Global Inspiration, Local Adaptation: Exploring the Emergence and Enactment of Venture Philanthropy in Chile’s Educational Sector

• In Event: Who rules? Actors, movements, and struggles behind education governance in Latin America (Part 1)

Proposal

In recent years, philanthropic organizations have gained increasing influence in shaping glocal educational agendas and policies (Avelar, 2023; Lewis, 2017; Lubienski, Brewer & La Londe, 2016; Viseu, 2022). Despite numerous studies on this topic conducted in countries across the Global North and South (Edwards, Caravaca & Moschetti, 2021; Matovich & Esper, 2023), the Chilean case remains underexplored—even though philanthropic foundations operating in education have been documented since the early 20th century. This article analyzes the emergence and enactment of one of the first venture philanthropy (VP) in Chile’s educational context through a qualitative case study (Yin, 2018) of Fundación Olivo, a “second-tier” philanthropic organization that acts as a funder and coordinator of other foundations and philanthropic organizations since 2020. The study draws on educational governance literature (Ball & Junemann, 2011; Reckhow & Snyder, 2014) and literature on the role of the state (Edwards, Moschetti & Caravaca, 2022; Rowe, 2023), to gain a fine-grained understanding of emerging forms of philanthropic intervention in education.
Methodologically, the study combines 15 semi-structured interviews with key actors from Chile’s educational system and philanthropic ecosystem—including executive members of Fundación Olivo, board directory members and first-tier foundations receiving its funding—with direct observation of events, field notes, and secondary sources such as institutional documents, financial reports, and grant application materials. Data were analyzed using a flexible coding strategy with Atlas.ti software.
Findings show that Fundación Olivo adopts core principles of VP, such as long-term funding, strategic accompaniment, impact evidence generation, and the use of an endowment as a financial mechanism. Unlike traditional philanthropy, Olivo operates with a social investment logic (based principally in a family endowment), aiming to enhance the sustainability and scalability of its beneficiary organizations. At the same time, Olivo deviates from the principles of the VP by developing projects related to the founder's history, incorporating family members into the board of directors, and establishing networks based primarily on family contacts, which allows the family's "seal" to be perpetuated on the foundation. This study characterizes an emerging VP model in the Global South and provides evidence of how VP can reshape the balance between private capital and public action, while also redefining the role of foundations within the philanthropic ecosystem in the education sector. Moreover, it reveals internal tensions in the definition of “impact” and in the relationships with beneficiary organizations and public education policies. This research expands the understanding of VP beyond the Global North, showing how it adapts and transforms within a country with a highly privatized educational system.

Authors

• Lluís Parcerisa, University of Barcelona

• Cristobal Villalobos, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

• Isidora Vásquez, CEPPE UC