Sitting at the CF Table: Initiatives Internationally
As community foundations throughout the world grow in their grant-making and endowment-building, many engage their communities and organizations in programmatic initiatives. However, as the infrastructure of community foundations differs from country to country, a community foundation must be mindful of the community’s readiness to sustain an initiative.
SOLUTION – In examining best practices in cross-border philanthropy, the Joint Working Group of the Council on Foundations and the European Foundation Centre identified several items which are applicable to community foundations abroad that plan on implementing programmatic initiatives:
§ Research and understand the political, economic, social, cultural, and technological context
§ Recognize that the organizational partners can be agents of change who contribute critical local knowledge and community access
§ Strive for transparency, but recognize that there may be circumstances in which it may be prudent to keep certain information confidential
§ When working in countries where laws and policies may be hostile to the mission of the initiative, follow local conventions
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Enlisting the services of the following organizations may guide community foundations around the world as they develop plans for establishing initiatives that are suitable and relevant for their communities:
§ Accountability in International Philanthropy (An EFC Collaboration)
§ Africa Grant-makers’ Affinity Group
§ Charities Aid Foundation
§ Council on Foundations International Programs Division (COF)
§ European Foundation Centre (EFC)
§ Foundation Center
§ Hispanics In Philanthropy (HIP)§ International Grant-making Trends Research (A FC Collaboration)
§ Latin America Initiative (A HIP Partnership)
§ Philanthropy Institute Programme (An EFC Capacity-Building Program)
§ Transatlantic Community Foundation Network
§ Treasury Guidelines Working Group (A COF Group)
§ United States International Grant-making (USIG)
§ World Bank Community Foundation Initiative
§ Worldwide Initiatives for Grant-maker Support-Community Foundations (WINGS-CF)
Research of the community’s readiness for a programmatic initiative is absolutely essential to ensuring its health and sustainability.