Latest from Alliance
Will the pandemic usher in a new era of corporate philanthropy?
Seven in ten US corporate funders surveyed by the Charities Aid Foundation of America had increased their charitable contributions in 2020. We have also seen revolutionary approaches to giving from major foundations who are issuing social bonds for the first time to fast-track their response to the pandemic crisis. A McKinsey report notes that it is ‘not only the scale of capital being committed by major philanthropists (at least $10.3 billion globally in May 2020, …
Impactful giving demands engaged families
How engaged is your family with your foundation? Are they passionate about giving or do they see it as something distant or inherited, like antique furniture? Let’s take it a step further. How aligned is the concept of philanthropy within your family? Is it peripheral or an integral part of the family enterprise system? Those who are running foundations know only too well the challenges that can arise if a family is not engaged and …
Funders and investors working on equity need accountability
Over the past several decades, the fields of community development, community investment, and impact investment have evolved in response to demands from activists and the communities they serve. These capital providers are addressing financing gaps that cause disparities in wealth, jobs, education, and health – especially within Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) and working-class communities.  Efforts of mission-driven financial actors have made gains in addressing affordable housing stock, business capital access, and crumbling …
The true takeaway of UK’s race report is the anti-racism work that remains. Here’s what funders can do
John Amaechi OBE expertly described the gut punch many people of colour felt on reading the findings of the Sewell Report when he tweeted: ‘The conclusions drawn in the #InstitutionalRacism report of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities contradict everything Black and Brown people know, and have experienced, to be true. I fear the repercussions will be devastating.’ The conclusions of The Sewell Report have put additional pressure on anti-racist charities already operating in …
Philanthropy and governments working together to counter aridity in Mongolia
Land degradation and climate change mean that an estimated four billion people will live in arid and semi-arid areas by …
In Latin America, improving social and environmental impact
Poverty and inequality have been the common denominator in Latin America, and the pandemic has exacerbated these gaps causing greater …
A call for coordination: philanthropy’s response to Covid-19, HIV, and systemic inequalities
The challenges presented by Covid-19 are not new to people living with, or at risk of HIV. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, …
The gift of being heard and working in partnership
It can be easy to invest money in an attempt to fix problems. But money alone can’t build trust or …
Fund movements on the ground to keep fossil fuels in the ground
Last month, I went to northern Minnesota to stand with water protectors and land defenders in protest against Enbridge’s Line …
The Covid-19 grassroots justice fund that invests in people-led justice solutions
In the shadow of the pandemic, injustices are deepening. Migrant workers are laid off from jobs yet unable to travel …
The Lemann Foundation and the case of the AstraZeneca vaccine
What gives philanthropy its social license to operate? That’s a question which Australian philanthropy scholar, commentator and Alliance editorial board …
Covid-19 has changed philanthropy forever
Over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, the funding community has wrestled with how to meet the moment as challenges …
Coordinated global philanthropy needs to address global threats
Long-term thinkers, including in philanthropy, have been worried about the risks of a pandemic since long before Covid-19 broke out. …