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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Featured

Philanthropy Back to the Drawing Board : Shaping a Future Agenda

October 9, 2023

In this book, Rien van Gendt urges philanthropy to critically and reflectively assess how it can best live up to the promise it makes – and the responsibility it has – of investing private resources for the public good.With a focus on private foundations and public charities, the book covers areas such as the legitimacy of philanthropy; the advantages and pitfalls of collaboration; aligning investments with mission; making the most effective use of philanthropic spending; operating systems and styles; and relationships with grantees and local communities, among several other topics. These are set out in the context of today's multiple challenges, including the war in Ukraine, the climate crisis, growing inequality and the rise in anti-democratic sentiment. Considering the rapidly evolving nature of these crises, and the uncertainty they bring, lessons of the past no longer provide answers – hence the need for philanthropy to go back to the drawing board.

Grantmaking and Programme Management; International Affairs, Global Challenges; Philanthropy, Theory, Philosophy and History
Featured

Assessing Research for Philanthropic Funding : Innovative Approaches

September 1, 2023

This publication on responsible research assessment aims to explore diverse approaches taken by foundations to enhance the fairness, transparency and effectiveness of evaluating research proposals for funding. The publication delves into three distinct methodologies that challenge traditional assessment methods and offer innovative alternatives: 1. Using artificial intelligence (AI); 2. Adopting narrative curriculum vitae (CVs); and 3. Implementing randomised selection. It provides an overview of general principles of responsible research assessment, key framing documents and recommendations for implementing these principles; and offers examples of the real-world application of these methods by various foundations and organisations.While these approaches demonstrate the innovative potential within research assessment, they are by no means an exhaustive representation of all available tools and methods. Nevertheless, they serve as compelling illustrations of the ongoing efforts to revolutionise evaluation practices and foster a more inclusive and equitable research ecosystem.

Ethical issues and Good Practices; Evaluation and Learning; Grantmaking and Programme Management; Science and Technology; Technology and Foundations
Featured

Organisational Development Support : A Rough Guide - Top Eight Learnings

June 30, 2023

Many funders are starting to recognise the value of Organisational Development (OD) support and are looking to peer organisations on how to create OD programmes. In doing this, many grantmaking foundations want to reflect on the experience of other organisations on how they began OD programmes, before starting their own. Simultaneously, funders that already provide OD support are looking at how they can enhance their programmes by wanting to learn from the experiences of others. The Organisational Development (OD) Community of Practice organised its second-ever satellite event before the start of the Philea Forum 2023 in Šibenik, Croatia. This document serves as a knowledge product generated during the session, presenting the top eight learnings shared by participants at the satellite event. Its primary objective is to assist funders in gaining an understanding of key steps involved in developing OD support programmes. 

Ethical issues and Good Practices; Grantmaking and Programme Management
Featured

How Foundations Listen : A Qualitative Review by Luisa Bonin

March 23, 2023

This report is the result of a partnership between Philea and Luisa Bonin, a visiting fellow from Brazil at the Maecenata Foundation in Berlin. Luisa`s project on strategic philanthropy was selected for the 2021/2022 cohort of the "German Chancellor Fellowship for Prospective Leaders," a programme of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The goal of this report is to take a deep and qualitative look into the listening practices of European foundations. Talking about listening can sound subjective, but this report shows how this process can be viewed objectively and how these learnings can be used to start improving listening practices within foundations. An executive summary, as well as further reading and resources, are included.

Ethical issues and Good Practices; Grantmaking and Programme Management
Featured

Child and Youth Participation in Philanthropy : Stories of Transformation

May 30, 2022

This study represents another milestone on the journey of supporting philanthropic practice in becoming more inclusive and closer to those it serves. It is based on: a survey of and interviews with 40 European philanthropic organisations; focus group interviews with children and young people involved with these organisations; and 11 case studies of participating organisations. The study provides recommendations and clear examples of initiatives by foundations along this journey, which can be used to spark discussion on the various modes and phases of participatory philanthropy, whatever the target group or thematic area.

Children and Youth; Ethical issues and Good Practices; Foundation Sector, History and Analysis; Grantmaking and Programme Management
Featured

Future-proofing foundations for a post-Covid-19 world

April 1, 2022

This paper sheds a light on developments and changing practices in institutional philanthropy in Europe since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and offers insights for making responsible philanthropy the new normal. Leveraging data from a document review as well as various surveys and interviews conducted with the membership of the former European Foundation Centre (now Philea, a convergence of Dafne - Donors and Foundations Networks in Europe - and the EFC), the present analysis delves into what foundations have learned from this period. Organisations may survive in their current state, but they will lose legitimacy and perceived value if they do not adapt. The paper first looks at the challenges perceived by philanthropy professionals and how they respond to these threats, including criticism of philanthropy, and then takes stock of actions that have helped foundations to bounce back from massive disruption. Finally, the paper offers a set of recommendations to reveal opportunities for change and prepare for what's next. 

Ethical issues and Good Practices; Foundation Sector, History and Analysis; Grantmaking and Programme Management; International Affairs, Global Challenges
Featured

Insights on how the work of EFC members changed in 2020 : March 2021

September 1, 2021

At the beginning of 2021, following a challenging year of transformation seen across the globe, the EFC surveyed the steering committee members of its Thematic Networks to get an understanding of how their work and organisations changed in 2020.In this follow up to the 2020 publication "EFC Members' Responses to the Covid-19 Pandemic : Results from EFC Survey March-June 2020", the EFC regroups their answers and reflections in a compilation of interesting initiatives.

Foundation Sector, History and Analysis; Grantmaking and Programme Management; International Affairs, Global Challenges
Featured

Organisational Development : A Preliminary Overview

July 1, 2021

The European Foundation Centre undertook a survey to better understand existing organisational development practices among its members. The results of the study served also to inform the launching event of its newly created community of practice focusing on organisational development support.

Grantmaking and Programme Management

Evaluation of the Shifting Systems Initiative

June 22, 2023

Since its launch in 2016, the Shifting Systems Initiative has played a vital role in catalyzing change within the philanthropy sector. It has conducted extensive research and facilitated numerous convenings, engaging funders and partners across the globe, including the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.In June 2020, the initiative entered its latest phase, which involved commissioning a comprehensive evaluation to assess the evolution of system change as a field, the initiative's role in driving that evolution, and to inform its future direction.The evaluation report pursued five central strands of inquiry, examining the impact and effectiveness of the Shifting Systems Initiative and the sector more broadly. The primary objectives were to assess the extent to which the philanthropy sector has embraced the concept of systems change; explore the influence of the initiative on discourse and practices within philanthropy; analyze critical successes and challenges encountered by the initiative; understand effective strategies to influence philanthropic behavior; and identify opportunities for operational and governance improvements.The evaluation report features significant findings and key insights, shedding light on the impact of the Shifting Systems Initiative and others in the field. It provides valuable guidance for shaping the next phase of the initiative and serves as a vital resource for actors engaged in systems change within philanthropy.

Ethical issues and Good Practices; Evaluation and Learning; Grantmaking and Programme Management

Shifting Power to Shift Systems: Insights and Tools for Funders

December 8, 2022

This report summarizes insights relating to power dynamics from leaders and experts on driving systems change.Over the course of three months in early 2022, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' Shifting Systems Initiative hosted a series of eight workshops focused on power and equity in philanthropy. During these workshops, an invited group of funders and other partners discussed the role of power dynamics in effectuating the systems change needed to address increasingly complex global challenges.The honest and rich conversations during those workshops surfaced several important themes and insights on how to balance power in a way that drives rather than inhibits change. This report distills some of the practical actions that funders can take in order to reduce that power imbalance, including:Shifting internal vision and practices to embrace a vision of society based on global solidarity and distributed leadership.Fostering a culture of learning, growing, and experimenting through exploring new tools and resources, sourcing fresh and emergent perspectives, and funding grantees without restrictions.Embracing equitable evaluation and impact assessment practices by recruiting evaluation teams and consultants who are culturally competent and possess lived experience, and by working with grantees to create relevant metrics of success that define impact on their terms.The report also contains conceptual frameworks and actionable resources that can enable funders to create equitable processes and practices, and to embed equity as a core principle and building block of systems change. We hope this publication will be a meaningful contribution towards moving the practice of philanthropy away from its inequitable origins and practices, and towards more equitable practices that will ultimately enable it to shift power and systems.

Ethical issues and Good Practices; Grantmaking and Programme Management

A Year of Learning: Educating the Philanthropic Community About Racialized and Stigmatized Nonprofits

October 1, 2022

The Muslim nonprofit sector is diverse and young, with many organizations established in the post-9/11 era. The Muslim nonprofit sector has been under scrutiny and faces discrimination in the form of Islamophobia. The racialized and stigmatized identity of Muslims has further increased the disconnect between the Muslim nonprofit sector and the philanthropic community. This report paper examines the work of the Year of Learning and its attempts to educate philanthropic leaders about the importance of engaging with racialized minorities including US Muslims. It raised the following questions: Why is there a lack of interaction between the racialized nonprofit sector and the foundation world? What are the challenges? This research suggests that the most powerful way to overcome these challenges is by engaging and educating both sides.

Grantmaking and Programme Management; Minorities, Social Inclusion, Multiculturalism

Listening to Beneficiaries and Ultimate Clients : Paper prepared for the International Philanthropy Research Conference 22 and 23 September, Turin, IT

September 22, 2022

This conference paper, by Volker Then, intends to shed light on the perceptions of foundation partners based on the results of empirical research which has been conducted over many years in the context of the "Learning from Partners" project in Germany. The project has been conducted in a longitudinal perspective from 2011 to 2021 in a total of four waves surveying all the partners of cohorts of major German foundations.

Ethical issues and Good Practices; Grantmaking and Programme Management; Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector, Civil Society

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