On 22 June, the Centro Latinoamericano de Economía Humana (Latin American Centre for Human Economy – CLAEH) presented, in a conference on community foundations, the latest developments in its project entitled Community Foundations in Uruguay, Development and Philanthropy: Resources for Local Development. CLAEH is pursuing the project with support from the Inter-American Foundation and the Global Fund for Community Foundations. The research and subsequent discussion identified serious challenges to the acceptance of the concept and practice of community foundations in Uruguay, including a lack of awareness of the word ‘foundation’, limitations of the existing legal framework, and doubts over the need for a new type of organization when there are state agencies and private organizations already doing this work. Also at the event, Andrés Thompson, Programme Director for the W K Kellogg Foundation, outlined the general history and development of community foundations around the world. He explained that there are broadly two approaches to community foundations: the money approach, which puts the emphasis on collecting funds and on donor advice, and the community approach, which puts the emphasis on effective resolution of community needs. In developing countries, community foundations tend to follow the latter pattern, he said.

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Contact project manager Fabiana Hernández at fabianah76@gmail.com or see http://www.claeh.edu.uy