Latest from Alliance
How leading funders build strong, resilient nonprofits in India
Chronic underfunding of nonprofits’ ‘true costs’– programme expenses, core administrative expenditures, organisational development investments, plus reserve funding – blunts the impact funders and nonprofits strive for. As a result, neither party lives up to its aspirations for beneficial change, while those served miss out on opportunities. The Pay-What-It-Takes (PWIT) India Initiative, launched in 2020, is a collaborative effort to seek sector-level solutions for this problem and has identified five principles that funders can adopt to …
The false dichotomy between trust and results
As the trust-based philanthropy wave is washing over the sector once again, concerns over its ability to prove impact, facilitate learning, and evaluate previous approaches are bubbling up. As a philanthropy professional with over two decades of experience in learning, measurement, and evaluation, I believe it is a false dichotomy to pit ceding control against measuring impact. Trust-based philanthropy is having a moment – from the first ripples caused by news of MacKenzie Scott’s …
Four blended finance trends that will drive impact
The enormous funding gap needed to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals stands at around $3.9 trillion each year. However, there is around $100 trillion of unused private and institutional money seeking returns every year. That’s a big pool of untapped capital out there waiting to be mobilized. Government officials, NGOs, philanthropic organizations and financial institutions broadly agreed that blended finance structures will play an increasingly prominent role in delivering outcomes aligned to the UN …
The social impact opportunities of AI in India
To paraphrase Bangladeshi Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, trends such as financial and technology innovation, the proliferation of social media, and globalization can massively help or harm society’s most vulnerable people. Which scenario becomes reality depends in large part on enlightened government policies and bold efforts by civil society, especially nonprofit organizations, to harness these forces for good. Information technology can clearly help government agencies and nonprofits work more efficiently. But there are also tantalizing opportunities …
Localising philanthropy – what does it entail?
Localisation, shifting power and decolonisation are among the most talked about phrases in social development spaces today. If pursued earnestly, …
HIV drugmaker provides a case study in philanthropic whitewashing
In October Funders Concerned About AIDS, a philanthropic body that describes itself as one to take ‘bold actions and push …
What’s possible when infrastructure has infrastructure? PEX as a container to practice the future of philanthropy
“What if?” is the guiding question for visionary communities to take organisations, sectors and societies forward. This question took European …
Corporate philanthropy: a pathway to strengthening healthcare in low and middle-income countries.
Health systems encompass the institutions, organizations, and resources (physical, financial, and human) assembled to deliver healthcare services that meet population …
System change is both a marathon and a team sport
Three things are important if foundations want to solve wicked problems and drive real system change: binding cross-sector collaborations, experimenting …
De-NGOsation: the re-foundation of the heart of civil society
‘We do not want to be part of the system that has generated social injustice, the climate crisis, and violence …
Multisolving allows us to address climate and other societal challenges
A climate science workshop series by Active Philanthropy: Episode 7 The start of the annual UN Climate Change Conference serves …
Participatory grant making is key to shifting the power
What’s the best prescription for achieving the SDG’s? For international NGOs and funders to cede power and control over decision-making …
We must adapt to and reduce sea level rise
A climate science workshop series by Active Philanthropy: Episode 6 In the sixth episode of our climate science series, Dr. …