CAPACITY BUILDING
Evaluating the impact of grant making in times of austerity and lessons learned
This session, based on the experience of The Atlantic Philanthropies, will give participants the opportunity to hear more about - and gain a greater understanding of - the different ways in which the Foundation assesses the impact of its grant making in Northern Ireland and to discuss the lessons learned from this that could be of benefit to other foundations. The session will include practical examples of methods of evaluation and impact assessment and applied and technical approaches to different elements of the grants programme evaluation. It will discuss the use of individual project-level evaluations and programme evaluations and focus on how evaluation processes can lead to an expansion of service provision. Examples of qualitative assessment of programme impact as well as an initiative to address quantitative analysis will be included. Consideration will be given to contextual factors such as: divided society, economic circumstances, spend down, advocacy as a tool, social and demographic factors. Overall there will be a chance to discuss the contribution that evaluation can make to grant making, including the grantee experience.
Organised by The Atlantic Philanthropies
Moderator: Gail Birkbeck, The Atlantic Philanthropies
Speakers:
Colin Knox, University of Ulster
Brendan Murtagh, Queen’s University, Belfast
Learning from partners to increase effectiveness
With a view to improving the quality of foundation work and achieving greater transparency in the European foundation sector, this session will discuss new and innovative methods focussing on the joint learning process of foundations and their respective partners. The participation of the audience is encouraged in order to advance innovative instruments for sustainable quality development within the foundation sector. The session aims to spur debate around some key questions: To what extent does the quality of good foundation work depend on the analysis of the relationship between foundations and their grant recipients? What methods already exist for analysing this relationship? What opportunities and risks do these methods present? How can foundations actively use feedback provided by their partners in order to make their activities more effective?
Organised by Stiftung Mercator
Moderator: Wilhelm Krull, VolkswagenStiftung
Speakers:
Bernhard Lorentz, Stiftung Mercator
Paolo Pasqualis, Fondazione Italiana per il Notariato
Risky business
Who talks about risk in your foundation, and is it ever discussed outside of the investment team? This session will discuss what risks are inherent to philanthropic work, which risks are worth the consequences of failure, and will encourage you to think about your own organisation’s appetite for risk. Participants will also consider how foundations can learn from their risk-taking, and better communicate about risk. To whet your risk appetite, a pre-conference event on Tuesday 5 June touches on the same themes.
Organised by the 2011 Impact Island team
Moderator: The team that brought you Impact Island at the 2011 AGA will guide you through this risky territory
Speakers
This interactive session will ensure everyone has a voice
Storytelling with data: Visualising philanthropy
Foundations now more than ever use and rely on data to drive decision making, rendering critical the ability to craft an effective story with data. Key to success is learning to present data visually in a way that ensures the message is understood by the audience. That is the focus of this session, which combines theory with practical application of data visualisation best practices. Concepts are made concrete through the use of numerous real world examples and hands-on learning.
Organised by the Ford Foundation
Moderator: Kyle Reis, The Ford Foundation
Speaker:
Cole Nussbaumer, Storytellingwithdata.com
Structural Funds: A leveraging tool for foundations
The Structural Funds are the EU’s biggest financial instrument aimed at reducing the social and economic inequalities among the regions of Europe. Although a popular funding mechanism among NGO stakeholders in Europe, these funds are rarely tapped into by foundations as with their own financial means and strong independent spirit, they do not see the benefits that these funds may represent.
And yet with daily reminders of how the current financial crisis is having devastating effects on the economic, social and political stability of our society, and pushing increasing numbers of people to the margins, foundations must be ready to explore all avenues that can help them leverage and multiple their support to those most vulnerable and disadvantaged among us.
With discussions underway in Brussels on the future of the funds as part of the EU cohesion policy, the session aims to provide a clearer understanding of how Structural Funds work and how they present an unbeatable opportunity for foundations to increase their effectiveness and maximise their impact.
Organised by European Consortium on Human Rights and Disability
Moderator: Brian Kearney-Grieve, The Atlantic Philanthropies
Speakers:
Assya Kavrakova, European Civil Society House, ECAS
María Tussy, Fundación ONCE
CURRENT ISSUES FOR FOUNDATIONS
A path to social justice: Reaching Europe’s invisible children
The exclusion of ethnic minorities and migrants in Central and Eastern Europe has led to stratified societies in which children and youth are often marginalised. Most policies and laws officially grant equal rights to minorities, but in practice, indifferent or hostile social conditions lead to exclusion from education and health services, which prevents children from reaching their potential as productive adults and full citizens. This session will highlight how two European community-level organisations are reaching and serving excluded groups in order to facilitate their inclusion in society. Working in areas such as psycho-social support, reducing stigma, promoting cross-cultural understanding, and providing educational opportunities, these organisations are offering children a fair chance to achieve their promise.
Organised by The Global Fund for Children
Moderator: Joseph Bednarek, The Global Fund for Children
Speakers:
Mariana Pisarska, Alliance for Children and Youth, Sofia
Rusla Stanga, Ograda Noastra, Moldova
Climate change: A common concern
This session will explore the opportunities for all kinds of philanthropy to contribute to addressing climate change as grantmakers, investors and advocates. Climate change is already influencing migration, conflict, health, justice, gender, poverty, social welfare, international development, vulnerable groups, financial flows and investments. It has been recognised as “the greatest market failure” (Lord Stern), “the biggest global health threat of the 21st century” (The Lancet) and “the biggest human rights issue of the 21st century” (Mary Robinson). How are foundations already responding to this global issue? How can we integrate our varied concerns with the shared need to build a low-carbon, sustainable future?
Organised by the UK Environmental Funders Network with the support of the EFC European Environmental Funders Group
Moderator: Steven Burkeman, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Speakers:
Mark Campanale, Carbon Tracker Initiative
Farhana Yamin, Children's Investment Fund Foundation
European Foundation statute on track: Help us to cross the finish line!
The European Commission adopted its proposal for a regulation on a European Statute for foundations on 8 February 2012. This presents foundations with a one-off opportunity to obtain their own European legal form and to reap multiple benefits for the sector and society. Participants will have the chance to discuss core aspects and open questions of the European Commission proposal and to learn about the remaining steps in the legislative process.
The ball is now in the court of the European Parliament and national governments to determine on the fate of the proposal. Together foundations must step up our advocacy efforts, in particular towards national governments, to ensure the Statute’s adoption once open questions are clarified. Join us to find out more about the campaigns that are underway and how you can get involved in advocacy work and become an ambassador for the EFS.
Organised by EFC
Moderator: Francis Charhon, Fondation de France
Speakers:
Ludwig Forrest, King Baudouin Foundation
Rosa Gallego, Asociación Española de Fundaciones
Marjut Leskinen, European Commission
Funding for inclusion: Women and girls in the equation
here is growing awareness that gender is a cross-cutting issue relevant to all areas of philanthropic focus – be it education, migration, healthcare, or the environment. Indeed, recent research shows that there is considerable interest in funding women and girls among European foundations. However, in practice a significant gap remains between interest and action. What stops foundations from acting? What are practical barriers? And what steps have helped foundations move from ideas to action? This session does not seek to develop a golden formula; rather, we aim to inspire practitioners and offer an honest conversation among peers. The emphasis will be on what European foundations (and their advisors) are doing to integrate a gender perspective in their work or to focus some of their investments on women and girls. We will reflect on what factors enable (or impair) a greater focus on gender, like the role of the Board, the importance of staff leadership, how it is perceived to fit with the broader mission of the foundation, and the like. Speakers from foundations that have worked to bring a conscious gender focus into their programming will discuss their experiences during a plenary session, followed by group discussions on specific focus areas.
Organised by GraftCraft and Mama Cash Foundation
Moderator: Jo Andrews, Ariadne - European Network of Human Rights Funders
Speakers:
Adrian Arena, Oak Foundation
Kathleen Cravero-Kristoffersson, Oak Foundation
Global Philanthropy Leadership Initiative: Outcomes and opportunities
Join members of the Global Philanthropy Leadership Initiative Task Force (GPLI) as they share the results of an innovative two-year collaborative process. A joint initiative of EFC, Council on Foundations and Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS), this group of foundation leaders was commissioned with finding new ways to advance the practice and impact of philanthropy on the global level. In support of that goal, the GPLI agenda has focused on three priority areas: improving the legal and regulatory environment for cross-border philanthropy; developing models for improving and increasing collaborations of global consequence; and building more strategic and systematic engagement with multilateral organisations. This session will describe the process involved in this unique collaboration, present outcomes from each of the priority areas, and discuss what comes next for the emerging initiatives.
Organised by Global Philanthropy Leadership Initiative (GPLI)
Co-chairs:
Emílio Rui Vilar, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian
William S. White, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
Speakers:
Kathleen Cravero - Kristoffersson, Oak Foundation
Massimo Lanza, Fondazione di Venezia
Governance and management of endowment investments: A conversation
Join us for a thought-provoking conversation on the governance and management of endowment investments, and responses to the crisis. This interview-dialogue style session will explore together with the audience issues such as: What is distinctive about foundation endowments? What are the implications for the governance and financial management of investments, and for the exercise of boards’ duties? Do foundations really invest for the long term, as stated or are they letting the market and consultants drive decisions? How are boards responding to the financial crisis? Are we witnessing the emergence of a new paradigm about what constitutes risk and success in endowment investments and a re-think of what fiduciary responsibility and long term mean for endowments? Do foundations have a role to play in influencing corporate governance and markets behaviour through the power of their assets? Do recent revisions by the Charity Commission for England and Wales on how charities and endowments can invest tell us anything useful in a european context? The discussion will draw on "The Governance and Financial Management of Endowed Charitable Foundations" published in April 2012 by the Association of Charitable Foundations, which will be distributed at this session.
Organised by EFC
Moderator: Rien van Gendt, Van Leer Group Foundation
Speaker:
Richard Robinson, The Paul Hamlyn Foundation
New strategies for foundations: When, why and how to use venture philanthropy
An increasing number of foundations are starting to use venture philanthropy as a tool in their philanthropic activities. This session will provide valuable insight into practical examples of two foundations using venture philanthropy: Fondazione CRT and the Shell Foundation. It will explore their impetus for and experience of adopting this approach. Topics covered during the session will include:
- Different approaches to using venture philanthropy as a foundation
- An overview of different financial instruments – grants & loans
- The importance of non financial inputs to build stronger organisations
- learnings of successful implementation of venture philanthropy as well as difficulties encountered along the way
The audience is invited to participate in sharing their experience with the concept, providing other examples and asking questions.
Organised by the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) and Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino (CRT)
Moderator: Deirdre Mortell, One Foundation
Speakers:
Massimo Lapucci, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino
Judith Pollock, Shell Foundation
Shedding light on our own practice: Lessons about the impact and effect of our own behaviour
Can changing how foundations work enhance what they achieve? If foundations adopt new or improved working practices, can they?
• Deliver their purposes even better
• Add more value to the work they support
• Share their experience more fully with other funders
• Influence more profoundly the policy context within which they work
This session will enable foundation staff and trustees to reflect on these questions, drawing on interviews with 26 foundations from across Europe carried out specifically for this conference. It will also provide an opportunity to develop ideas for new research and study of the practice of philanthropy within Europe. The audience will be invited to challenge the findings and contribute their own experiences.
The final research report for this project will take into account the debate and experience sharing in Belfast. The project is supported by: Adessium Foundation, FACT, Fondation Lombard Odier, Oak Foundation and the Pears Foundation. It has been undertaken by Judith Symonds, David Carrington and Karen Weisblatt.
Organised by French American Charitable Trust (FACT) and Network of European Foundations (NEF)
Moderator: Pier Mario Vello, Fondazione Cariplo
Speakers:
Kathleen Cravero-Kristoffersson, Oak Foundation
Pieter Stemerding, Adessium Foundation
The financial crisis: A never-ending story?
Five years on and the world continues to be in the grip of its worst-ever financial crisis. With global efforts being made by national governments and EU institutions to support growth and employment, provide better financial stability and secure the future of Europe’s governance, what is the role that foundations have to play and how is their work of and spending being affected in this current climate? This session will examine the severity of the crisis in an interactive, conversational format, discussing the importance of transparency and the long-term responses to mitigate the impact of the crisis, especially among vulnerable sections of society.
Organised by EFC
Moderator: Karin Jestin, Fondation Lombard Odier
Speaker:
Martin Essayan, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian
Thierry Lombard, Fondation Lombard Odier
PEACE THROUGH SOCIAL JUSTICE
Europe@debate: Justice through unconditional basic income? A debate on European Social Policy
Massive protests against growing social inequality and unemployment have erupted all across Europe lately. Young Europeans in particular are calling for radical political change and a new strategy for social justice. At the same time, the EU has set five ambitious objectives to be reached by 2020 – reducing the number of people in poverty by 20 million is at the top of this agenda. How can Europe reach this ambitious goal and further foster social justice? This session aims to discuss whether the unconditional basic income can be a means of European social policy, a way to reduce social imbalance throughout Europe and a possibility to save expenditure within the European social welfare systems. More generally the session will focus on the effectiveness within the EU to develop and implement a common strategy and common standards in the field of social policy.
The session will allow for interaction between an outstanding socio-economic expert, Dr. Guy Standing, whose recent book analyses the growth of the precariat and young citizens from several European countries, who are affiliated to FutureLab Europe, an initiative of the European Alliance for Democratic Citizenship, coordinated by the Körber Stiftung, and to the young European online magazine Europe&Me.
Organised by Körber-Stiftung
Moderator: Almut Möller, Alfred von Oppenheim Center for European Policy Studies
Expert: Guy Standing, University of Bath
Speakers:
Lukas Brück, Germany, FutureLab Europe
Christoph Johannes Delcker, Germany, FutureLab Europe
Johannes Himmelreich, Europe & Me
Eemeli Isoaho, Finland, FutureLab Europe
Estefania Almenta Lopez, Spain, FutureLab Europe
Zuzana Novakova, Slovakia, FutureLab Europe
How can philanthropic investment in education make a difference to the Israeli - Palestinian conflict?
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not only a local crisis; it has global fallout. Powerful ideologies are exported and reverberate across the world, creating divisions within and between those communities exposed to opposing narratives; this is especially evident on university campuses, which have become a metaphorical battlefield. At a time when the Israeli-Palestinian conflict appears to be as entrenched as ever, this session will explore whether universities can be a positive force for change through rigorous academic enquiry, classroom-based scholarship and experiential learning. This session will focus on the role of education in reversing the trend towards polarisation and cultivating a generation of critically engaged students with the potential to foster peace in conflicts around the world. Our session will look for lessons in how philanthropy can make a positive contribution toward peace through long term investments in this area.
Organised by Pears Foundation
Moderator: Charles Keidan, Pears Foundation
Speakers:
Daniel Wehrenfennig, Olive Tree Initiative, University of California and Program in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, University of California, Irvine
Raffaella Del Sarto, European University Institute, Florence and SAIS Johns Hopkins University, Bologna Campus
Local philanthropy and a peaceful transition to economic and social justice in the Arab region
The people's movements of 2011 across the Arab region, known as the Arab Spring, have signalled the importance of dignity, participation and justice in rebuilding a new social and economic order. Despite very different trajectories, each country is experiencing an outpouring of citizen initiatives and creativity to meet those goals in a peaceful manner. One of the spontaneous areas of innovation has been around local philanthropy in the context of community solidarity and increased awareness of the private sector for social responsibility. In this session, a variety of perspectives from Arab countries in transition will be presented as the catalysts for a dialogue on local-global collaboration. Rather than seeking ready-made solutions, a collaborative framework will be presented in which to examine ways that all partners in this collaboration will benefit from a broader international exchange of experience and working partnerships. The emphasis will be on practical steps and frameworks that might lead to fruitful projects over the coming months.
Organised by EFC, SAANED for Philanthropy Advisory, the Arab Foundations Forum and the Gerhart Center, American University in Cairo
Moderator: Atallah Kuttab, SAANED for Philanthropy Advisory
Speakers:
Manal Omar, United States Institute of Peace
Joachim Rogall, Robert Bosch Stiftung
Populism and extremist parties in Europe: How should foundations respond?
Against the backdrop of a major economic crisis and public sector cuts, Europe is experiencing a surge in support of populist and far-right parties that are stirring up public sentiments around issues associated with immigration and cultural identity.
This session aims to provide a space for foundations to discuss how to respond to these challenging developments in ways that may require moving beyond traditional grant-making techniques and exploring new approaches.
Organised by EFC Diversity, Migration and Integration Interest Group (DMIIG)
Moderator: Sara Llewellin, Barrow Cadbury Trust
Speakers:
Maria Hlavajova, BAK (Basis voor Actuele Kunst)
Minna Jarvenpaa, Open Society Foundations
Andre Wilkens, Stiftung Mercator
Roma inclusion in Europe today
The 10-12 million Roma living in Europe are one of the most marginalised groups facing wide-ranging discrimination and prejudice in their daily lives. Only 42% of Roma children complete primary school in some EU Member States. In an unprecedented commitment, the European Commission has requested Member States to put in place national Roma integration strategies by the end of 2011 addressing four key areas; education, employment, healthcare and housing. However, the task of Roma inclusion is particularly difficult to solve, as there are exclusion dynamics in place which are often compounded by anti-gypsy attitudes and racism. This where civil society, including foundations, can play an important role to solve the problems associated with Roma inclusion.
This session will analyse the situation of the Roma in Europe today, and foundations’ on going response to it, considering different options for their contribution. It will also look at the experience from the field by Roma activists.
Organised by EFC Forum for Roma Inclusion
Moderators:
Reem Judeh, Bernard van Leer Foundation
Christian Petry, Freudenberg Stiftung GmbH
Speakers:
Denis Iliescu, The Roma Resource Centre
Alexandros Tsolakis, European Commission
When the global meets the local: Philanthropic interventions in community-based peacebuilding
Working for peacebuilding and social justice in local situations of violent conflict and human rights abuse can be a scary place to be. This session intends to explore both the challenges and opportunities for philanthropic intervention. The session will specifically address work with women and the task of identifying strategies to promote peacebuilding and conflict transformation initiatives. Panel members will draw on their own experiences to pose questions that will be discussed in more detail at a roundtable buzz, which in turn will be facilitated by representatives of locally-based grantmakers from India, Serbia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Colombia and Northern Ireland. Issues for discussion will include the role of development aid; calculating the risks of philanthropic intervention; building philanthropic partnerships; and developing advocacy links between the local and the global. A concluding report back will allow the insights raised during the table buzz to be shared and recommendations agreed
Organised by Community Foundation for Northern Ireland
Moderator: Monina O’Prey, Community Foundation for Northern Ireland
Rapporteur:
Barry Knight, CENTRIS - The Centre for Research & Innovation in Social Policy and Practice
Speakers:
Ambika Satkunanathan, Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Karen Yarza, Fundacion Comunitaria de la Frontera Norte, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico