Author Archive:

Ine Van Severen

Letter Aimi Zhou and Ine Van Severen 7 March 2017

Strengthening the bonds of civil society

The December issue of Alliance focused on the topic of community philanthropy and the concept of ‘durable development’ – shifting power closer to the ground and giving agency to local people and their organizations. Here, …

Conference reports Ine Van Severen 6 December 2016

About grantmaking and effective interventions

Imagine the following scenario: as a donor you come across an informal community group with a great idea that would substantially benefit the community. Downside? It’s an informal group, a loose network of activists, with …

Conference reports Ine Van Severen 5 December 2016

Civil society resourcing: “Revolutions do not occur because of good project proposals”

It’s undeniable: the space for civil society organisations (CSOs) and philanthropy is shrinking. According to new research by CIVICUS Monitor, an online platform that tracks trends in the conditions for civil society in countries around …

Opinion 2 Ine Van Severen and Mandeep Tiwana 17 August 2016

Southern philanthropy to the rescue?

In a time of receding foreign aid and restrictions on international funding, civil society organisations working on social justice and human rights are facing challenging times. Could the growth of philanthropy in the global south …