Does luck play a role in the work of a foundation that achieves great results? According to a survey filled out by 80 European foundations, it does. But are they attracted to the idea of a foundation that relies on luck? No they are not, or at least they won’t admit to it. The session entitled ‘Good to Great Philanthropy’ at this year’s European Foundation Centre Conference explored the difference from being a good foundation to being a great foundation. Based on academic research, the session team designed a list of 28 measures of greatness in a foundation and asked European foundations to rank them through the aforementioned survey. The variance in the data revealed not one but several paths to greatness. The data clustered into seven mutually exclusive archetypes of foundations positioned to achieve great things. Session participants picked one archetype that they would have like to go on a ‘date’ with. As in the real dating world, you picked your date because you either identified with the characteristics of the archetype or were simply intrigued and wanted to explore more of it.

Thoughts from the Just Giving Conference 2013

Held at the beautiful campus of the Galludet University in Washington D.C., the second annual conference of the Edge Funders Alliance was entitled ‘What is to be done? And how do we do it?’ The simplicity of the conference title was refreshing-allowing for discussions to get straight to the issues that matter, without having to overcome jargon posed barriers.

The quest for answers in the various sessions was however no simple task and questions were answered with more complex questions: How do identity and power impact the contexts in which we operate as grant makers? How can addressing power imbalances within our institutions contribute to deeper transformation? How can grantmakers embrace the power they have and use it for good? How do we move from analysis to action? What are the local, transnational and global strategies we need to address the shifting trends in the global economy? How do we leverage the power of donor networks to increase the impact of our work? How do we mobilize more resources for social justice work? And the unrelenting – how do we evaluate social change?

What does it mean to develop a collective framework and agenda for social justice philanthropy in Africa and the Arab region? Where do we even begin? What are the core issues we need to interrogate before we can do so? These and many other questions had been plaguing a number of us interested in this area of work for some time now and last year, the moment seemed to be just right to begin to take some initial steps on this; and so we did what we all do when starting from scratch... hosted a convening!

“Let us not become resolutionaries” warned Akwasi Aidoo of TrustAfrica as we began the discussions; and in trying to live up to this, the 33 participants – bringing in diverse perspectives from across the African continent and the Arab region – had the challenge of both critically examining what this area of work meant in our contexts, for our practice and in line with our own narratives as well as simultaneously identifying the core issues that we needed to collectively engage on at the level of theory, field building and; importantly, in relation to our organizations and our individual practices.

Acknowledging and Celebrating the Power and Impact of Women’s Human Rights Movements Over Three Decades

Change Takes Time

Over the past 30 years the work of women’s rights movements has led to nothing short of revolutionary changes in public attitudes, law, governance, and in the private sector and civil society. Women’s movements have changed how we think about gender and the meaning that we ascribe to it, and they have transformed how we understand violence, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and what counts as work.

We recognize that work on women’s rights is a long-term undertaking and requires sustained effort. We rarely put the time aside to reflect on the progress we have made and celebrate our success. For every victory, another challenge emerges. In the midst of urgent work to secure rights and hold the line against backlash, we often neglect to take the time to recognise, honour and rejoice in the gains that we have made.

This presentation was made by Stephen Pittam at the conference ‘Social Justice Philanthropy: Implications for Practice and Policy’ organised by the University of Kent on 1 March 2013

I would like to thank the team at Kent University for inviting me to contribute to this event. As Carl has mentioned I retired from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust in August 2012 after 26 years there. I want to make clear from the outset though that I am speaking today as a Member of the Working Group on Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace. I will of course be drawing on my experience at JRCT, but I am not in any way speaking on behalf of JRCT.

What I want to do in my time is four things:

• To give a personal view of how the concept of Social Justice Philanthropy has emerged over the last 20 years or so,
• To discuss what is Social Justice Philanthropy,
• To describe the Working Group’s idea on Social Justice Philanthropy as a Family of Concepts.
• And finally to offer a few thoughts on the future.

Social Justice Philanthropy In USA and UK

Please find a link here to our March 2013 PSJP Newsletter. Enjoy!

At a philanthropy gathering in late 2012, a session participant remarked, “raising money for social justice is like the church asking for money for love”. The analogy amused me and yet I was gravely concerned by the implication of that statement. In that statement was a reflection of our times where philanthropy is largely driven by language more suited to markets. Its product must be tangible, measurable and quick or it will be banished to the realm of the vague.

We’ve all seen the headlines that portray those on benefit as scroungers; we’ve most likely all heard ministers question the fairness for hardworking people having to foot the bill for the unemployed who “sleep off a life on benefit”; and most of us will know someone who believes that poverty is the fault of the individual – or who will argue that poverty doesn’t even exist in this country.

How accurate are such perceptions? Are the views presented based on fact, or is it the case that evidence and statistics have been misused, misrepresented and manipulated to create propaganda for a war on welfare? And what effect do these attitudes have on those who are living below the poverty line?

Research has shown that myths and misunderstandings fuel stereotypes that negatively impact those living in poverty in the UK. This supplement to the New Statesman, produced in partnership with the Webb Memorial Trust, aims to bust those myths – once and for all.
25 March 2013

Grantmakers for Southern Progress (GSP) has just released "As the South Goes: Philanthropy and Social Justice in the US South" – a research project on the landscape of social justice philanthropy in the US South. The study involved interviews with over 75 national, regional, and local funders (some who self-identify as social justice funders, some who do not), and it offers critical reflection on how to advance stronger communication and collaboration among funders within the South and between Southern and national funders in support of social justice work.

The study reveals fascinating challenges regarding how national and Southern funders talk about the work of social justice. (See the short companion report -- Words Matter: Language and Social Justice Funding in the US South.) It also explores the knotty issue that despite real common ground on interests, sometimes narrow views of what makes for social justice strategies can get in the way of collaboration. In addition, the study provides an analysis of why some funders prioritize investment in the South and why others do not. Key takeaways are:

Fundraising for Arts and Culture in the Arab Region
By Oussama Rifahi

Why culture? I am sitting in front of a businessman, obviously already pre-occupied with his next meeting. I have about twenty minutes to answer this seemingly straightforward question. There is no room for hesitation: it took me two months of arm-twisting with his executive assistant to be here and I had to do it right.

There is much at stake. To receive this much-needed contribution was going to be essential for reaching the declared targets of fundraising from Arab sources for the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), an Arab fund now recognized as a major trusted independent institution, deeply rooted locally, and one of the few legitimate source of support for creative people in this region.