The EVPA annual conference is THE event of the year in venture philanthropy where leading experts in the field discuss the development of the industry and meet their peers across Europe.

Some venture philanthropists started off providing grants to non-profit organisations - albeit in an engaged manner. Others supported social enterprises through tailored financing. Many have realised that they share the overall aim of building stronger organisations that can better achieve social impact. Venture philanthropy is where grantmaking and social investment come together.

This year’s conference acknowledges that venture philanthropy has come a long way since the first official EVPA conference in London in 2005. The distinction between the non-profit and the for-profit sector has become blurred with the emergence of social entrepreneurship and the increased demand for transparency and performance measurement to assess the efficiency of non-profit organisations. Meanwhile, foundations have considered how to change some of their practices in order to better assist the social sector and how to align their investments with their social mission.

Venture philanthropy is positioned at the intersection between the for-profit and non-profit sectors. As such, venture philanthropy includes high engagement and a range of financing mechanisms tailored to the needs of the social purpose organisation, be it a non-profit organisation or a social enterprise. The aim of this year’s conference is to move away from past dichotomies and to focus on the overall objective of venture philanthropy: building stronger social sector organisations to achieve greater social impact.

Confirmed keynote speakers:

Percy Barnevik, Chair, Hand in Hand

Sir Ronald Cohen, Chair, Bridges Ventures

Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder and CEO, Acumen Fund

For more information please visit the EVPA website here.