Today the challenge is to prevent silos and mono-stakeholder bubbles and move from individual organizations to vision, cross-sector collaboration and multi-stakeholders’ strategic partnerships. We have to take the lead in re-imagining our role, improving our capacity to plan, assess and communicate our impact.

There are vast amounts of data that, if aggregated and analysed well, could help us improve our work and the work of the entire ecosystem. Time has come for us to collectively forge a vision for using data more effectively and openly by flinging open the doors of understanding of what philanthropy is in the European context.

Looking at the priorities of the new European Commission, that took office on 1 December 2019, Max von Abendroth highlights the overlap with the work and ambitions of the philanthropy sector – identifying new opportunities and citing a note of caution.

European foundations have a role to play in nurturing a thriving nonprofit advocacy ecosystem. Every day that passes without nonprofits advocating for the most vulnerable, underrepresented and minority interests, the more we lose as a society. Time has come to break the lobbying taboo.

As it becomes more and more difficult for Danish civil society as well as for local authorities and the national government to fund new ideas for projects, philanthropic foundations have increased their grants substantially. This has given rise to a new public debate about the role of private foundations in Denmark – a debate to which foundations respond by putting themselves under the spotlight.

Shrinking space for civil society organisations in Poland has been a subject of debate since late 2015. Despite or because of the shrinking space, the collaboration among civil society organisations has been unprecedented

Rolf Alter, Maecenata Foundation, introduces a new Initiative for trust-driven philanthropy

Felix Oldenburg, Secretary General of the Association of German Foundations and Chair of DAFNE on the launch of the European Philanthropy Manifesto.