Philanthropy resources around the world
Alliance is aiming to compile a list of resources for individual philanthropists around the world. What we have now is only a beginning – please help us complete the list.
Information for donors
- Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium
www.asiapacificphilanthropy.org
Based in the Philippines, APPC is an independent association of grantmaking institutions supporting the Asia Pacific region. - Association of Small Foundations
www.smallfoundations.org
A Washington DC-based membership organization of over 3,000 members, ASF supports foundations with few or no staff through peer learning and targeted resources. - Beacon Fellowship
www.beaconfellowship.org.uk
A UK charitable organization set up to encourage individual contributions to charitable and social causes and to celebrate and showcase best practice in giving. Beacon awards annual prizes to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to charitable causes or to organizations that benefit the public. - CEMEFI (Centro Mexicano Para La Filantropia)
www.cemefi.org
CEMEFI promotes philanthropy and civil society in Mexico through specialized programmes, services and research. - Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University
www.philanthropy.iupui.edu
A respected academic institution on philanthropy in the US, the Center has a broad variety of resources for donors, individual as well as institutional. See especially the ‘Links’ section including ‘Organizations publishing or distributing research about the nonprofit sector’ and ‘Organizations serving the nonprofit sector in the US’ for good resources. - Charities Aid Foundation
www.cafonline.org
Based in the UK, CAF supports donors and charities through a variety of transformational services. With offices in the US, Australia, Bulgaria, India, Russia, South Africa and Brazil (IDIS), CAF has a global footprint and many resources. See especially the ‘For Individuals’ section on the website. - Council on Foundations
www.cof.org
The Council on Foundations, based in Washington DC, is a non-profit membership organization of over 2,100 grantmaking foundations and corporations. Although not specifically designed for individual donors, the Council has a plethora of resources on its website that would be helpful to individuals as well as larger foundations. See especially ‘Grantmaking Basics’ under the ‘Learn’ section of the website, and the list of links under US International Grantmaking (www.usig.org/resources.asp). For information on community foundations, see the ‘Community Foundation Services and Locator’ page on the website. - European Foundation Centre
www.efc.be
Based in Brussels, EFC serves primarily institutional and corporate funders, but has an array of resources on the website that would be of interest to individual donors. See especially the ‘Knowledge Resources On and For Funders’ section on the website. - FSG Social Impact Advisors
See especially their report: Aggregating Impact: A Funder’s Guide to Mission Investment Intermediaries
http://www.fsg-impact.org/app/content/ideas/item/545 - GIFE (Grupo de Institutos Fundacoes e Empresas)
www.gife.org.br
GIFE is a grantmakers’ association that promotes institution building and strengthening to address sustainable development in Brazil. - Giving in Europe
www.givingineurope.org
Supported by the King Baudouin Foundation in Belgium, Giving in Europe provides donors, intermediaries and beneficiaries with information about the conditions, possibilities, and best ways of engaging in cross-border philanthropy, taking into account civil, tax and philanthropic considerations. Its website currently covers 26 European countries. - Global Philanthropy Partnership
www.global-philanthropy.org
Based in Chicago, USA, GPP provides resources to promote strategic global giving. - Grantmakers Without Borders (Gw/oB)
www.gwob.net
Gw/oB is a network of grantmakers focused on global social change philanthropy. Based in Boston, USA, Gw/oB links grantmakers including individual and family foundations as well as institutional grantmakers and corporate funders. The ‘Advice for Grantmakers’ section on the website is especially useful. - Human Interaction Research Institute
www.humaninteract.org
US-based HIRI focuses on capacity-building, collaboration and philanthropy. Their founder has written widely on related topics. See especially under ‘Publications’ from September 2006: Nurturing High Impact Philanthropists: Learning groups for donors and small foundations by Thomas E Backer, PhD. - Institute for Philanthropy
www.instituteforphilanthropy.org.uk
Based in the UK, the Institute for Philanthropy promotes giving through education and initiatives that create donor networks. The Philanthropy Workshop helps individual donors define their mission and acquire the tools for strategic philanthropy. Other programmes reach students and corporate donors. The Institute website also has research and publications of interest to donors. - National Center for Family Philanthropy
www.ncfp.org
NCFP, as the name implies, is focused on families working together in philanthropy, whether through a family foundation, community foundation, bank, religious or ethnic foundation. Based in Washington DC, NCFP has resources geared towards individual donors who prioritize family involvement in their efforts. The site has a lot of basic resource information. For information about advisers, see especially Networks and Associations for Advisors (www.ncfp.org/advisor-networks.html) on the website. - on:Philanthropy
www.onphilanthropy.com
Created by Changing our World (www.changingourworld.com), a for-profit philanthropic consulting group in New York, on:Philanthropy is a free global resource meant for use by non-profit groups and philanthropy professionals. Creating and compiling articles and newsletters on a broad cross-section of philanthropy topics, on:Philanthropy is a good place to search for information. - Philanthropy Australia
www.philanthropy.org.au
A non-profit membership organization based in Melbourne, Philanthropy Australia serves all funders including individual, family, foundation and corporate funders. - Philanthropy UK
www.philanthropyuk.org
Philanthropy UK aims to inspire new givers, to inform and share knowledge and best practices for giving, and to connect donors with charities and resources. See especially ‘Resources’ on the website. It publishes a quarterly newsletter and fortnightly bulletins. - Tides Foundation Canada
www.tidescanada.org
A national public foundation focused on the environment, social justice and innovation in the non-profit sector. See especially ‘Solutions for Individuals and Families’ on their website. - WINGS (Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support)
www.wingsweb.org
WINGS is a global network of over 140 membership associations and support organizations serving grantmakers. See especially searchable database of member organizations on the website.
Donor advisers
- Allavida
www.allavida.org
Based in Kenya, Allavida will identify and evaluate local partners for larger foundations and individual donors. - Family Firm Institute
www.ffi.org
The Family Firm Institute is a professional membership organization to link and educate advisers, consultants and researchers in the field. - Forum for Active Philanthropy
www.activephilanthropy.org
Founded in Berlin, Germany, the Forum supports donors and their families as they become engaged and inspired philanthropists. - International Association of Advisors in Philanthropy
www.advisorsinphilanthropy.org
A US network of professional philanthropic advisers with a searchable directory. - The More You Give
www.themoreyougive.co.uk
The More You Give, located in the UK, works with wealthy individuals and national and global companies to develop their giving strategies and link them with causes that inspire them. - National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers
www.nncg.org
A project of the Tides Center (www.tidescenter.org), NNCG is a relatively new organization based in Los Angeles, USA, to link philanthropy consultants and donor advisers. Their directory lists affiliated individuals and organizations. - New Philanthropy Capital
www.philanthropycapital.org
Based in the UK, NPC is a research-based charity that advises donors and funders how to give more effectively. - The Philanthropic Initiative
www.tpi.org
TPI is a US-based non-profit philanthropic consulting firm that provides strategic planning and programmatic services to individual donors, families, foundations and corporations. See especially ‘Resources’ on the website. - Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
www.rockpa.org
One of the world’s largest philanthropy services, RPA helps donors create thoughtful, effective philanthropy throughout the world. - Strategic Philanthropy Ltd
www.stratphilanthropy.com
Strategic Philanthropy is a global philanthropic advisory practice, based in Chicago, USA. - Synergos
www.synergos.org
Founded in 1986, Synergos builds and supports networks of leaders engaged in efforts to reduce poverty and increase equity around the world. Synergos works with philanthropists and civil society leaders and with community-based groups, businesses, governments, foundations and international organizations. Individual donors should see especially the ‘Global Philanthropists Circle’, which networks philanthropic families from around the globe. - wise partnership
www.wise.net
Based in Geneva, Switzerland, wise partnership serves donors and their families and helps them to fulfil their philanthropic aspirations.
Giving circles and peer networks
- Chicago Global Donors Network
www.chicagoglobaldonors.org
A network for globally minded donors in metropolitan Chicago, USA. - Clarence Foundation
www.theclarencefoundation.org
Organizes global giving circles in the San Francisco Bay Area and in select cities throughout the US. - Climate Change Philanthropy Action Network
www.climatephilanthropists.org
A global network of philanthropists and foundations committed to addressing climate change through strategic philanthropy. - Filia (Die Frauenstiftung)
www.filia-frauenstiftung.de
German-based member fund of the Women’s Funding Network (see below). - Forum of Regional Association of Grantmakers
www.givingforum.org
The website of the US-based Forum has a ‘Giving Circles Knowledge Center’ with relevant studies, reports and information. - The Funding Network
www.thefundingnetwork.org.uk
TFN brings together a diverse group of donors who fund a variety of projects. Based in London, TFN has affiliated groups across the UK, in Canada, and in South Africa. - Giving Circles Network
www.givingcircles.org
Based in the US, GCN aims to assist giving circles and other individual donors in making their contributions more meaningful by helping them to better network among themselves, leverage their resources, and enhance the impact of their giving. - Global Philanthropy Forum
www.philanthropyforum.org
A project of the World Affairs Council of San Francisco, GPF brings together globally minded donors primarily from northern California. - Network for Social Change
www.thenetworkforsocialchange.org.uk
Based in London, UK, the Network has grown to over 100 members who raise about £1 million a year for social change efforts. - Social Venture Partners International
www.svpi.org
With affiliates in 26 locations across the US, Canada and Japan, SVPI promotes engaged philanthropy drawing on a variety of resources: money, time and expertise. - Women’s Funding Network
www.wfnet.org
WFN is a worldwide network of women’s funds and donors.
Pooled funds including diaspora funds
- Acumen Fund
www.acumenfund.org
Acumen is a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve problems of global poverty. - American India Foundation
www.aifoundation.org
AIF supports South Asian diaspora communities in the US who are interested in giving to promote social and economic change in India. - Asian Foundation for Philanthropy
www.affp.org.uk
The Asian Foundation is a UK-based charity supporting the South Asian diaspora of Britain who are focused on social and economic development in India. - Give2Asia
www.give2asia.org
Founded by the Asia Foundation, Give2Asia works with charities in Asia to channel support from the US while building capacity. - Global Fund for Children
www.globalfundforchildren.org
GFC supports organizations to benefit children worldwide. - Global Fund for Women
www.globalfundforwomen.org
GFW supports organizations to benefit women worldwide. - Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
www.theglobalfund.org
Channels funds to local organizations to fight three of the world’s most devastating diseases. - Global Greengrants Fund
www.greengrants.org
GGF supports grassroots environmental groups worldwide. - Mamacash
www.mamacash.org
Mama Cash is a grantmaking organization supporting pioneering and innovative women’s initiatives worldwide. - Network of European Foundations
www.nefic.org
Based in Brussels, NEF’s aim is to develop cooperation between foundations in Europe. It is also open to collaboration with the public and private sectors in developing its initiatives. Its areas of intervention to promote systemic social change include: migration, European citizenship, support for the European integration process, youth empowerment, and global European projects.
Internet giving platforms
- GiveIndia
www.GiveIndia.org
GiveIndia is a donation platform that allows people to give online to Indian NGOs that have been scrutinized for transparency and credibility. - GlobalGiving
www.globalgiving.com
Operates very much like GiveIndia, above, except that its reach is global. - Just Giving
www.justgiving.com
An online fundraising portal through which donors can donate directly to charities registered with the site as well as create their own fundraising pages for challenge events and other initiatives. - Kiva
www.kiva.org
Kiva is a person-to-person microlending website, allowing subscribers to connect with and make personal loans to low-income entrepreneurs in the developing world.
Publications
- Alliance magazine
www.alliancemagazine.org
Published quarterly, Alliance magazine provides news and analysis of what is going on in philanthropy and social investment around the world. It also publishes an e-bulletin eight times a year which provides news on topical developments in the field. To subscribe or for further information, see www.alliancemagazine.org - Global Giving Matters
www.synergos.org/globalgivingmatters
A publication of the Synergos Institute, GGM provides coverage of global giving events and profiles international donors. - A Guide to Giving, Susan Mackenzie (ed), Philanthropy UK, 2005. Available from www.philanthropyuk.org/AGuidetoGiving
- Just Money: A Critique of contemporary American Philanthropy, H Peter Karoff (ed), TPI editions, 2004. Available from www.tpi.org
- Looking Out for the Future: An orientation for twenty-first century philanthropists, Katherine Fulton and Andrew Blau, 2006. Available from www.futureofphilanthropy.org
- Philanthropy UK Newsletter. Published quarterly, this provides news on developments in philanthropy in the UK and elsewhere. Philanthropy UK also publishes a fortnightly News Bulletin.
To subscribe, see www.philanthropyuk.org/Home











