'la Caixa' Foundation
Opinions - 13 December 2022

CaixaForum+ – access to culture for all

The ‘la Caixa’ Foundation has opened their newest CaixaForum location, though this time, its online. CaixaForum+ will provide all the culture and…
Vesna Bajšanski-Agić
Chief Executive Officer, Mozaik Foundation
Opinions - 13 December 2022

Making the case for philanthropy within the Social Economy Action Plan (SEAP) – One year on

SEAP recognises foundations as important players in the social economy ecosystem, and Philea has a strong interest in supporting the implementation of the action plan in collaboration with Social Economy Europe (congratulations also on the 10-year anniversary of SEE of which we are a founding member) and other key stakeholders. I h
Hanna Surmatz
Head of Policy, Philea
Opinions - 13 December 2022

An enabling environment for Europe must not be taken for granted

Our message to EU policymakers is clear: Philanthropy and foundations can do better and carry out their important work more effectively if they operate in an enabling environment.
Josiane Smith
Key Programmes Lead - Philanthropy, Social Innovation Exchange
Opinions - 6 December 2022

Reclaiming resilience: Building in redundancy, complexity and diversity for systems change

Reframing resilience in the context of harmful systems What if we conceived resilience in terms of thriving, rather than merely surviving? Philanthropy is well-placed to help lift the ambitions of…
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