Latest from Alliance
Analysis
Melinda French Gates: Four things to note as she starts a new chapter
Much has been written about Melinda French Gates and what she calls her ‘new chapter’ – her philanthropic plans following her separation from Bill Gates and subsequent departure from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – now to be known as the Gates Foundation. Most commentary has been positive. No longer second among equals to Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates is deepening her focus on opportunity and equality for women – all with $12 billion …
Analysis
Positive impact investments need clearer label
Impact investors have united to voice concerns about the European Union’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), saying the regulation doesn’t recognise the difference between positive impact investment and investments in sustainable practices. The SFDR was created to enhance transparency around sustainability-related investment claims, prevent greenwashing and to channel capital flows toward sustainable economic activities. But it needs more clarity, according to our survey of 21 impact fund managers. Late in 2023, along with the Global Steering …
Analysis
How leading funders build strong, resilient nonprofits in India
Chronic underfunding of nonprofits’ ‘true costs’– programme expenses, core administrative expenditures, organisational development investments, plus reserve funding – blunts the impact funders and nonprofits strive for. As a result, neither party lives up to its aspirations for beneficial change, while those served miss out on opportunities. The Pay-What-It-Takes (PWIT) India Initiative, launched in 2020, is a collaborative effort to seek sector-level solutions for this problem and has identified five principles that funders can adopt to …
Analysis
The false dichotomy between trust and results
As the trust-based philanthropy wave is washing over the sector once again, concerns over its ability to prove impact, facilitate learning, and evaluate previous approaches are bubbling up. As a philanthropy professional with over two decades of experience in learning, measurement, and evaluation, I believe it is a false dichotomy to pit ceding control against measuring impact. Trust-based philanthropy is having a moment – from the first ripples caused by news of MacKenzie Scott’s …
Analysis
Four blended finance trends that will drive impact
The enormous funding gap needed to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals stands at around $3.9 trillion each year. However, …
Analysis
The social impact opportunities of AI in India
To paraphrase Bangladeshi Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, trends such as financial and technology innovation, the proliferation of social media, and …
Analysis
Localising philanthropy – what does it entail?
Localisation, shifting power and decolonisation are among the most talked about phrases in social development spaces today. If pursued earnestly, …
Analysis
HIV drugmaker provides a case study in philanthropic whitewashing
In October Funders Concerned About AIDS, a philanthropic body that describes itself as one to take ‘bold actions and push …
Analysis
What’s possible when infrastructure has infrastructure? PEX as a container to practice the future of philanthropy
“What if?” is the guiding question for visionary communities to take organisations, sectors and societies forward. This question took European …
Analysis
Corporate philanthropy: a pathway to strengthening healthcare in low and middle-income countries.
Health systems encompass the institutions, organizations, and resources (physical, financial, and human) assembled to deliver healthcare services that meet population …
Analysis
System change is both a marathon and a team sport
Three things are important if foundations want to solve wicked problems and drive real system change: binding cross-sector collaborations, experimenting …
Analysis
De-NGOsation: the re-foundation of the heart of civil society
‘We do not want to be part of the system that has generated social injustice, the climate crisis, and violence …
Analysis
Multisolving allows us to address climate and other societal challenges
A climate science workshop series by Active Philanthropy: Episode 7 The start of the annual UN Climate Change Conference serves …