Decolonization is not just for the Global North. Some researchers in Brazil are stating we don’t need to decolonize philanthropy nationally, that decolonization is something imported or just valid for northern nations. But, they are missing one point — we live in a society permeated by the existence of colonial pacts, practices, and visions. Therefore, we need to understand that the field of philanthropy as a human and social activity is inseparable from the dynamics that permeate society as a whole. As a colonized nation, we replicate colonizing logic in daily life as well as ..read more

Discussions around a power imbalance within climate philanthropy are both necessary and important, but have also led to the rise of a problematic and simplistic narrative that philanthropic organisations in the Global South must be ‘empowered’. This term suggests that these actors are without power and agency. Instead, local foundations, funds, and philanthropy infrastructure organisations are leaders and collaborators in climate philanthropy today, and if supported at scale, critical actors in addressing the climate crisis. Philanthropy organisations in the Majority World are leading climate ..read more

MacKenzie Scott’s bold leap into philanthropy— an influx of over $17.3 billion in unrestricted grants in less than four years — disrupted a pervasive starvation cycle for more than 2,300 nonprofit organizations. Panorama Global, through our Collaborative Learning for Impact Philanthropy initiative, has worked with more than 200 leaders of these groups as they navigated putting the gifts to work. We heard and documented important insights from these leaders that illustrate the impact of this large, unexpected gift. Almost without exception, the recipients of Scott grants we spoke with are ready ..read more

Melinda French Gates will donate a hefty $1 billion over the next two years.  Writing in an op-ed for the New York Times, the philanthropist said she felt ‘compelled’ to put her financial muscle behind reproductive and women’s health after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022 – a landmark moment that repealed basic rights for women to have abortion access.  ‘For too long, a lack of money has forced organisations fighting for women’s rights into a defensive posture while the enemies of progress play offence. I want to help even the match,’ French Gates wrote.   ..read more

There’s an inconspicuous trend happening in philanthropy right now: fiscal sponsorship is rapidly growing. This is due to several factors and it is likely to become even more widespread in the coming years. As the expansion of global authoritarianism continues and private foundations restructure their grantmaking to move larger grants through intermediaries, fiscal sponsorship opens up new possibilities for funders and activists alike. Those who build new forms of funding infrastructure today are going to set the stage for what is possible for philanthropy in the future. So, this moment presen ..read more

Hong Kong will be used as the central focal point for a network that runs over 120 family-run philanthropies.  The Asian Family Legacy Foundation, a membership network founded in January, says it will work from the 7.3 million peopled territory to help conduct philanthropy across the Asia and Pacific region.  ‘We see Hong Kong as a prominent and vibrant city for building family legacies, particularly for family offices,’ Michael Zhu, chairman of the Asian Family Legacy Foundation, said in a ceremony held in Hong Kong last week to mark the move.   It comes amid a wider backdrop o ..read more

Alliance Investment Editor Claudia Cahalane chats to AVPN’s chief of impact investing, Vikas Arora in a tea break on the last day of the AVPN global forum, Abu Dhabi, and discovers his conference highlights.  ‘Imagine a world where every individual, every community has the means to thrive. A world, where we treat our planet with the reverence it deserves, safeguarding it for our children and future generations,’ came the opening address by Vikas Arora, Chief of Impact Investing AVPN, on day two of the organisation’s Global Conference in Abu Dhabi, April 2024. Vikas Arora, chief of impact ..read more

Civil society organisations need to be more honest and open with funders, suggested panellists at AVPN’s global conference session Decoding the Meaning of Trust-Based Philanthropy. At AVPN’s event last month in Abu Dhabi, philanthropic organisations spoke of instances where they felt grantees should have been more open or honest with them in a session dedicated to flipping the conversation on trust-based philanthropy. One panellist, Pamela Alexander, managing director and head of corporate citizenship, KKR & Co Ltd, commented: ‘We had a strong partnership with an organisation and had been ..read more

AVPN Global Conference in the UAE offered promising and optimistic dissussions on faith-based giving, a clarion call on youth mental health, a raft of giving from the Abu Dhabi government, and a hazy warmth. Alliance‘s Investments Editor Claudia Cahalane gives her reflections on the event, here.   ‘Hosting the AVPN Global Conference in Abu Dhabi comes at a crucial moment for the whole of Asia, a region currently navigating through transformative economic shifts with sustainability at their core,’ came the opening address from AVPN’s CEO at the organisation’s global event last month. AVPN ..read more

Sonia Ben Jaafar is CEO of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation, one of the largest privately funded philanthropic education initiatives in the Arab world. Prior to that, she was the Managing Director of EduEval, a company she founded to promote evidence-based decisions for a greater positive impact on education. At the AVPN Conference in Abu Dhabi last month, she talked to Charles Keidan about the work of the Foundation and its adoption of a strategic approach to bring system-wide change to vocational education in the region. Dr Sonia Ben Jaafar (CEO, Al Ghuarair Foundation) CK: You moved to t ..read more