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Home > Information and resources > Announcements > Philanthropy news and resources |
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Philanthropy news and resourcesFrom time to time there are news items or resources from the philanthropic sector that we like to share broadly. In addition to sending electronic announcements to our constituents that include information about these items, we will also post items of general interest here. October 2007 New resources on accountability from MinnesotaWINGS network participant, Bill King, president of the Minnesota Council on Foundations (US), is pleased to share with the network the comprehensive set of resources developed by his association for grantmakers related to public trust and accountability. Included in the resources are two publications and a private foundation self-assessment. Based on its pioneering work on Principles and Practices in 1996, the Minnesota Council created new resource publications called "Principles for Grantmakers and Practice Options for Philanthropic Organizations" and "What Every Grantmaker Should Know & Frequently Asked Legal Questions".
King notes that subscription to the Principles continues to be a condition of membership in his association. He offers his gratitude to WINGS for helping his association accomplish its goals and noted that the private foundation "Accountability Self-Assessment" could be developed by the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers as a result of his participation in the WINGS 2005 Peer Learning Event on codes and standards for grantmakers (London, UK). King also credits the groundbreaking work of the grantmaker associations in the United Kingdom (Carol Shooter of Association of Charitable Foundations) and Canada (Jane Humphries, Community Foundations of Canada) who shared their resources on grantmaker self-assessment at the WINGS Peer Learning Event. The Minnesota Council on Foundations publications and the self-assessment can be found on its website. CIVICUS seeks Associates for Civil Society Watch ProgrammeAssociates will be responsible for analysis, networking and advocacy in support of civil society. More specifically, CIVICUS is hoping to recruit two individuals with the following skills:
Interested candidates should include a resume (CV) with contact details of three current referees and a motivational cover letter including a statement verifying that the details within the CV are true and correct, and that the candidate agrees to the conducting of reference and background checks. CIVICUS holds reference reports in the strictest of confidence. This information should be sent to humanresources@civicus.org. Initially 12-month contracts will be offered, renewable on satisfactory performance. The deadline for applications is 24 October. The World We Want
Earlier this year Peter Karoff and Jane Maddox of The Philanthropic Initiative (US) published a "a collective vision of an ideal world". The World We Want: New Dimensions in Philanthropy and Social Change distills conversations with 40 international visionaries - individuals engaged in making the world a better place through their roles as philanthropists, non-profit leaders, social entrepreneurs and activists. "Without ignoring...institutional and cultural obstacles, and the courage needed to face down the dark side of human behavior, Karoff shows how citizen engagement and open source solutions could tip the scale toward a better world." September 2007 EFFECT Magazine and Italian philanthropy
EFFECT is the new flagship magazine for and about European foundations created by the European Foundation Centre in Brussels. The magazine's current issue (Summer 2007) focuses on Italian philanthropy, mapping the European foundation legal and fiscal landscape, and crisis communications. More on this issue and the magazine here. Alliance/Keystone survey on measuring impactAlliance Magazine is publishing a special issue in December 2007 on how donors and civil society organisations can best measure and report on the impacts of their work. Keystone is contributing to this issue by surveying how CSOs (including social businesses) and donors seek to measure and report on their impact, and how donor reporting requirements affect CSOs' work. This survey is open until October 19 and should take approximately 20 minutes to complete. It is designed to yield useful data to inform discussions on how we can learn to improve our current practices for measuring and reporting on impact. In addition to publishing the results in Alliance, a full report will be made available to those providing an email address at the end of the survey. You can access the survey here. If you have any questions or comments regarding the survey, please contact Natalia Kiryttopoulou. United Nations General Assembly adopts non-binding declaration on the rights of indigenous peoplesThe United Nations General Assembly has adopted a landmark declaration outlining the rights of the world's estimated 370 million indigenous people and outlawing discrimination against them. This follows 22 years of debate on the subject. As reported on the UN's website, "The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has been approved after 143 Member States voted in favour, 11 abstained and four - Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States - voted against the text." For more information, visit the United Nations General Assembly 61st Session webpage. Focus on...Tackling Climate Change, Alliance Magazine September 2007
Alliance Magazine invited grantmakers and others to contribute stories to a special issue focused on tackling climate change. Stephen Heintz of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (US) asserts that foundations must change how they do business if they are to be effective in responding to issues related to climate change. Nicky Gavron, Deputy Mayor of London (UK) writes about plans for a "low carbon London", while her counterpart in New York City (US), Daniel L Doctoroff, explains efforts to transform New York's urban environment and combat global warming. As a companion to this issue, Alliance Online also commissioned and prepared a series of articles which come at climate change from different angles:
For more information and to read online some articles from the September issue of Alliance and Alliance Online, visit www.alliancemagazine.org. Council on Foundations seeks Vice President for Programs and Constituency Services
The US-based Council on Foundations (COF) is a membership organization of more than 2,000 grantmaking foundations and giving programs worldwide. COF is hoping to fill the position of Vice President for Programs and Constituency Services by October 2007. Download the job description (PDF). For more information about COF and its work, visit the COF website. Synergos Institute posts two job openings
The Synergos Institute is a non-profit organization working to reduce poverty and promote equity and social justice for poor and marginalized communities around the world. Headquartered in New York, the organization has staff on the USMexican border, in Brazil, Southern Africa and India. Synergos is currently inviting applications for two job openings, both of which would be based at the organization's headquarters in New York City, USA:
For more information about Synergos, visit its website. Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize
The USD $1.5 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize is awarded annually to an organization making extraordinary contributions toward alleviating human suffering anywhere in the world. The deadline for nominations from the international community is 1 November 2007. An independent international panel of jurors will make the final selection; the recipient will be announced in the fall of 2008. For more about eligibility and the nominations process, click here. For a profile of Tostan, the 2007 prize recipient, click here. For a list and details of recipients from earlier years, click here. August 2007 Philanthropy Australia highlights climate changePhilanthropy Australia has created an information hub on its website about climate change for its members. The webpage includes papers and reports, relevant media articles, and a link to the 3rd Australia-New Zealand Climate Change & Business Conference. The not-for-profit conference is being organized by a coalition of business groups, government agencies and NGOs from Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Europe. Rockefeller gives $70 million to combat effects of climate changeThe Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that the Rockefeller Foundation has committed $70 million USD to "help cities and towns around the world prepare for the potentially damaging effects of global climate change". The Foundation has developed a five-year Initiative of Climate Change Resilience that will pay special attention to poor populations to create positive strategies to combat the negative effects of climate change. Communities in Asia, Africa and the United States will be part of the initiative. While the philanthropic support for combatting climate change to date has focused on mitigating global warming, the Rockefeller initative is the first to commit all of its resources to dealing with the negative outcomes associated with climate change. Read the full article here. Giving circles explained
Giving circles, which are made up of groups of friends or others with common giving goals, are a powerful force in US philanthropy. Some 400 circles exist in the US today and the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers operates a Giving Circle Knowledge Center. In May the Forum published a report on these circles, called More Giving Together: The Growth and Impact of Giving Circles and Shared Giving. For more information about giving circles and to access the full report in PDF format, visit the Forum's website. The Index for Global Philanthropy
The Hudson Institute's Center for Global Prosperity (US) has published the second edition of The Index for Global Philanthropy. The Index reports on private giving in industrialized nations to developing countries. The report contains some interesting findings. While total giving from the United States dwarfs total giving from other industrialized nations, as a percentage of gross national income (GNI) it comes near the bottom of the 22 countries listed. Norway and Sweden tie for top position in terms of giving as a percentage of GNI. The report also takes a look at the total picture of private giving, private investment and government foreign aid from the United States, and profiles examples of "private giving at work". For links to download the executive summary and the complete report, to order a copy online and more, visit the Center for Global Prosperity. July 2007 Synergos 2008 Senior Fellows ProgramThe Senior Fellows Program is an international network of distinguished civil society leaders committed to collaborative efforts that address the underlying causes of poverty and inequity. Most of the Fellows are experts and/or practitioners in the field of philanthropy. The Synergos Institute (US) is inviting applications for their next class of Senior Fellows (that session will begin January 2008). Full details available here; the application deadline has been extended to 20 August. Tips for Civil Society Organizations launched by the World BankThe World Bank Small Grants Program has prepared a series of documents designed to help CSOs. The tips, written from a funder's perspective, were conceived as a result of a demand from civil society organizations (CSOs) expressing the need for information on how to strengthen their organizations and mobilize resources. The tips cover seven areas that may be of interest to CSOs and that are key to organizational capacity. The audience is small NGOs and community based organizations who may have limited resources, but who have strengths, such as enthusiasm and commitment for their mission to improve the lives of others. The tips are available for download here:
The documents will shortly be translated into French, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. For more information, please contact Kury Cobham, Operations Officer, Small Grants Program Secretariat, kcobham@worldbank.org. Created in 1983, the Small Grants Program is one of the few global programs of the World Bank that directly funds civil society organizations. June 2007 Focus on...the new challenges of global philanthropy, Alliance Magazine June 2007
International funding presents vast, multifaceted problems that require almost unlimited resources if they are to be solved. Most foundations have relatively limited resources – how do they ensure they are adding value? How do they remain focused when the problems communities face are so interrelated? What role can smaller foundations play? These are the basic questions addressed by the various contributors to this issue’s special feature on global philanthropy. Guest editors Peter Laugharn, Executive Director of the Bernard van Leer Foundation, and Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of CIVICUS, each offer funders six things to think about if they want their funding to be more effective. Agnès Binagwaho, head of the Rwandan national AIDS programme, insists that foundations must align their activities with national efforts, while Peter Piot of UNAIDS stresses their role as ‘thought leaders’. Luc Tayart de Borms argues that donors’ exclusive reliance on civil society to achieve their goals may do more harm than good, while Andrés Thompson looks at the dilemmas facing foundation programmes that develop human capital but leave people jobless. Other articles in the special feature look at a new study of UK foundations that fund overseas to the tune of less than £1 million a year and the recently published Principles of Accountability for International Philanthropy. Finally, a panel of bilateral funders talk about how they see the role of foundations in international development. Also in this issue of Alliance¸ Nnimmo Bassey questions the value of the new Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, while Jo Andrews reflects on Great Philanthropic Mistakes. For more information and to read some articles from this issue of Alliance, visit www.alliancemagazine.org. Corporate Social Responsibility Expo 2007 in Manila
The League of Corporate Foundations will hold its CSR Expo 2007 from 16-18 July in Manila. The event is an annual celebration of ideas, programs and best practice in business and social development. This year's theme is Putting CSR to the Test: Cultivating Shared Values for Business and Society. Key topics include "Integrating business and society", "Creating a corporate social vision" and "CSR and the environment".
National Conference for RAGsThe Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers (USA) will hold its National Conference from 25-27 July in Boston. Egypt's eroding civil societyCIVICUS has published an article entitled EGYPT: Shrinking space for civil society which focuses on recent upheavals in human rights in that country. Corporate giving growing in CEE
The April 2007 issue of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation's publication Mott Mosaic, profiles the growth in corporate giving and CI programs in Central and Eastern Europe. The article also looks at the value of donors' forums. "The value that donors' forums bring to corporations operating in Central and Eastern Europe is that we know what works here and what doesn't," says Pavlina Kalousova, Executive Director of the Czech Donors Forum. "Often times, what works in the U.K. [United Kingdom] will never work here. But if we go to Bulgaria and say that it works in the Czech Republic, then local corporations will believe that it can work in Bulgaria, too." Corporate social responsibility in IndonesiaIn late May the Jakarta Post published an article by Yanti Koestoer of Indonesian Business Links about mixed perceptions of corporate social responsibility in Indonesia. May 2007 Bermuda's 1st Third Sector ConferenceThe Centre on Philanthropy will host Bermuda's first third sector conference, Giving in Partnership, 1-2 June 2007 at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute. Session topics include social justic and progressive philanthropy, faith based community partnerships, Bermuda youth and philanthropy, and corporate social responsibility that focuses on long term sustainability. The pre-conference dinner will be held 31 May at 6.30pm. Conference Program Brochure [PDF] APPC's chief executive featured in Forbes MagazineAsia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium's chief executive, Rory Francisco-Tolentino, is featured in Forbes Magazine. In the profile, Ms. Franciso-Tolentino reflects on the state of Asian philanthropy. When asked about the outlook for philanthropy in Asia, Ms. Francisco-Tolentino said: "My hope is that as the region develops economically - and it is one of the fastest growing, in terms of new high-net-worth individuals - those who earn a great amount of money will go back to their roots and do something for their countries, the region and the world, in whatever order they prefer. This is already coming true. We'll see social-venture philanthropy similar to what is being practiced by some of the newly wealthy from Silicon Valley. Venture philanthropists don't want to just give money to a project. They want to participate in the strategy and apply the same creativity, talent and skills that made their fortunes. They're in their 30s or 40s. They're impatient. These are people who have so much they don't have to worry about preserving it for the next generation." Full article. Blogging about nonprofitsGive and Take is a new "roundup of blogs about the nonprofit world" published by The Chronicle of Philanthropy in the US. US Conference on Women's Philanthropy(Re) Defining Women's Philanthropy: Rich Conversations will be held 18-20 June in Boston, MA in the United States. Co-hosted by the Women's Philanthropy Institute at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, this conference will share idea, perspectives and good practice in women's philanthropy. New resource for international donorsThe Council on Foundations (COF) and the European Foundation Centre (EFC) have launched a new resource for those involved in international grantmaking, Principles of Accountability for International Philanthropy. April 2007 Pathways to ProgressPathways to Progress is a new website in the US focused on social justice and race equality and how a wide range of philanthropic organizations can support progress in these areas in the communities they serve. Canadian environmental philanthropyCommunity Foundations of Canada has partnered with 1% for the Planet and Mountain Equipment Coop, a socially responsible Canadian business, to inspire Canadian businesses to become leaders in environmental philanthropy. Find out more. European focus on diversityThe European Foundation Centre has released a survey on foundations and equal opportunities / diversity. "Through the analysis of data collected and the presentation of case studies, the report aims to document and identify some initial trends on how foundations' resources and expertise can be successfully deployed to bring change in these fields and to which extent their work complements the priorities set out by the European Year." More details here. Indigenous philanthropy in AustraliaThe current issue of Australian Philanthropy Journal (Issue 64), published by Philanthropy Australia, focuses on indigenous philanthropy in Australia. For details, visit the Philanthropy Australia website. European Foundation Centre launches new publicationEFFECT is the new flagship publication for and about European foundations to be published three times a year by the European Foundation Centre. This new magazine will cover current issues on the role and impact that foundations are having in Europe and around the world, feature trends in the sector, and examine the political, legal and fiscal environments in which foundations work. March 2007 Philanthrocapitalism myth or reality? Alliance Magazine, March 2007This issue of Alliance looks at the emerging generation of donors around the world. There are many stereotypes of the "new" donor hands-on, impact-oriented, high-tech entrepreneurs, looking to apply the skills that contributed to their business success to their philanthropy. Matthew Bishop, writing in a special philanthropy supplement in The Economist in February 2006, coined the term "philanthrocapitalism" to describe this set of characteristics. How well does it fit the world's new donors? Guest editors are Olga Alexeeva and Matthew Bishop. This special feature includes interviews with Vladimir Potanin and Rohini Nilekani and snapshots of new philanthropy around the world; feedback from a group of donors on a field trip to Ghana; and a round-up of the emerging philanthropic intermediaries. While Olga Alexeeva has some reservations about the philanthrocapitalist approach, especially about its reluctance to work with existing NGOs, Matthew Bishop stresses the great benefits to be reaped provided constraints like the difficulty of measuring impact and ambivalence about transparency can be overcome. This issue of Alliance also includes articles on funding for women's rights: the work of the Charity Commission's International Programme on NGO regulation in other countries; and the unintended consequences of international philanthropy plus Stephen Pittam of Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust making the case for ethical investment. This is the first issue of Alliance to be published by the newly established Alliance Publishing Trust (APT). From 1 January 2007, Alliance is published by APT in association with the Network of European Foundations and the European Foundation Centre. For more information and to read some articles from this issue of Alliance, visit www.alliancemagazine.org A New Era for WINGS: Marissa Camacho-Reyes interviewed by Alliance MagazineThe January 2007 issue of Alliance Magazine carries an interview with WINGS' new Executive Director, Marissa Camacho-Reyes. In response to a question about priorities for the network as she steps into this role, Marissa says: "The success of WINGS as a network will depend on our making sure our participants/members find value in being part of WINGS, so my personal priority is to get to know the members of WINGS and begin to understand their needs so that we can respond to them. I will take every opportunity that presents itself to have face-to-face meetings, but I will also be using virtual methods of communication such as email and teleconferences." To read the full interview, click here. |
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