Whose Elephant Is This?

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(by Hadiel Hodail Mohamed and Ann Marie Utratel)Key Learning: Learnings Can Be Difficult To Grasp.  Philanthropy as a sector wouldn’t exist in an equitable world where society is no longer built on extractivism, colonialism, separation, patriarchy, and the many other factors that divide our societies into the more and less powerful and privileged. Our group, Leap, is a collective of activists, philanthropists and foundation staff that wants to radically transform philanthropy. We work towards this aim by setting up experiments in collaboration with members of what we consider the…

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Flip the Script – a game in Bogotá, Colombia

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(by Flaviano Bianchini) You probably do not know this, but our Martin is a gaming freak. He loves to play games, and wherever he goes he always brings games with him (I won’t spoil your first meeting with him by telling you which games, because that is what he normally does the first time he meets someone). Martin wasn’t able to attend the penultimate Leap retreat in Ibiza (I know it sounds weird, but it was off-season in January and we were actually working!). We decided to honour…

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Putting care back into community: Lessons from a journey of Activism to Radical Grant making

Blog (By Shahla Raza)  Putting care back into community: Lessons from a journey of Activism to Radical Grant making As an activist who is also a grassroots funder, I have come to believe in radical care and solidarity as the foundation for better funding practices. As a grantee, I wish funders would prioritize our needs and see success as the depth of change we are promoting, rather than counting numbers or demanding lengthy reports. Over time, I’ve realized traditional philanthropy is outdated. It doesn’t serve grassroots work effectively.…

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Reimagining Philanthropy: Building Systems of Care and Repair

Blog (By Tatiana Garavito) Over the many years I’ve spent navigating both activist and philanthropic spaces, I’ve come to realise that philanthropy often serves as a band-aid solution. My colleagues at the foundations I work with wouldn’t necessarily frame it this way, and it’s certainly not their intention, but sadly, that’s often the reality. The issue with band-aids is that they’re temporary—they address the immediate urgency but fail to tackle the root causes of the wound. Short-term emergency grants, project-based funding amongst others often miss the broader picture;…

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Read more about the article My Shitty Experiences with Donors
© Source International - Car stuck in the mud in Liberia because we were forced to finish the project during the rainy season.

My Shitty Experiences with Donors

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A collection of jaw dropping funding practices and of what you should not do as a donor (By Flaviano Bianchini) After almost 20 years of working as an activist in the field, and after almost 12 years of being the founder and director of an international NGO, I have come across a couple of wonderful donors and dozens of horrible ones. I decided to collect the worst cases just to highlight a few examples of what a donor should not do. The list goes behind the classic “do…

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Read more about the article Leap at the 2023 EDGE Conference
EDGE Conference was held at Oyoun is a non-profit cultural center that conceives, develops and implements artistic-cultural projects through decolonial, queer feminist and migrant perspectives.

Leap at the 2023 EDGE Conference

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(By Hadiel Holail Mohamed) The 2023 EDGE Funders Conference took place in Berlin, Germany from October 18-20. EDGE Funders Alliance is a global community of 300+ donors, foundation officers, trustees and advisors with a shared belief that equity and justice are critical to furthering sustainable, global well-being. This latest conference, titled, ‘Funding boldly: Systemic change and Alternatives’, brought together funders and movements, organisers and activists from all over the globe. EDGE Funders aims to build relationship with social movements from around the world, also by challenges power dynamics…

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