The Value of Community Philanthopy: Results of a Consultation

Barry Knight (2012) Aga Khan Foundation USA & Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

As partners in the pursuit of sustainable development, AKF USA and the Mott Foundation conducted a series of collaborative consultations in North America, Africa and Asia to explore how community philanthropy can help build local capacity. The results of these consultations demonstrate the importance of foundations and development agencies partnering with local communities to achieve lasting development outcomes.

The report, authored by Barry Knight, CENTRIS Consultant and Facilitator, offers a definition of community philanthropy for practitioners and identifies key priorities for building the capacity of the field of community philanthropy. According to Knight, "The roundtable consultations in Washington, DC, Johannesburg and Dhaka revealed an enormous potential for local community foundations around the globe to build links between partners and identify priority areas and next steps to propel forward the field of community philanthropy."

Read the report

Read the Russian translation

Mexican Community Foundations: a Comprehensive Profile

Berger, R., Bermúdez, D., Carrillo Collard, P., and Tapia Álvarez, M. (2009) Mexico City, Mexico: Alternativas y Capacidades / Teamworks

Community foundations began emerging as philanthropic institutions in Mexico less than two decades ago. As Mexican civil society flourished, many leaders with strategic vision realized that institutions needed to be created in order to effectively gather and channel local resources to various social development initiatives. This report is a comprehensive study of Mexico’s community foundations, the purpose of which is to provide a detailed picture of their organizational, financial, and programmatic characteristics, ascertain how they meet their own institutional development needs, and identify the obstacles they face in fulfilling their goals. The report (funded by the C.S. Mott Foundation, Ford Foundation, Inter-American Foundation and the Global Fund for Community Foundations) is based on extensive research that included interviews, site visits, and analysis of financial data. It was prepared by a bi-national collaboration, joining Teamworks (San Francisco) and Alternativas y Capacidades (Mexico City).

The full is available from the Teamwork's website:

Read the Complete Report in English
Read the Summary Report in English
Read the Complete Report in Spanish
Read the Summary Report in Spanish