Social movements in times of pandemic: the moment for philanthropy has arrived

By Romy Krämer, Graciela Hopstein and Halima Mahomed The global Corona pandemic might very well be the biggest crisis of our lifetime. The current situation has the potential to not only disrupt the status quo but to change our social, economic and political systems forever. It demands us to suspend great plans, focus on being present and think…

Mind the gap: resourcing rights-based social justice in an unequal Indonesia

Indonesians began the year discovering that one in every five among them is now economically secure. According to the World Bank’s January 2020 report entitled Aspiring Indonesia , since 2002, the country’s 52-million strong middle class has been growing faster than any other income group. This matters not only for the country’s economic growth, the…

Philanthropy: size matters – but not in the way you might think

It’s good news that philanthropy in India is on an upward curve, since it can help supplement government’s efforts at social sector development. This upward curve is especially noticeable when it comes to giving by individuals. It’s not just the amount of giving that’s significant, however. Where it comes from and where it goes are…

Community philanthropy – the best hope for women’s rights in Nepal…and for all of us

PSJP’s recently published paper on Individual giving in India, Russia, the Arab region and Brazil is a timely reflection for us in Nepal. Individual giving has always been a part of Nepali communities mainly through our religious and cultural traditions. In the absence of a strong state presence particularly historically because of geographic isolation and…

Philanthropy in India is growing: Fact or fiction?

Smarinita Shetty points out the much-hyped but underwhelming contribution to philanthropy by the ultra-wealthy and CSR. Instead, Smarinita argues for greater attention to ‘smaller-ticket individual giving or retail giving’ to enable it to grow and develop appropriately so as to be able to support Indian civil society.   India has no shortage of billionaires. We added…

Ordem e progresso and generosity? Brazilian philanthropy in a nutshell

The report Philanthropy in Brazil notes that Brazilian philanthropy is generally punching below its weight especially on matters of social justice and human rights. With President Jair Bolsonaro threatening not only some of the gains Brazil has made in securing the rights of marginalised groups but also the capacities of civil space in Brazil, what does…