Reflections on the International Education Funders Group (IEFG) Annual Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, from a first-timer, Muza, and a long-timer, Faith.

No question of will

I arrived at my first IEFG conference full of will. A will to learn, a will to contribute to change and a question of will I fit in?  

I was wide-eyed, armed with my best meet-and-greet smile, ready to be immersed with fellow education funders. The university setting welcomed us as a place to learn. This was helped by the consistent sense, throughout the conference, that all participants (funders and speakers) have an equal voice.  

As a black woman from Malawi, I counted the number of people of colour… more than twenty amongst the hundred attendees and even someone else from Malawi! I was in good company. 

All systems go

The theme of the conference, “All systems go”, attracts a plethora of definitions of system change. Consistent amongst these definitions include tackling root causes, addressing dynamics related to power and resources, and transformational impact. 

In a room full of people wanting to see systems change in education, we discussed: what will it take?

Philanthropy’s contribution 

Systems change speaks to the heart of our work. As a US charitable organization, BHP Foundation has a vision to create an equitable and sustainable future for people and the planet. As a catalytic philanthropy, we apply systems thinking and invest in deep partnerships to address some of the world’s most complex social and environmental challenges.  

We are not alone in our ambitions. With all the will in philanthropy, what is philanthropy’s way forward? 

Discussions at the conference showed philanthropy can play more than one role. First, as an investor willing to stand through the sometimes slow, challenging and long-term work that reconfigures the resources and relationships between actors in the system that ultimately leads to critical shifts. Second, as a convenor – connecting organizations, creating space and resources for collaboration, iterating, learning and amplifying in order to facilitate collective impact. 

Strength in numbers

Philanthropy has changed in some important ways since I stepped out of it seven-odd years ago. The growth and strengthening of the IEFG community is one of the most notable changes. 

As a returning participant and new member of the IEFG Steering Committee, I was excited to see old friends and delighted to meet nearly 50 new recruits at their first annual conference. 

The presence of new faces and renewed energy to operate in more innovative and collaborative ways gave me hope that we might yet harness the potential of philanthropy: to take risks, redistribute power and resources, and provide experts with the space and freedom to work to deliver the education necessary to yield resilient, inquisitive, and informed children and young people. 

From will to collective action

We face unprecedented challenges globally and in the education sector and it is only through coordination and collective action that we can hope for the transformation. 

Of course, will is not enough. We need to follow through and that is something that philanthropy has historically struggled to do. But the newly launched IEFG strategy and growing secretariat are designed with exactly that in mind: making it easier and more efficient for foundations to work together and accelerate our impact.  

Muza Gondwe, Program Officer, BHP Foundation

Faith Rose, Education Equity Program Director, BHP Foundation