Blog

Global Update - November 2016

Friday, November 18, 2016 - 4:06 pm

Natalie Ross

A tumultuous election season in the U.S. has come to an unexpected end, and Americans are reeling from a surprising turn of events that reflects Brexit and other populist trends.

While it’s unclear exactly how a Trump administration will affect America’s role in international development and engagement in global frameworks, we are certain that the need for international philanthropy remains. We look forward to working with you as your organizations continue to support grantees and partners, both here at home and around the world, to build a stronger civil society.

Below are a number of updates related to the Council's global philanthropy work. I hope this monthly update is useful and that you're also using the information on our global program page and global grantmaking resources on our website.

Upcoming Conversations – Please Join Us!

We are excited to be hosting and supporting a number of upcoming convenings, including:

Philanthropy’s Impact in Florida: Linking Local Investment to Global Goals- with Florida Philanthropic Network, Jessie Ball duPont Fund, and SDG Philanthropy Platform on December 6 in Jacksonville. Join us to discuss how work in Florida is already supporting the SDGs, and how it can go even further.

Global Summit on Community Philanthropy– in Johannesburg, South Africa on December 1-2. The Council is speaking on a concurrent panel focused on the architecture and hybridity of community philanthropy organizations during the conference. We are also hosting a side event on Saturday December 3 to discuss the international activities of U.S. community foundations. At this meeting, we will release new data gathered with the Foundation Center about how American community foundations are already engaging globally, and discuss how the Council and others can support this trend moving forward.

WINGS Forum 2017 – Critical Philanthropy: Addressing Complexity, Challenging Ourselves– Registration is now open for the upcoming WINGS Forum 2017 in Mexico City on February 22-24, 2017. WINGSForum brings together a globally diverse group of senior staff of philanthropy support organizations and leaders in philanthropy every three years to share knowledge, network, and advance effective philanthropy worldwide. The Council, as a member of the WINGS board, is leading design of the conference and will be speaking on the plenary stage, as well as coordinating several concurrent sessions.

Continuing to Discuss the SDGs in Arkansas

Last month, the Council joined partners in Little Rock for a second conversation with Arkansas funders about how to achieve shared goals around jobs, education, and health. The Council’s President and CEO Vikki Spruill shared how the SDGs as a global framework can galvanize philanthropy and foster collaboration with diverse partners. Read more about the event and its key takeaways on the SDG Philanthropy Platform.

Habitat III in Quito – What Did We Learn?

Philanthropy delegation meeting with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

Last month, more than 30,000 people from across sectors and around the globe gathered in Quito, Ecuador, which resulted in adoption of a new Urban Agenda that lays out a vision for building sustainable cities around the world over the next 20 years.

The Council joined a philanthropy delegation to represent the role of foundations in fulfilling the Agenda. During our time in Quito, this group held two conversations about the role of philanthropy and met with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to discuss how philanthropy can best partner with U.N. agencies. We were proud to join several of our members in these conversations, including Asia Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and the Avina Foundation.