The Philea Virtual Library

The Philea Virtual Library includes over 1,000 free-to-download publications from a range of organisations and publishers on the topics of philanthropy, the management of foundations and the areas they are involved in and support. As a Philea member you can send us your publications for inclusion in the library which will also be added to the global IssueLab network where they will be made available to an extended audience, including users of Worldcat, the global catalogue used by tens of thousands of libraries. For questions or assistance, please contact the Philea Virtual Library.
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Shifting the Field: Philanthropy’s role in strengthening child- and youth-led community rooted groups

April 1, 2021

In 2019, Elevate Children Funders Group commissioned the exploratory study, 'Philanthropy's role in strengthening child- and youth-led community rooted groups.' The objective of this study was to map current practices in philanthropic support for child and youth led work at the community level and provide strategic advice to donors on how to strengthen their funding modalities through participatory approaches to achieve greater and more effective impact. The findings and recommendations from this process—conducted through literature review, key informant interviews, focus groups, and online surveys with funders, child- and youth-led community rooted groups, and non-funders—articulated in this report will pave the road for members of ECFG to challenge their own practices; build on the broader philanthropic momentum to shift money down to the grassroots level; explore ways to influence the broader philanthropic sector; and influence and shift the wider donor community thinking and approaches.

Children and Youth; Community Philanthropy; Evaluation and Learning; Grantmaking and Programme Management

Assets, Capacity, Trust: Role of Community Foundations in Development of Local Philanthropy

February 1, 2021

The concept of community philanthropy continues to take shape across countries. Researchers and civil society development institutions in many countries are concerned with the same questions: what role community philanthropy plays in local development, what ideas and resources are invested in it, and how it can be measured and evaluated.We asked ourselves the same questions within the Program for Support of Community Philanthropy implemented by CAF Russia. Together with community foundations involved in the program we started to look for solutions. New research presented in this report demonstrates the use of ACT (Assets-Capacity-Trust) framework to find answers to these questions. This report highlights what we found important, what were the results and the impact of the work.

Community Philanthropy; Socio-economic Development, Poverty

Participatory Philanthropy : Six Foundations' Journeys

October 1, 2020

In September 2020, Heather Hamilton, Executive Director of Elevate Children Funders Group, interviewed six members of the network about their journey towards participatory philanthropy, particularly engaging children and youth. This is what they said. 

Children and Youth; Community Philanthropy; Evaluation and Learning; Foundation Sector, History and Analysis

Connecting Community Foundations with the SDGs

February 1, 2020

This document seeks to demonstrate that the work of all community foundations is highly relevant to the SDGs and that by adopting a 'whole-of-organization approach' which takes into consideration mission, investment, strategies and programmes, communications and operations, there is scope to use the framework to enhance their role, credibility and effectiveness as catalysts for change. This can attract partners and funding, can motivate staff, board members and volunteers and can consolidate the position of the community foundation in its locality.

Community Philanthropy; International Affairs, Global Challenges

How Community Philanthropy Shifts Power: What Donors Can Do to Help Make That Happen

April 17, 2018

While slogans like "think globally, act locally" have been around for decades, still so much decision making about philanthropy happens by stakeholders outside them. This paper intends to address the struggle funders face with giving up power, despite caring deeply about championing local leadership and initiatives. Learn about the "community philanthropy approach" and practical examples of how funders have shared and shifted power without losing sight of their strategic imperatives.

Community Philanthropy

Constiuent Voices: Lean Data Learnings

March 1, 2018

This report sets out results from a consultation to explore ways to stimulate and develop community philanthropy as a means of contributing to the sustainability of civil society and supporting the effectiveness of development aid.The consultation was undertaken by the Aga Khan Foundation USA and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation in association with the Global Fund for Community Foundations. The Ford Foundation also contributed resources to the process.Three meetings were held (in Washington D.C., Johannesburg, and Dhaka). Three working papers were written during the process, and two articles published in Alliance magazine so that a wider constituency could offer feedback. People who took part in meetings are listed in Annex A.

Community Philanthropy

Assessing Community Foundation Needs and Envisioning the Future

September 19, 2017

Community foundations have several attributes that, taken together, distinguish them from many of their philanthropic brethren, including a local orientation, relationships with many living donors, and a public charity tax status. This affects everything from their approach to solving problems to their business model. Because of this, community foundations have sought out support services that are designed for their particular needs. The infrastructure of organizations serving community foundations has evolved, and there has been confusion among community foundations over where to get their needs met and some frustration over the perceived fragmentation of services.In response to these concerns and to create some clarity, CFLeads and CF Insights, both of which exclusively serve community foundations, decided to map out the current support services and lead a discussion exploring a vision for the future. The findings from a survey of a dozen large community foundations and a one-day symposium are summarized here. Hopefully the results of this partnership provide a better understanding of the ecosystem of organizations serving community foundations and some initial thinking on how to meet needs in the future.

Community Philanthropy

Giving a Sense of Place: Philanthropy and the Future of UK Civic Identity

September 18, 2017

The Charities Aid Foundation argues that philanthropy should be a central part of the discussion about the future of cities in the UK and makes specific recommendations to usher in a new golden age of civic giving. It recommends actions to be taken by central and local government, locally elected mayors, the public sector, philanthropists and charities. These include:-The development of a clear narrative about civic philanthropy-The establishment of Local Philanthropy Partnerships-The publication of a philanthropy strategy by regionally elected mayors and-The stimulation of a wider culture of giving in cities.

Community Philanthropy; Foundation Sector, History and Analysis; Giving and Volunteering; Philanthropy, Theory, Philosophy and History; Socio-economic Development, Poverty

Building Bridges for Local Good : A Guide to Community Foundations in Europe

September 1, 2017

This report, produced by the European Community Foundation Initiative on the eve of their first annual conference, provides a look at the diversity which characterizes the approximately 670 community foundations in Europe. In 27 European countries, citizens are actively committed at a local level to improving their community. The differences in the general political, economic and sociocultural conditions become secondary; what connects people is their common goal. The report considers the field from a social science point of view, reflects on the future of the movement on the continent, and also provides a snapshot of the support organizations working to support community foundations in Europe.

Community Philanthropy

International Giving by U.S. Community Foundations: Local Communities with Global Reach

July 13, 2017

This report, a joint effort by the Council on Foundations and Foundation Center, examines the current state and recent trends in international giving and engagement by large U.S. community foundations. The first-ever analysis of this type suggests that many community foundations are beginning to adopt a broader, more nuanced definition of "community" than they have in the past.The report documents how funds channeled from U.S. community foundations support international programs and recipients and highlights five U.S. community foundations and their approaches to global engagement and international grantmaking. For this report, we analyzed all the international grants made by U.S. community foundations included in Foundation Center's set of 1,000 of the largest U.S. Foundations from 2011 to 2014, which included 10,533 grants worth $697 million.

Community Philanthropy; International Affairs, Global Challenges

When size matters - The phenomenon of community foundations in small towns and rural areas of Russia

March 8, 2017

This research paper considers a phenomenon in local philanthropy development in small industrial and non-industrial towns, single-industry towns and rural areas in Russia known collectively as 'rural funds'.The goal of the research was to analyze the current state and activities of community foundations (hereinafter – CFs) working in small towns and settlements, explore the characteristic features of this type of foundation and the role they play in local community development as a unique phenomenon of local philanthropic activity in Russia.The research was carried out as part of the Programme for Development of Community Foundations implemented by CAF Russia and funded by the Global Fund for Community Foundations.

Community Philanthropy; Foundation Sector, History and Analysis

Perspectives on Arab and Global Philanthropy: Roles and Approaches

July 1, 2015

This is report of the consultative meeting held in Berlin 3-4 June 2015 on "Perspectives on Arab & Global Philanthropy: Roles and Approaches". The objective of the meeting was to highlight the changing landscape of philanthropy around the world and to understand how local traditions of giving and local discourses, such as from the Arab region, are building on global best practice and evolving patterns of philanthropy. The meeting included sessions covering local traditions, evolving areas of philanthropy (individual, family and corporate philanthropy, community philanthropy and impact investing/social investment), the role of philanthropy in society and its relationship to governments, and accountability, transparency and governance, and our own legitimacy.

Community Philanthropy; Corporate Philanthropy; Ethical issues and Good Practices; Family Philanthropy; Philanthropy, Theory, Philosophy and History

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