Leap is not a legal entity itself, but is legally and fiscally hosted by its sister organisation Anderwerk

Leap, like the organisations it supports, depends on philanthropic grants and its annual budget varies with the success, or not, of its funding bids. Our latest accounts are transparent and available here.

Leap primarily works to shift philanthropy in Europe, but experiments supported by Leap often have global implications. We are an intersection point for donor, activist and other philanthropic communities to interact and question the future of European philanthropy together. Leap’s Facilitation Team is globally distributed.

You can meet our team here. We are not a full time organisation, all of our members work for other initiatives alongside their participation in Leap. This brings together an unusual diversity of experience, perspectives and networks.

Leap is set up in the spirit of a cooperative and is organised non-hierarchically in our decision-making. Although our process can seem frustratingly slow at times, we feel this is better than the alternative.

Leap is designed as a mechanism through which donors can experiment, and unlock more funds for systemic initiatives. Donors can participate in a way that promotes joint learning and draws other donors into the network.

You can donate the assets that generate your income. This is typically done with foundations, which give founders a lot of control. In fact, in many countries, the founder’s intentions are laid out in the statutes and can never be changed. If you designate Leap as a steward of your assets, you do not have that level of control. Instead, you hand it over to a group of leading activists and social entrepreneurs. If you are ready for that step, we are here to help you with the process.

We believe that philanthropy must not reproduce the injustices in society in its own structures, processes, and strategies. Transformative philanthropy must put decision-making power in the hands of those doing the work. It must be a supportive, nurturing platform, not a restriction. We approach our work in philanthropy with an awareness of the inherent power dynamics, and are aware that wealth can create a power imbalance within the LEAP community of practitioners and funders. We have open, compassionate dialogue to work through it together when this power dynamic shows up.

We recognise that funding, although vital, is not the only need. Providing a network and a safe space for communities is just as crucial. LEAP co-designs community experiments and provides the necessary facilitation, infrastructure and resources.