The ocean is our global commons, our birthright, our collective heritage, and our heirloom. This concept is enshrined under international law – the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). However, laws and concepts resonate much less with us than the things that pull at our heartstrings. With any precious gift entrusted to us from generation to generation, we know to protect it from harm. We must enshrine it in an ambient environment …

Networks often require donor funding to undertake activities to achieve their visions and missions. But, as we so often hear in our work with networks, mobilizing and managing adequate funds pose a host of challenges, both for networks and their donors. And, given the paucity of existing research, the fundamental questions of what, why, and how donors fund networks are as yet broadly unanswered. Collective Mind recently completed the first phase of a participatory research …

In 1962 the idea of putting a man on the moon was a pipe dream. Yet seven years later, the moon landing inspired an entire planet, giving way to new etymology around what it means to take risks: a moonshot – any challenge deemed nigh impossible, one that requires the investment of expertise, capital and time and where failure is a noteworthy threat but a necessary risk. My moonshot has unfolded over the past two …

This article is part of a series of articles about Community-Led Philanthropy, co-hosted by GlobalGiving. The conversation explores the ways philanthropy can support community-led change.  There is an African proverb that goes ‘he who does not trust enough, will not be trusted.’ The word ‘trust’ is sometimes used in philanthropy to describe relationships between donors and their grantees. From the donors’ perspective, the relationship begins with normalized suspicion. Trust is often something that needs to be …