Author Archive:
Filiz Bikmen
Making infrastructure future-ready
In order to meet the challenges philanthropy and social investment is contending against, its infrastructure needs to be rethought and retooled. Those of us who live in the developed world take many things for granted: …
Philanthropy in Egypt and Turkey
The practice of community giving has experienced mixed fortunes amid profound national developments In 2004, the Ford Foundation funded a study to understand the relationship between philanthropy and social justice in predominantly Muslim societies, including …
An aura of hope
As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers. With two major events in the social investment and philanthropy sector, May was abloom with new ideas and energy, much needed in a world full of …
Keep on, keeping on: resilient philanthropy in Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey, 15 August 2017 Resilience is a popular term these days; explored in classrooms with children, in camps with refugees, and with executives in corporations. The search for the perfect recipe continues. Dr Lester Salamon, …
Olga Prize finalists Adım Adım take it one ‘step’ further
In 2014, founders of Adım Adım (Step by Step) Itir Erhart and Renay Onur were selected as finalists for the Olga Alexeeva Memorial Prize. As per the criteria for the award, they had demonstrated remarkable …
EFC Conference 2014- recipes for building successful networks: search for the masterchef
I love cooking, though I admit to rarely consulting recipes and opting to improvise. But when it comes to cooking up strategies for effective philanthropy I am consistently searching for (and applying) tried and true …
Grantmaking in Turkey: a road less travelled
Over the past decade or so, there has been notable progress in developing civil society in Turkey, a critical pillar for freedoms of assembly, association and expression. NGOs have enjoyed a more enabling environment resulting …
Creative arts to the fore at 4th BMW Foundation Young Leaders Forum
Earlier this year, my esteemed colleague Moukhtar Kocache engaged me to take on a small supportive role in a major project he was working on for the Peace and Social Justice Philanthropy Working Group. The …
From seed to sprout – creating new spaces to strengthen philanthropy in emerging market countries
The ‘idea seed’ to organize a forum to convene philanthropists and practitioners from emerging market countries was planted back in January 2012, at a meeting in London on ‘Building Bridges: Developing Philanthropy in Emerging Markets’. …
Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear
Nearly a year ago, I wrote about the value of initiatives that create space for reflection, learning and mutual support among people working in the area of social change, and the tremendous contribution they make …
