Massimo Lapucci, Secretary General of Fondazione CRT and Chair of the European Foundation Centre. discloses some contents of his keynote at Lang VI Philanthropy Day.

Transnational philanthropy: what possible – and necessary – role in reinforcing connections in Europe, a Continent still perceived as not closely knit?
In a Europe marked by several centrifugal thrusts and a progressive withdrawal of citizens from institutions, transnational philanthropy can turn out to be an effective social glue, both through supporting the fundamental values of European community (democracy, equality, freedom, pluralism) and mobilizing resources – a total of EUR 60 billion per year – to carry out social-impact actions and public utility services.

Philanthropic capital, however, still faces obstacles to free flow: the borders of individual States. Establishing a common market without borders, to allow resources to go beyond the current limits, would facilitate philanthropic cross-border operations in Europe, where institutional philanthropy sector is based on the commitment of more than 140,000 donors and foundations, and represents a pillar of European civil society.

European Guarantee Funds: a way to generate resources for value-creation initiatives
Establishing European Guarantee Funds for social-impact initiatives could be a quick and effective measure to allocate a larger amount of resources to courageous, value-creation experiments, encouraging a natural contamination between profit and non profit. European philanthropic sector (EFC, DAFNE, EVPA) is working in full agreement to obtain this goal from EU Institutions, addressing in particular the Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, taking into account this particularly favorable moment in history (as we approach the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021- 2027) and the factual impossibility of a legislative reform (Basel III).

Grant making Foundations: tools and strategies to promote social change
In addition to the traditional grant-making framework, Foundations can have a “toolbox” including patterns and tools to build a more proactive philanthropy, ranging from venture philanthropy to impact investing, to achieve a noticeable social impact. Given the gradual contraction of public resources, especially in the cultural and social sector, the “patient capital” provided by foundations can turn profit creation into value creation, supporting re-balancing of inequalities and, therefore, a better quality of life and community well-being.

Big data: what role do they play in philanthropy and how can be used by social sector stakeholders to shape and enhance activities?
Data are a strategic lever in every sector of society. Over the next 5 years, 150 billion devices are expected to be connected to the internet (equal to 20 times the number of people on the planet today), ready to transmit data thanks to mass connectivity. Besides the wide use of data by the for-profit sector, Big Data and artificial intelligence can revolutionize the very way institutional philanthropy works presently, offering new tools to understand where the need lies, what actions are best to cover it, what impact can be generated, strengthening transparency and effectiveness and maximizing value.

Massimo Lapucci is Secretary General of Fondazione CRT and Chair of the European Foundation Centre.