Latest news

And the winner of the first Olga Alexeeva Memorial Prize is …

2013-04-15T09:24:02Z

It is with great pleasure and pride that we can now announce the first winners of the Olga Alexeeva Memorial Prize: Jane Weru and Kingsley Mucheke of the Akiba Mashinani Trust, Kenya. We have chosen 15 April to make this announcement because it was Olga’s birthday.

Call for applications for joint action research pilot to map community philanthropy institutions' work on the environment!

2013-04-15T09:09:27Z

The GFCF is looking to engage a global cohort of community foundations and community philanthropy organizations in a joint mapping exercise to explore their work in issues related to their local environment

This call for submissions is only open to organizations that define themselves as community foundations, community philanthropy institutions, grassroots grantmakers and other types of local fundraising / grantmaking institutions. NGOs which implement programmes directly are not eligible to participate. (Find out more about selection criteria and FAQs)

Guidelines for this initiative can be downloaded here.

Deadline for submissions is May 20th 2013.

Moving forward with a Haiti community foundation: Q & A with Marie-Rose Romain Murphy

2013-04-15T08:11:26Z

The GFCF spoke to Marie-Rose Romain Murphy, director of ESPWA, about efforts to establish a community foundation initiative in Haiti

The Haiti Community Foundation Initiative has been gathering steam over the past 12 months. Who is involved in the Steering Committee and what brings them together as a group? Why is a community foundation in Haiti needed, do you think?

The Steering Committee is composed of visionaries and connectors. It is very diverse as it includes mostly Haiti-based business leaders involved in civil society, educators, civil society activists, religious leaders as well Haitian-American community development leaders. What brings the members of the group together is their ability to think about the collective good and a profound desire to build a better future for Haiti. Our team has a genuine desire to help move the country forward. It’s refreshing!

News from the field: Growing social justice philanthropy, weaving strong communities in the Arab Region and a new blog on community driven development from Amazon Partnerships

2013-04-13T16:59:07Z

“How can we grow the practice of philanthropy for social justice and peace?” asks a new report from the Philanthropy for Social Justice for Peace Network. The report draws on interviews with a 24 philanthropy practitioners from different parts of the world and data collected from a survey of many more. “You’ll hear a fascinating and at times provocative array of answers, reflections and further questions. Some talk about the relationship between social justice and economic development.

Small grants make big differences globally: Mott Foundation profiles GFCF

2013-04-12T12:30:16Z

The Mott Foundation has been one of the GFCF's biggest supporters since the Fund was established in 2006. For more than three decades Mott has funded organizations, initially in the U.S. and now globally, that help develop and strengthen the community foundation field.

As part of an occasional series about the community foundation field and the Mott Foundation’s role in supporting and strengthening it, Mott highlights the work of the GFCF and its partners around the world in a new slideshow. The series reports on what is occurring in Mott’s major geographic focus areas — Central/Eastern Europe and Russia, South Africa, and the U.S. — as well as providing information about how the field is expanding globally. Mott’s goal is to inform the public about the latest trends in the community foundation field in advance of its 100th anniversary year in 2014.

See the slideshow

Community philanthropy in emerging markets: building something new for the future

2013-04-12T10:32:24Z

Dramatic shifts in the political and economic landscape of many low and middle- income countries in recent years have resulted in the emergence of a new class of wealthy individuals. This has led to a rapid growth in private and family foundations in many emerging markets. But the benefits of economic liberalization have not always resulted in an equal distribution of wealth, and income disparities have only been exacerbated by the global economic crisis. As social and economic inequality increase, welfare systems are cut and the effects of climate change begin to make themselves felt, poor communities are increasingly finding themselves under pressure. Against this backdrop, a new breed of community philanthropy institutions is emerging. (It is perhaps no coincidence that three of the finalists for the Olga Alexeeva Memorial Prize are from the community philanthropy field.)

"Currency of giving goes beyond the dollar, rand and euro"

2013-04-12T10:05:53Z

The answers to local problems often lie within the community itself, says the executive director of the Community Development Foundation Western Cape.
Knowing how to tap into residents’ interests and energy, and also change mindsets, are characteristics of an effective community leader.

The familiar phrase that starts fairytales worldwide — “once upon a time” — also triggered the development of a sustainable food programme in South Africa.

Beulah Fredericks, executive director of the Cape Town-based Community Development Foundation Western Cape (CDF WCape), smiles when she recalls how the project started.

Grantmaking by and for young people has gone global: from the Mott Foundation

2013-02-03T09:12:44Z

By Maggie Jaruzel Potter, Communications Officer, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

YouthBank is by young people and for young people
Grantmaking programme challenges and teaches
Participants can come from different races, religious backgrounds, and social classes

Universally, youth leadership programmes typically seek to develop a set of skills — self-confidence, problem-solving, team-building, goal-setting, project-planning and decision-making and the like.

Watch our webinar on community foundations engaging youth in Brazil and Slovakia

2013-02-01T10:56:58Z

30 participants from all over the globe joined our most recent webinar on community foundations and youth civic engagement which is now available here on our website.

It features the work of two community foundations – one in Slovakia and the other in Brazil – which are working with young people in their communities.

Palestine, Russia & South Africa: community foundations on film

2013-02-01T10:18:14Z

Watch Nora Murad’s interview with Executive Director of Dalia Association, a Palestinian community foundation. In Nora’s words, “I recorded this short video with Saeeda Mousa, Executive Director of Dalia Association. In it, she talks about the amazing potential return on investment in the Palestinian community, but it’s not the type of investment that you might be thinking of!”