Summary
Highlights
The panel introduces itself as philanthropy support organizations from different regions, emphasizing their role in making philanthropy happen globally and sharing lessons from the Global South. Speakers from Wings (Africa), Ford Global (Europe), Arab Foundations Forum, and IDIS (Brazil) introduce their work and mandates.
Paula Fabiani discusses the similarities between Brazil and the African continent regarding colonial heritage, democratization, and the evolving nature of strategic philanthropy. She highlights the lack of long-term funding mechanisms like endowments and the increasing role of corporations in philanthropy, not just through financial assets, but also leveraging their logistics and competencies.
Nyla Farouky, CEO of the Arab Foundations Forum, contextualizes philanthropy's historical roots in the region, citing the first recorded endowment in Morocco in 859 AD. She draws a sharp contrast between the rapid and substantial individual philanthropy during recent crises (like in Palestine, Sudan) and the comparatively slow and limited response from institutional philanthropy, questioning the sector's effectiveness during large-scale genocides and highlighting the disparity with funding for other global crises.
Mary Lou Gay from Ford Global discusses emerging shifts in philanthropic behaviors, emphasizing the love of mankind as the core. She highlights the need to shift mindsets and build confidence among philanthropists. The pandemic, surprisingly, fostered cross-pollination of ideas and an increase in trust-based philanthropic practices. She also introduces the concept of 'enoughness,' where philanthropists assess all their assets to determine how much more they can give, often leading to significantly larger contributions.
WINGS representative Antonio discusses the importance of an enabling environment for philanthropy, particularly for diaspora giving. He highlights three critical components: government involvement, private sector engagement, and philanthropy, forming a 'sweet spot' for venture philanthropy to thrive. He points out that countries with robust technological ecosystems tend to have more effective diaspora giving, emphasizing the need for philanthropic investment in technology and risk-taking.
The panel addresses questions from the audience on scaling individual philanthropy and strategically tackling crises. Paula emphasizes talking about giving, working with governments, and making giving 'cool.' Nyla expresses exhaustion and frustration with institutional responses to crises, particularly referencing the situation in Palestine and Sudan, and criticizes regulatory environments that hinder effective local action. She also calls out instances where African governments grant immunities to large global North foundations, undermining local efforts towards decolonization and dignified development.
Mary Lou recommends funding activism, accelerating local leadership, and adopting participatory grant-making. Paula stresses collaboration, risk-taking, leveraging technology, and evaluating impact. Nyla strongly advocates for integrated approaches that genuinely empower local communities, warning against mere lip service to 'localization' and 'capacity building.' Antonio concludes by highlighting the WINGS' Philanthropy Transformation Initiative (PTI) framework as a guide for funders seeking transformation.