The most striking change during the last three decades has been the growth of the sector. It is indeed a golden age for philanthropy. We see an increasing number of foundations in many countries, growing endowments and a rise of new forms of philanthropy. That adds to the pluralism and… Read More
In the first decade of this century many European foundations, among them the Italians, saw social innovation as the added value they could provide to their communities. The process included a well-structured planning stage, small-scale trials, a rigorous evaluation of results, and, finally, proposals to offer experimental solutions to the… Read More
1989 – What a time to be alive! The Berlin Wall came down. The Cold War was pronounced over. It felt as if we had entered a bright new future, in which Europe was no longer divided. Followed in 1990 by the beginning of the end of apartheid in South… Read More
As we contemplate the future of effective philanthropic work, one of the main obstacles that the sector must navigate is, paradoxically, the good feeling that the work of helping others can create. In addressing serious challenges at home and abroad, we need to look beyond what feels comfortable based on… Read More
Amazing to realise that this year it is 30 years ago that, following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the EFC was created. I have participated 29 times in the EFC’s annual conference. Not 30 times, because when I started as Executive Director of the Bernard van Leer Foundation (BVLF)… Read More
This article has been adapted from the original in Danish by Sune Holm Pedersen and includes key lessons learned Denmark has a strong democratic tradition. That is precisely why the time is right to further promote young people’s civic participation. That is the argument… Read More
So true. This point was eloquently driven home by the story of the eight-year-old homeless refugee who just won the New York State Chess Championship. We need to discover and develop and harness talent, wherever it may be. And this is not happening, not in the world of… Read More
The crisis in Greece prompted us to fundamentally rethink our strategy and how we could best meet the growing social needs for the finite resources of the Bodossaki Foundation. An important part of our new approach was to extend our support beyond traditional grant-making to include… Read More
At the end of February, we held our eighth annual Zero Project Conference and our sixth at the United Nations in Vienna, Austria. Its theme, and that of the research work and report around it, was independent living and political participation. Once again, we set a record. Some 700 attendees… Read More
EFSAF is an EFC network of European foundations who cooperate at European level to empower civil society engaged in shifting European agricultural and food policies towards more sustainability. EFSAF members are developing medium and long term work, looking at the framework provided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and considering… Read More