Ariadne's Thread

Dear Ariadne community,

I hope this message finds you well despite the challenging times we are collectively navigating.

I stepped into the role of Director just over two and a half months ago, and in that time I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you at our recent events: the Grant Skills Day in London in September, and the Tech & Society gathering in Brussels in October. These moments of connection have been inspiring and energising, and I very much look forward to meeting more of you in the months ahead.

To continue this dialogue, I warmly invite you to join me and the Ariadne team for an online, member-only meeting taking place on Thursday 11 December, 14:00–15:00 GMT / 15:00–16:00 CET. During this session, I will share how we are aligning Ariadne’s vision and mission with the realities of today’s social, political, and philanthropic landscape, as well as an update on our ongoing work as a team. Importantly, we will also create space to hear from you about the big conversations that matter most as we move toward 2026, and that you believe Ariadne should help open and nurture. We hope to see many of you there.

I also want to share an important update: our Advisory Board Chair, Brandee Butler, has stepped down to pursue new professional adventures. We are deeply grateful for her dedicated guidance, commitment and passion throughout her time on our Advisory Board. We look forward to continuing our collaboration in new ways.

Below, you will find this month’s collection of news, opportunities, and resources from across our membership and beyond, curated by the Ariadne team. We hope you find them useful and inspiring in your work.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement. Together, we can ensure Ariadne remains a vibrant and impactful community for philanthropy committed to social change and human rights.

With warmest wishes,
 Maja Spanu
 Director, Ariadne

Location announcement for Ariadne’s 2026 Annual Reconnect: We’re excited to announce that in 2026, Ariadne will host its Annual Reconnect from 14-16 April in Bologna, Italy, in partnership with Assifero. Together, we will take a journey through past, present and future to explore how philanthropy can renew its commitment to human rights and social change amidst the current context, while also questioning its own role and responsibilities in shaping what lies ahead. This year’s gathering will offer a space to reconnect, recharge, and reimagine the threads that weave our collective work, and to move forward with renewed clarity of purpose.

Blogs

Alliance for Gender Equality in Europe – “Five tips for funders: What we learned from visiting 26 grantee partners in 2 years”: “Site visits can turn what was once abstract into something tangible: no longer just application forms and reports that land in our inbox every day but people with vision, uplifting stories, and courageous struggles”.

All resources can be found on Ariadne’s website and Member-only Community Hub. Are you a member of Ariadne but don’t have access to the Community Hub? Sign-up here or email jana.stardelova@ariadne-network.eu.

The next Thread will go out on Thursday 18th December. We would love to hear from you! Please contact us by Tuesday 16th December if you would like to share announcements, events, or resources for the next issue. 

Mediterranean Women’s Fund and Calala Fondo de Mujeres: Two funds, one vision: bringing feminist leadership to life! The two women’s funds have partnered to reflect on what feminist leadership means today. Available in English and French.

Read this new report “Funding Feminist Leadership Transitions: A Landscape Analysis” from Foundation for a Just Society and Gender Funders CoLab on how to resource feminist leadership transitions. Supporting feminist leadership transitions signals trust, fuels resilience, and protects long-term impact. Access Analysis and summary of findings here.

Association of Charitable Foundations new report explores record growth in grant-making in the UK. Learn more in this narrative summary of UK Charitable Foundations’ Grant-Making in 2023–2024 based on data from UK Grantmaking.

Financing Feminist Futures (F4FF): Feminist organisations in Türkiye face financial and structural strains from reduced international aid, scarce domestic funding, and political restrictions. This research explores building a sustainable, collaborative, and accountable funding ecosystem, and how aid and private sector support can better sustain feminist activism. 

The Power Up! consortium—an alliance of three women’s rights organizations, JASS (Just Associates), Yayasan Pemberdayaan Perempuan Kepala Keluarga (PEKKA), and Gender at Work (G@W)—is delighted to share a new Feminist Economic Justice Toolkit. This toolkit is a feminist popular education resource designed for women human rights defenders, community organisers, and activists engaged in movement building.  

Center for Civilians in Conflict – CIVIC – Protection of Civilians Trends Report and Civilian Protection Index, examines how civilians experienced conflict and violence in 2024 and what the data reveals about the global state of civilian protection. The findings are stark: civilian harm rose across nearly every measure. But the report also outlines concrete actions governments and international actors can take to reverse these trends and strengthen protection on the ground. 

Humanity United has launched A Pathway to Peace: An Engagement Framework for the Next Evolution of Peacebuilding, a new report co-created with 135 proximate peacebuilders across 37 countries. 

CIVICUS Lens: Cutting civil society’s lifeline: the global spread of foreign agents laws report, analyses the impacts on civil society of laws that label recipients of international funding as agents of foreign powers and explores how civil society, funders, governments, human rights bodies, international courts and the media can effectively resist them. The report, available in English, Frenchand Spanish, shares proven strategies and case studies from around the world. 

Block & Build Podcast with Marzena Zukowska and Shanelle Matthews — co-editors of Liberation Stories: Building Narrative Power for 21st Century Social Movements, an anthology of essays and interviews — discuss rising authoritarianism worldwide and distill successful theories, strategies, and tactics from past progressive movements for anyone wanting to understand and resource modern progressive movements. 

Fund for Global Human Rights – a video call to action for friends and allies like you who share our unshakable commitment to courageous activists furthering justice. 

Mozilla Foundation’s new magazine – Nothing Personal, counterculture magazine and editorial platform. Nothing Personal is a human-driven and human-written hub of thought and culture. Through narrative, spectacle, and practical advice, Mozilla aims to re-activate the joy of the ‘old Internet’ for those who remember it.

FITO Network – The Philanthropy Playground: What is the Philanthropy Playground? A collective of 22 low-lift, high-impact games that shift how we think, talk, and act in philanthropy.

Dalan Fund launches “A Choice That Matters” campaign: ASTRA Network and Dalan Fund have jointly launched a campaign to highlight and elevate the work of SRHR movements across the CEECCNA regions. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) movements in Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central and North Asia are under pressure. 

Divestment Toolkit: For the last year, Funding Freedom’s inaugural Funders Cohort has worked together to learn and think about how the philanthropic sector can align its money—not just its grantmaking but its investments—with its values. The culmination of this process is a toolkit that equips organisers within philanthropy to drive tangible change through divestment from the economy of genocide, occupation, and oppression.

Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice – Intersex Awareness Day: Astraea is celebrating 10 years of intersex rights milestones. Learn about the accomplishments of the Intersex Human Rights Fund (IHRF) in this blog.

The Forge –  “We Say We Want to Save Democracy. So Why Aren’t We Funding the People Who Can?” blog by Karundi Williams, Executive Director of re:power: “A protest can spark momentum, but only infrastructure sustains it. If we want a multiracial democracy that lasts, we have to fund the organisers, trainers, and educators building it every day.” 

Candid – “Building a tool for the sector together: Co-creating as power sharing” by Sara Keilholtz, Director of Data and Strategic Insights, Women’s Funding Network: Learn why co-creation as power sharing unlocks success and how Women Funding Network used this approach to build a new demographic data tool to help funders advance feminist philanthropy.

Thousand Currents 2025 Annual Report, “Collective Power, Collective Change”: Access the annual report to learn about Thousand Current’s 40th anniversary; distribution of multiyear grants and moving more money than ever before to their movement partners to ensure financial resilience in unpredictable times; and co-creating a 5-year strategy and 10-year vision for the oganisation.

Both ENDS – Strategy 2026-2030 “Connecting people for an environmentally just world”: Shaped through extensive dialogue with partners in the Global South, this strategy responds to today’s challenges – from rising authoritarianism, geo-political shifts to climate disasters hitting hard. The response? Deepening our commitment to connecting and strengthening the global environmental justice movement through collective action and influencing the spaces where decisions are made. 

Alliance Magazine – “Youth movements are solving crises. Why not fund them at scale?”: “Around the world, civic spaces are shifting. There are growing restrictions on free expression and public participation, and it’s increasingly difficult for people to organise and speak out. For youth-led movements in particular, these shifts add new barriers to advancing vital community work and holding those in power to account”. By Nathan Méténier and Joshua Amponsem, Co-Executive Directors of the Youth Climate Justice Fund, and Helen Mountford, President and CEO of ClimateWorks Foundation.

SSiR – “Funding the Grassroots of Environmental Justice”: The Environmental Justice Resourcing Collective was created to fund work led by and for communities most impacted by environmental racism, climate change, and unjust systems. Four years later, what lessons can funders draw from our experiences supporting frontline communities? By Enei Begaye & Colette Pichon Battle. 

International Giving Guide, authored by the Latin America Funders Collective (comprised of Tinker Foundation, Tawingo Fund, Focus Central America Foundation), NEID Global, and Pathway Philanthropic Solutions, seeks to support curious and early-stage donors in overcoming those barriers to engage in international giving in a purposeful and fulfilling way. The guide provides practical, anecdotal, and inspirational advice and is particularly relevant for individual donors, philanthropic advisors, and small or family foundations that do not yet have established cross-border giving practices.

Ten Years Time – Moving Towards Reparative Justice report: Commissioned by Guy’s & St. Thomas’ Foundation, the report helps funders move from acknowledging links to African chattel enslavement to taking meaningful, justice-driven action. It offers a seven-stage framework, real-world examples, and practical recommendations to guide foundations in shifting power, redistributing wealth, and centring repair over returns. 

Hivos – Recommendations for the Fourth Ministerial Conference on feminist foreign policy: Key points include. shifting to core and flexible funding; creating rapid-response grants; leveraging philanthropic and private capital through feminist principles; and advancing feminist fiscal and accountability measures.

Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN) – New Research “Donor Support, Civic Space, and the Future of Civil Society in the Western Balkans”: While international assistance remains the sector’s lifeline, shifting donor practices risk entrenching a fragile, donor-driven model. The abrupt USAID withdrawal in 2025 was a turning point, exposing the fragility of single-donor reliance and providing governments with ammunition to delegitimise CSOs as “foreign agents”.  Access the full research here. 

Omidyar Network – Director, Programs & Policy: Omidyar Network is hiring a Director for its Programs & Policy team to lead California-focused work on technology governance, public policy, and civil society engagement. The role involves representing the organisation in Sacramento, shaping state-level tech policy, and collaborating with policymakers, corporate actors, and grantees to drive systemic change. Location: California (Sacramento / San Francisco), USA. Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. 

Ford Foundation – Program Officer, China: The Ford Foundation is hiring a Program Officer for its Beijing office to advance work on reducing inequality and strengthening civil society in China. The role includes grantmaking, strategic planning, and partnership development. 
Location: Beijing, China. Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. 

Comic Relief – Chief Operating Officer: Comic Relief is seeking a Chief Operating Officer to strengthen organisational operations, support leadership, and scale internal systems in line with its mission to drive social change through entertainment and culture. The COO will join the Executive Team and work hybrid with regular London office presence. Salary: 120,000 – 140,000 GBP. Location: London, United Kingdom. Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. 

The National Lottery Community Fund – Senior Grant Making Manager: The National Lottery Community Fund is recruiting a Senior Grant Making Manager for a 12-month fixed-term contract to support responsive funding across London, the South East, and the East of England. The role focuses on strategic grantmaking, community engagement, and oversight of funding portfolios. Salary: 55,252 – 58,015 GBP. Location: London or South East, United Kingdom. Deadline for applications: 23 November 2025. 

Hivos – Advocacy Officer (Walking the Talk): Hivos is recruiting an Advocacy Officer to help advance feminist foreign policy and influence Dutch ODA through the Walking the Talk program. This six-month role focuses on policy engagement, coalition work, and public advocacy. Salary: 4,151.21 – 5,523.71 EUR. Location: The Hague, The Netherlands (hybrid). Deadline: 26 November 2025. 

Hivos – Global Advocacy Officer (Walking the Talk): Hivos is hiring a Global Advocacy & Communications Officer to lead global feminist advocacy following the Financing for Feminist Futures conference, engaging with UN, EU, G7/G20, and international networks. This is a six-month role within the Walking the Talk program. 
Location: Any Hivos regional office with CET overlap. Deadline: 26 November 2025. 

Prague Civil Society Centre – External Evaluator: The Prague Civil Society Centre is hiring an External Evaluator for a four-month consultancy to assess a regional project supporting civic resilience across Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. The work includes evaluation design, data collection, and regional analysis. Location: Remote with possible travel. Deadline: 8 December 2025.

Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust – Head of Reparations: JRCT is seeking a Head of Reparations to design and lead a multi-year reparations programme aligned with its mission and Quaker values. The role includes strategic development, stakeholder partnerships, and program oversight. Salary: 92,000 GBP. Location: York, United Kingdom (hybrid). Deadline: 4 January 2026. 

*For more jobs, see the ‘Career Opportunities’ section of Ariadne’s Community Hub. To address pay gaps in the charity sector, we strongly encourage you to #showthesalary in your job adverts.

20 November, Online 

Virtual Launch of the Mixed Migration Review 2025. This year’s Mixed Migration Review (MMR 2025) examines how migration dynamics are reshaping in response to a context of intensified geopolitical turmoil. Date and time: 20 November, 2pm – 3:30pm CET. Learn more and register. 

29 November 2025, Berlin, Germany 

Resilience Lab. A one-day participatory workshop by the Civil Society Forum (CSF) Berlin Hub for queer migrant activists, artists, and community organizers, exploring resilience through body-based practices and somatic tools. Date and time: 29 November 2025, 11:00 – 17:00 CET. Learn more and register here.  

2-3 December 2025, Brussels, Belgium 

SOLIDAR Days 2025: Building alliances in a shifting global order: A gathering of SOLIDAR’s network (members, partners, progressive civil society) for strategy meetings, panels, networking, and their Silver Rose Awards ceremony, focusing on strengthening progressive alliances amid global political challenges. Date and time: 2 December, 9:30 am – 3 December, 9:30 pm. Learn more and register here.  

5 December 2025, Brussels, Belgium  

Forever in between: Eastern European Perspectives: How does it feel to exist forever in between – rooted in the Global East, yet looking toward the West and its values, operating within a philanthropic landscape shaped by the Global North? This event, organised by Bulgarian Fund for Women and the European Women’s Lobby, invites an intimate reflection on feminist experiences that cross borders and values, exploring how money, activism, and identity intertwine in the spaces where East meets West. Date and time: 5 December 2025, 10:00 – 13:00 CET. Learn more and register here.

5-8 May 2026, Lusaka, Zambia & Online

RightsCon 2026. A major global summit convened by Access Now, bringing together digital rights advocates, technologists, policymakers, civil society, and more. Learn more and register here.