The Working Group on Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace is thrilled to share with you Effective Philanthropy: Another Take, a collection of 11 stories describing a philanthropic intervention against some form of injustice (socioeconomic and/or political) at a local, national or global scale.

Each story addresses seven key questions grantmakers wrestle with in order to effect systemic social change.

What is the problem? What is the solution? How do we address it?  What are the risks?What are the challenges? What was achieved? What next?

The collection includes stories of successful grants for:

Earlier this year the Global Fund for Community Foundations and the Global Alliance for Community Philanthropy announced a landmark event in the field of Philanthropy - the Global Summit on Community Philanthropy, to be held on 1 - 2 December 2016 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The following presentation was made by Christopher Harris at the first international meeting of the Network of Independent Funds for Social Justice, in Rio de Janeiro, held from July 8 to 10, 2015. The meeting gathered funds, foundations and activists from a number of countries to discuss the steps needed to construct a collective strategy to strengthen the field of philanthropy for social justice in Brazil and Latin America more widely.

Thank you Ana.  I have been asked to give a global tour of philanthropy for social justice in only 15 minutes.  Please fasten your seatbelt and get ready for takeoff.

Before we look globally let’s take a minute to understand better what we mean by “philanthropy for social justice.”  It has several necessary components:

Nepal is reeling from the immediate effects of the earthquake that hit the country on 25th April 2015. As the immediate emergency response gets underway and in the reconstruction that follows, it will be crucial for local needs and voices to be taken into consideration and that grassroots groups are part of efforts to rebuild, strengthen, and expand sustainable development in Nepal's rural areas.

‘A Life Lived on the Edge: An Account of the First Ten Years of the Foundation of Social Transformation’ is a new resource produced the Global Fund for Community Foundations. It tells the story of a community foundation in the North-east of India, of the conditions that necessitated its birth, its vision, its struggles, how it came to almost close doors and its slow recovery and renewed direction.

A new phenomenon is unfolding in Brazilain civil society – a new breed of indegenous grassroots grant makers is emerging that supports the movemnet for human rights and social justice in the country. Ten of these foundations are united in the Network of Independent Funds for Social Justice (NIFSJ)- Brazil or Rede de Fundos Independentes para a Justiça Social. Their aim is to increase funding for social justice, gender and racial equity, socio-environmental and community rights.

We spoke to Cindy Lessa, coordinator of NIFSJ, about the aspirations of the network for building a new philanthropic culture in Brazil.

PSJP: How is the philanthropy practiced by members of your network different from the dominat philanthropic trends in Brazil?

The Working Group on Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace came together in 2007. It has since been committed to improving and growing the impact of philanthropy on social justice and peace building work. It has done so through dialogue amongst the members; through meetings and even entire conferences devoted to peace and social justice philanthropy;  through surveys and mapping of relevant fields; through comedy and drama at conference workshops; by developing tools to help practitioners; through articles in philanthropy journals and magazines; through blog posts and reports...through an endless array of platforms available to philanthropy. Therefore it came as no surprise when recently a member of the group said to us that she needed help to unpack the question “What could social justice funding in education look like?”

By Jenny Brotchie

There is an opportunity for philanthropic organisations to work with governments and the influential OECD to explore fresh ideas to some of the big social justice issues of our times. Jenny Brotchie, Policy Officer at the Carnegie UK Trust argues that it is critical that progressive foundations are at the table.

What is the role of foundations in nurturing positive change and tackling some of the complex social, economic and environmental challenges? Last month the Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace Network met in Brussels to discuss how foundations could Promote Solidarity in Europe at a time of Austerity. The big challenges: widening inequalities, dwindling opportunities for young people and growing disengagement with politics were discussed and network members shared their approaches ranging from community grant making, to commissioned programmes. A small number of us were are also working to influence policy and practice at the strategic level.

Earlier this year, the Working Group on Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace issued a report, Framing the Discourse, Advancing the Work: Philanthropy at the Nexus of Peace and Social Justice and Arts and Culture, that highlighted the synergy between the arts and social movements around the globe — and the general reluctance among funders to fund arts initiatives with a social justice component, and vice versa.

On March 22, 2014, at the age of 69, we lost our friend and colleague, and an unrelenting crusader for social justice and human rights, Sithie Tiruchelvam.

We wanted to share with you a moving tribute to Sithie from the website of the Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust (which Sithie founded in memory of her husband, Neelan Tiruchelvam). The tribute is a compilation of testimonies and stories of Sithie, shared by her friends and colleagues from around the world. They all speak of the magnanimity of her spirit and love for those around her.

Click here to watch the film.