Transforming Philanthropy: Navigating Global Challenges, Democracy, and Equity

Session Submission Type: Roundtable Discussion

Abstract

Institutional philanthropy is undergoing significant changes, driven by global challenges such as the climate crisis and political polarization. Concurrently, the sector faces increased scrutiny over the influence of elite philanthropy and the ethics of funding sources, with a growing focus on decolonization to foster equity and inclusivity in philanthropy. These factors are prompting a shift towards more flexible funding, as well as highlighting the need to balance immediate needs against long-term goals.

Within the foundation community, there is an emerging conversation around transformative practices, often viewed optimistically as indicators of a more responsive approach to philanthropy. However, there remains a significant knowledge gap regarding the extent to which these practices are being implemented across the sector. This knowledge deficit is partly due to an echo chamber effect; frequently, discussions are limited to like-minded organizations, leading to an overestimation of the universal acceptance and understanding of these practices. In reality, there is a significant reluctance to modify traditional operational models in foundations. Therefore, it’s crucial to explore the nuances of how different foundations are engaging with these transformative practices rather than treating them as a monolithic bloc.

This session, organized by Philea - Philanthropy Europe Association and Fondation de France, will address how foundations have adapted their strategies, and operations in response to global democracy crises as well as legitimacy crisis, as well as internal tensions and challenges these organizations face, exploring the sources of resistance to change and the variety of perspectives within this context.

This session will be conducted in an innovative format and will kick off with an interactive activity, engaging participants in exploring the most critical challenges and opportunities confronting foundations over the next 10 years amid ongoing poly-crises.

Contributors will then bring insights from their work with foundations, responding to the following questions about foundations’ emerging role in addressing democratic backsliding and decolonising philanthropy.

What is democracy funding, what are the barriers to entry, why is it difficult to measure democracy funding?
How do foundations defend and innovate democracy 1) as grantmakers, 2) as public actors either by countering power or forming alliances and 3) as models of democratic practice
To what extent is philanthropy making progress in recognizing and addressing the historical and structural inequalities that affect funding dynamics?
The discussion will then return to the participants with these questions:

is philanthropy really shifting towards a more equalitarian approach or is this just public discourse?
How does trust-based philanthropy enhance the ability of foundations to act effectively as public actors and model democratic practices?
What additional measures or approaches are needed alongside trust-based philanthropy to fully address historical and structural inequalities in funding dynamics?
What might be missing from the current conversation and research on transforming philanthropic practices? How can these gaps be addressed?

References

none

Sub Unit

• Local and global philanthropy and voluntarism

Discussants

• Sevda Kilicalp, Philea Philanthropy Europe Association

• Claudio Balestri, MPS Foundation

• Maja Spanu, Fondation de France

• Lucia Patuzzi, Philea

• Dana R R.H. Doan