• At the Opening Plenary, Giorgio Napolitano, President of the Italian Republic, and Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission , opened the Conference and spoke about both poverty and the current economic crisis. Mr Napolitano stated that foundations can “contribute to the dynamism of a society and to preserving its cohesion”.
• A special plenary, 'Migration and poverty: Where are foundations when you need them?' addressed not only the challenges raised by migration, but also the myriad opportunities, which have a tendency to be discussed less frequently.
• At the Closing Plenary, delegates approved, by acclamation, a statement confirming their agreement with the sentiments expressed by Giorgio Napolitano, the President of the Italian Republic, at the opening session on 14 May, notably with regard to the growing dangers of xenophobia and intolerance.
• For the first time, EFC used video blogging at its conference. The videos contain interviews with some key personalities and speakers, as well as clips of the plenaries and sessions.
• An 'Interactive Fair' was held on the morning of Saturday 16 May, where seven organisations presented their work from various stalls in engaging and dynamic formats.
• Another first were the 'auction sessions'- where delegates voted online, in advance of the conference, for the four sessions (from a selection of 14) they would most like to include in the programme. 
• The winner of this year’s EFC photo competition, ‘Every Picture Tells a Story’ was Robert Bosch Stiftung with its entry ‘Homework in peace’. Conference delegates chose the winner, which was taken by a fellow while working with the Enabling State Programme (ESP) - an initiative tackling conflict management and the empowerment of marginalised groups in Nepal.
• Also at the Closing Plenary, the Raymond Georis Prize for Innovative Philanthropy was awarded to Ms Güler Sabanci, President of the Sabanci Foundation. Based in Istanbul, The Sabanci Foundation was created in 1974 as Turkey's first strategic grantmaking foundation, focusing on addressing the needs of women, youth and persons with disabilities.
• Delegates enjoyed a concert by Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma and gala dinner in the Complesso Monumentale di Santo Spirito in Sassia.  The following evening there was a standing dinner in the Galleria Doria Pamphilj.

Special support for the 20^th EFC Annual General Assembly (AGA) and Conference given by:

• 2009 AGA Host Committee

• 2009 AGA Programme Committee

EFC 2009 scholarship programme generously supported by:

Bertelsmann Stiftung, Fondazione Cariplo, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Bolzano - Stiftung Südtiroler Sparkasse, Fondazione di Venezia, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Institusjonen Fritt Ord, Mama Cash Foundation, Open Estonia Foundation, Robert Bosch Stiftung and Third Sector Foundation of Turkey (TÜSEV)