Jun 02, 2020

As the coronavirus ravages businesses and communities, people are isolated, thrown out of work, cut off from medical care, and in need of services often provided by social enterprises. But new research shows that social enterprises themselves need helpIn our study, Business for Good: maximizing the value of social enterprises in Asia[1], we examined the challenges social enterprises face, conducting over 700 surveys and interviews of founders, impact investors, enablers and policy-makers. The study covers six countries – Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Pakistan and Thailand – with 1.2 million social enterprises among them, and spotlights China and India, which have an additional 3.5 million.Alliance Issue: Social movement philanthropy; June 2020, Volume 25, Number 2

Jun 02, 2020

In this time of uncertainty and upheaval, philanthropy in all its forms, from mutual aid to major gifts, has come to life. The world's largest foundations have made substantial commitments, sector bodies have called for endowments to be drawn on and for funding practices to change. Core funding has become philanthropic orthodoxy amid an impressive willingness to respond to immediate needs.The dramatic events of recent months are likely to generate a new wave of social movements at the cutting edge of social change. The relationship of social movements to philanthropy is the focus of this long-planned issue guest edited by Halima Mahomed in South Africa, Graciela Hopstein in Brazil and Romy Krämer in Spain.Here is an area in which institutional philanthropy has been missing in action with data from Candid suggesting that less than one per cent of funding goes to support movements. Could this be the moment when philanthropy finally gets behind social movements?Alliance Issue: Social movement philanthropy; June 2020, Volume 25, Number 2

Jun 02, 2020

Two stories of philanthropy in the 1940s and 1950s show how the effects of funding can reverberate down the years.In writing for our online storytelling platform, RE:source, I use the archival records of foundations and not-for-profit organisations to bring to light stories that relate to current concerns. In the case of gender and economic inequality – major societal challenges that philanthropy is currently trying to mitigate – two seemingly disparate stories come to mind.The first is the story about a relatively small philanthropic investment in Alfred Kinsey's sexuality research in the 1940s and 1950s.The second, by contrast, is the story of how a staggeringly large amount of funds in the 1950s set out to revolutionise the private sector, professionalising business practice for the greater good.Alliance Issue: Social movement philanthropy; June 2020, Volume 25, Number 2

Jun 02, 2020

Charles Keidan talks to Antonio Zappulla of the Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF) about how it uses its media and legal expertise to drive systemic change.Alliance Issue: Social movement philanthropy; June 2020, Volume 25, Number 2

Mar 03, 2020

The time is ripe to push for gender equality and social change. Women's funds hold the keyWhen Melinda Gates made her groundbreaking pledge of $1 billion to address gender equality in the US last year, she noted "a window of opportunity" to grow women's "power and influence". She rightly credited this opportunity to the efforts of millions of women and the rise of women-driven social movements. Empowered women running for office and advocating for the rights of the marginalised are crucial to advancing gender equality. Gates also pointed out a simple truth -- this opportunity has a shelf life and now is the time to seize it. Such fleeting opportunities to create significant social change come along once every few generations. So, how do we capitalise on it?Alliance Issue: Indigenous philanthropy; March 2020, Volume 25, Number 1

Mar 03, 2020

As the ground shifts under our feet, the foundation sector has some major issues to face in the 2020s. In a UK context, the following are among the most pressingCivil society will face many challenges over the next ten years. Foundations, with their financial clout, privileges and independence, have the opportunity to lead the response in both their own practice and by supporting others. Here, I suggest four challenges from my UK vantage point that are emerging as the most urgent to address in the 2020s.Alliance Issue: Indigenous philanthropy; March 2020, Volume 25, Number 1

Mar 03, 2020

Indigenous Peoples are invaluable partners in solving many of today's complex problems, such as climate change, biodiversity preservation, and sustainable management of natural resources. Its Peoples constitute the world's largest minority encompassing more than 475 million people in over 90 countries -- around 6 per cent of the global population. Indigenous territories cover almost a quarter of the world's land surface and 80 per cent of the earth's global biodiversity. As the philanthropy world begins to recognise that support and funding for the self-determination efforts led by Indigenous Peoples are critical, this ground-breaking special feature will discuss effective ways to partner with Indigenous Peoples and place Indigenous values at the heart of philanthropic practice.Alliance Issue: Indigenous philanthropy; March 2020, Volume 25, Number 1

Mar 03, 2020

Attracting local donors can pay big dividends -- more than just financial ones -- and it's not just about wealthy donors, eitherThe Merti Integrated Development Programme is based in Isiolo, a town in northern Kenya on the road to the Ethiopian border. Since its founding in 2000, Merti has supported over 300 adolescent girls to complete their education. This has opened up new possibilities for marginalised girls whose opportunities have traditionally been very limited.Alliance Issue: Indigenous philanthropy; March 2020, Volume 25, Number 1