This report explores the pivotal role of community foundations in Ukraine. It tracks the history of community foundation development in Ukraine, and describes its unique model – which is based on local affiliation, independence and transparency. Drawing on data collected through the GFCF’s grantmaking in Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the report also describes the range of community foundations' responses to the crisis. It illustrates how Ukrainian community foundations have demonstrated remarkable resilience and impact during the ongoing war, addressing both immediate humanitarian needs and fostering long-term community development and social cohesion. Finally, it explores how international funders can best support the Ukrainian community foundation sector. Author: Olga Bentz Published by:...

The #ShiftThePower Global Summit was held in Bogotá, Colombia from 5 - 7 December 2023. An opportunity for reflection on the Summit was sent out to the 730 Summit participants in February 2024, with 215 individuals replying by mid-March. This report offers a summary of their reflections. With so many blogs and so many positive opinions already published, the question arises about whether the survey results add anything of value to the information already out there. The answer is yes. The main value is that the structured questions enable a systematic reflection from a wide range of participants. The results give insights both into why the Summit was so successful and...

As the field of "African philanthropy" grows, there is an emerging divergence of what the term actually means. There are three notable tendencies in trying to answer this question; first, there is a school of thought which states that African philanthropy is about the growth of a new set of resources (financial and otherwise) that are purely African in terms of source. The second tendency argues for the inclusion of non-African resources provided by philanthropic foundations from elsewhere outside towards causes on the continent. Finally, others argue that the source of funding is not the real issue, but instead, the focus should be on where it is deployed and, in...

In August 2023, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) engaged the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) and Bond to oversee a collaborative initiative aimed at shaping the future of the FCDO’s centrally managed civil society and civic space programming. The engagement process took place between September and October 2023 and covered international regions identified by the FCDO.  WACSI’s expertise was instrumental in orchestrating engagements across West Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, Central Asia, and the Indo-Pacific. Bond led on the engagements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Eastern Europe. The engagement process combined a mix of virtual and in-person engagement sessions and a survey. This approach ensured a...

Frontline humanitarian workers are vital to the delivery of aid and humanitarian services in some of the world’s most challenging crises. Despite their critical role, they encounter numerous challenges, including inadequate compensation, job insecurity, and exposure to serious security risks. This study set out to assess the working conditions of frontline workers, better understand their unique challenges and needs, and offer practical recommendations to enhance their well-being and effectiveness. Specifically, it aimed to address the following four questions: What are the environmental and working conditions of frontline workers? To what extent do frontline workers have access to resources, training and support systems? What contractual terms and conditions, compensation and benefits are...

This GFCF Annual Report covers the period 1 April 2023 – 31 March 2024. The highlight of the year was the #ShiftThePower Global Summit, which was held in Bogotá in December 2023 and brought together some 730 participants from all over the world. Four years had passed since our last global convening (the Pathways to Power Symposium in London) and a global gathering of movement members and allies felt long overdue. A key goal of Summit was to reignite and strengthen the human connections and flows of solidarity across the #ShiftThePower movement, while acknowledging too the growing sense of isolation and exhaustion among many of those on the frontlines of social...

Envisioning an Alternative Ecosystem for Global Development and Humanitarianism was published in September 2023 with the support of the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership, Australia. The goal of this concept paper was to try and devise a more tangible way of addressing global inequality and development beyond the oft-repeated, but vague calls and programmes for the “decolonization” and “localization” of aid and development and “shifting the power” from the Global North to the Global South. The concept paper laid out a framework which: Removed the distinctions between governments, donors, international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), etc. to view all actors working in global development and humanitarianism as “State and Civil Society...

At its core, this study explores the concept of community philanthropy within Palestinian society as a viable alternative to the understanding of conventional volunteering. It also examines the role donors play in supporting and containing Palestinian civil society organizations. Published by: Dalia Association Published: January 2025 Download: Community philanthropy in the Palestinian context: Concepts, alternatives and challenges

Local peacebuilders are the backbone of lasting peace in communities, and supporting their welfare and efforts is essential. This core message emerged strongly from a session held at the 5th African Philanthropy Conference in July 2024, which inspired this paper. The nature of local peacebuilding varies significantly based on context. It can involve addressing youth unemployment, rebuilding infrastructure, or combating food insecurity, amongst other challenges. Philanthropic support must, therefore, embrace this complexity, honour local peacebuilders’ perspectives, and recognize their central role in cultivating conflict-free communities. One session participant noted, “Supporting this work means starting where communities are.” This support requires a shift in approach: Providing accompaniment to local peacebuilders rather than funding...

Historically, reports on giving in Africa have been dominated by perspectives, many of them Western, that overlook the nuances and realities of local giving practices. Studies have tended to focus on formalized, institutional philanthropy – often through large organizations, international development agencies, or high net worth individuals – with the effect of under-recognizing the deeply ingrained and culturally significant traditions of individual giving that exist within African communities. By directly engaging with civil society organizations (CSOs) to understand all the different sources of funding they receive and their prevalence, this report sits in contrast to the external narrative and seeks to align it with the internal African experience. In the first pan-African...

From 2020 to 2021, the GFCF engaged practitioners and interested parties in community philanthropy, women’s philanthropy, and feminist philanthropy to explore relationships among and between these three approaches and points of interest related to the broader philanthropy ecosystem, with special focus on women’s human rights. This report is the result of the first phase of this global, collaborative project, which involved a literature review and 18 interviews with community philanthropy, women’s philanthropy, and feminist philanthropy practitioners and close allies. The starting assumption for this research was that community philanthropy, women’s philanthropy, and feminist philanthropy are each rooted in similar values and goals, with mutually relevant practices and shared challenges. As such,...