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The next decade of impact investing
Impact investing is creating great excitement in development circles, with breathtaking figures about its potential size and impact bandied about. At the moment, though, its effect is anticipated rather than actual. Will it achieve its …
To shield advocacy, foundations seek safe words
How do foundations navigate changing government priorities and policies? How do they challenge social injustice without provoking government intervention? A group of foundation leaders gathered at the Bosch Foundation’s recent global philanthropy conference in Berlin outlined …
Philanthropy and social investment in Latin America
Although Latin America’s wealthy citizens have long practised charity and philanthropy to help others, recent years have witnessed a marked change in their charitable giving, according to a new report, From Prosperity to Purpose, based …
New opportunities, bigger barriers: how to open space for philanthropy
It is the best and worst of times for global philanthropy. Philanthropy is spreading to new frontiers, but scores of countries are imposing regressive laws that limit the ability of foundation-funded civil society organizations (CSOs) …
Protectionism chills cross-border giving
Cross-border philanthropy is increasingly burdened in many parts of the world. In addition to existing constraints in dozens of countries, more than 30 countries have proposed or enacted such restrictions since 2012. This is the …
Poorest people are hit by restrictions on moving money
The lives of vulnerable people in the poorest countries are being made still harder by the effects of Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism regulations. In Somalia, Oxfam has experienced disruption in its …
Endowments outside Europe and the US: how far, so far?
Endowments, a mainstay of philanthropy in the US and Europe, are unknown, undeveloped or in decline in many parts of the world. A recent upsurge in some countries reflects a reaction to the 2008 economic …
Corporate giving: the case for mandates
CEOs are stepping up on societal issues. Companies are increasingly linking long-term, multi-stakeholder assessments of their corporate citizenry to long-term financial performance, according to studies. The business case for corporate giving is strong; government regulations …
Give: it’s the law
A socio-economic development target, incorporated in law, does a good job of ‘inculcating a habit of giving back to South African communities where profits are generated’, according to Gail Walters, head of group corporate affairs …
An enabling environment for ‘informal philanthropy’?
The question of an enabling environment for informal philanthropy is an apparently simple, but actually complex, one. Simple because its informality seems to make it both unnecessary and next to impossible to regulate. Complex because …