Ariadne's Thread

Dear Ariadne community,

We are delighted to share the June edition of Ariadne’s Thread with you.

Last month, our valued Advisory Board member, Claudia Bollwinkel, concluded her term. To mark the occasion, we invited Claudia to share a few reflections with the Ariadne community. We are deeply grateful for her commitment, insight, and support over the years, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with both her and Dreilinden in the future.

Below, you will find Claudia’s note, along with the latest updates, opportunities, and news from across the Ariadne community.

Warm wishes,

The Ariadne Team

As I transition out of my role as a member of Ariadne’s Advisory Board, I look back at the four years I walked with the team and Board. In that time, we saw a transition of the leadership, and a transition is always a moment of crystallizing what the identity of an organization is.

When Julie Broome, Ariadne’s former director, asked me to join the Advisory Board, we had just birthed the concept of the Susan Treadwell Change Lab together – a small group of like-minded folks from within philanthropy thinking about Susan’s legacy. I personally never met Susan, but I could see how much she meant to people by the way their faces lit up when they spoke about her. We met in Seville (because “Why not!”, said Julie) and cooked up a Change Lab that would shift the access to philanthropic spaces for foundation staff from marginalised backgrounds. And, how it did change the space, wow! When the first Lab cohort met during Ariadne’s Annual Reconnect in Tbilisi, there was a profound shift in who was in the room and how they spoke.

When I joined the Advisory Board, my first in-person meeting was a strategic retreat in Sicily, where, in addition to the pistachio being mind-blowing, we had many deep conversations. What it came down to was: Should Ariadne focus on “in here” or “out there”? Which of course is the wrong question, because out there is always “in here” as well.

By “in here” we meant: Is Ariadne’s major role to strengthen philanthropic infrastructure through skill building, networking and feeling like we can be part of something bigger as practitioners? The reckoning following George Floyd’s murder also happened within the philanthropic space and a lot of deep conversations have taken place since then about how philanthropy as a system replicates power structures. Can we reform it? We can try, and if we do not succeed, perhaps we can still abolish philanthropy altogether?

The “out there” brings questions that will also be present during the next strategic process that Maja, Ariadne’s Director, and Renata, Ariadne’s Deputy Director, are leading this year: What is Ariadne’s role in organising donors to defend democracy? What is the network’s mandate – analysis, foresight, strategies and resistance?

This is not a moment for binaries, says author and Zen priestess Norma Wong. My take is that this is also true for this binary. Ariadne needs to hold both perspectives.

As my tenure on the Advisory Board comes to an end, I wish the team all the best in moving forward with tenderness and care, with deep thinking and courageous social change philanthropic practice.

In appreciation,

Claudia Bollwinkel
Senior Program Advisor, Dreilinden

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.

Philea – Analysing the legal environment for philanthropy in Europe: Philea undertakes and coordinates legal analysis of national, EU and global policy developments that have an impact on philanthropy. Here you can find the key outputs of this work, “Comparative Highlights of Foundation Laws” and the detailed country profiles upon which it is based.

“Putting Out Fires Till We Burn Out: Feminist Funding Lessons for Supporting Collective Care from the South Caucasus and Western Balkans” by the Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism, examines how feminist and LGBTQI+ organisers in the South Caucasus and Western Balkans practice collective care under conditions of war, authoritarianism, economic precarity, and shrinking civic space. 

OECD – Private Philanthropy for Development (Third Edition): Between 2020 and 2023, philanthropic contributions to development totalled USD 68.2 billion, equivalent to around 10% of official development assistance. While philanthropy cannot match the scale of ODA, it plays a complementary role by supporting innovation, flexibility and risk-taking across sectors and geographies.

ILGA Europe – Annual Review: Across Europe and Central Asia, the criminalisation of LGBTI people is quietly returning, not through explicit bans but through a growing web of “propaganda” laws, foreign-agent rules, and restrictions on civic space.

Community Foundations in Europe 2026: The State (and Future) of the Field: This report provides an overview of the community foundation field in Europe in 2026, highlighting its growth, diversity and the pressures it faces. Using a futures thinking lens, it explores how community foundations respond to present challenges, draw on past legacies, and shape more resilient and inclusive local futures.

International Philanthropy Commitment on Climate Change: Progress Report 2: Following the first International Commitment Progress Report published in 2025, this second progress report highlights the signatories’ progress to date, surfaces emerging trends, and identifies clear opportunities to strengthen and accelerate action across the International Commitment and the wider movement. 

“Care as Strategy: Lessons From Our Asia Pilot” this Funder Learning Brief from the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice explores the positive outcomes of engaging deeply with grantee partners’ needs and priorities.

Holding the Line: What Civil Society Needs to Stay Resilient Amid Democratic Backsliding – Mapping and Needs Diagnosis in Eastern Europe and Central Asia: The report was developed as part of the Regional Support Mechanism EECA initiative, implemented by Metamorphosis Foundation and TechSoup’s Digital Activism Program team, in partnership with CIVICUS and under the Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI) that covers the Global South.

Elemental partnered with the Kataly Foundation for its new series  – the F Word – that encourages philanthropy to share its failure stories publicly as an exercise in radical honesty for a sector that often keeps its mistakes private.

The Disability Rights Fund, along with the European Disability Forum, the Youth Negotiators Academy, and the Disability Climate Caucus, hosted a webinar, ‘From grassroots to global negotiations – youth with disabilities at the frontlines of climate action’. We invite you to watch the recording. If you are interested in learning more about the intersection of climate justice and disability rights, check out the funding guide with Impatience Earth and Impatience Wellbeing. There is also an available Easy to Understand version of the guide.

“European Identity and the Question of Belonging: When Expansion Includes Othering” by Hans Kundnani for the Othering & Belonging Institute.

“Mapping Research and Data on Donations by Households, Bequests, Foundations, Corporations and Charity Lotteries”, this publication presents a comparative overview of philanthropic giving in Europe and is the result of a collaborative initiative of the European Research Network on Philanthropy (ERNOP). Access the factsheet here.

The Foundation Practice Rating (FPR) aims to encourage funders to improve their practices across accountability, diversity and transparency. These principles are central to our work and our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. The FPR recently published their Year 5 report, which assesses 100 UK grant-makers.

“Building the New: Reimagining Civil Society Resourcing in Times of Global Transformation”, offered to the field from Bridging Dialogues (UK), The Global Fund for Community Foundations (UK / South Africa), Ministry of Space (Serbia), Dalia Association (Palestine), Indonesia for Humanity (Indonesia), and Navsarjan (India). This report is based on a session that served as a space to – listen deeply to activists, grassroots foundations, and community organisers who are already reshaping civil society in fundamental ways.

Green Web Foundation’s State of the Fossil-Free Internet launched a report which focuses on “too many dirty data centers” and what we can do about it. The report builds on a lot of great research and advocacy from Green Screen collaborators such as Beyond Fossil Fuels, Global Energy Monitor, and Ketan Joshi. Data visualizations include a map of data centers worldwide and a scorecard Green Web created based on the (lack of) disclosures from the major providers on their fossil fuel usage. 

“Messaging that (Re)builds Public Support for Civic Space” is a guide from Liberties that sets out what messaging helps grow support for NGOs working on human rights-related issues, including environmental protection and migration.

Please share this survey on experience with funding cuts with your grantees. The survey is open until 30 June. The Alliance for Gender Equality in Europe is partnering with ODI Europe and the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights for the first-ever study on funding cuts in the context of growing gender backlash across Europe. 

The Norwegian Human Rights Fund (NHRF) Annual report and Colombia report: In 2025, the NHRF supported 153 projects and 131 grantee partners in 7 priority countries. Through these projects, 9791 human rights defenders were supported, of which at least 64% were women human rights defenders.  

Open Society Foundations Launch $300 Million Initiative to Advance Economic Security and Defend Civil Liberties in the United States. The initiative aims to improve the daily lives of Americans and stand up for the rule of law while strengthening rights and freedoms under attack across the United States. 

The latest 2023-2024 Global Resources Report is live! Global Philanthropy Project’s newest biennial report documents 19,000+ grants awarded to 7,700+ grantees by 1,300+ donors in 2023–2024. The report provides detailed analysis on the distribution of LGBTI funding by geography, issue, strategy, population focus, and donor type, offering a tool for identifying trends, gaps, and opportunities in the rapidly changing philanthropic and development landscapes.

Mama Cash 2025 Annual report: “When the world feels unstable, there is a tendency to retreat into private survival strategies and this year offered plenty of incentives for that retreat. And yet, as we listened to partners, what emerged was that the opposite was happening. Movements adapted creatively. They shared risk in solidarity. They took to the streets. On the evidence of an entire year, we saw real courage in action”.

Too political to fund by Farkhanda Zahoor for Alliance Magazine you can read about what happens when philanthropy confuses neutrality for safety.

Funding civil society freedom – models, stories and strategies for making flexible funding work published by Peace Direct (with ADD International, CIVICUS, the GFCF, GlobalGiving and the Share Trust). The research focuses primarily on how organisations implement flexibility in practice.

“Our first grants under our new strategy” in this blog, Ali McGinley, Head of Grants at the Legal Education Foundation, shares insights into what stood out in over 100 applications, as well as the full list of their new grant partners. 

Oak Foundation – Programme Officer, Rewilding (Focus on the Southern Cone of South America).  Oak seeks a Programme Officer to contribute to Oak’s Environment Programme’s mission to restore the relationship between people and nature through systems change, recognising that biodiversity outcomes are inseparable from community wellbeing and livelihoods. They will support a portfolio of grants and partnerships advancing people-centred rewilding and regenerative landscapes approaches in the Southern Cone of South America. Salary: 110,000-135,000 USD. Location: North Carolina, United States. Deadline for applications is 21 June 2026. 

Corra Foundation – Grant Advisor. Corra Foundation is recruiting a Grant Advisor to support its grantmaking activities and work with applicants, grant holders, and partners to deliver funding programmes that create positive social change across Scotland. Salary: 37,205 GBP. Location: Scotland, United Kingdom. Deadline: 23 June 2026. 

Corra Foundation – Grant Support Co-ordinator. Corra Foundation is hiring a Grant Support Co-ordinator to provide administrative and operational support for grantmaking programmes, ensuring efficient processing and coordination across funding activities. Salary: 37,205 GBP. Location: Scotland, United Kingdom. Deadline: 23 June 2026. 

The Baring Foundation – Independent Investment Consultant. The Foundation is looking for an independent investment consultant to provide strategic advice, implementation support, and ongoing monitoring of the Foundation’s investment arrangements. The Foundation requires an adviser capable of delivering unconflicted, high-quality strategic guidance and manager selection advice, coupled with an efficient and transparent implementation model and robust governance support. Deadline: 23 June 2026.

Omidyar Network – Principal, Programs and Policy (Tech and AI). Omidyar Network is recruiting a Principal, Programs and Policy (Tech and AI) to help implement its Responsible Technology and AI strategy through investments, grantmaking, ecosystem building, stakeholder engagement, and thought leadership. The role focuses on frontier AI, advanced technologies, and technology governance, working across investors, researchers, policymakers, companies, and civil society partners to shape the future of technology. Salary: 171,400 – 214,200 USD. Location: San Francisco, California, United States. Deadline: 23 June 2026. 

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation – Learning Manager. Esmée Fairbairn Foundation seeks a Learning Manager to play a central role in ensuring learning and evidence informs decisions and contributes to the Foundation’s strategy. Sitting at the heart of the organisation, this person will support the Foundation’s learning and evaluation work, overseeing learning and feedback processes, commissioning research, and sharing what the Foundation’s learning with different audiences. Salary: 47,500 GBP. Location: London, United Kingdom. Deadline for applications is 30 June 2026.  

Open Society Foundations – Operations Officer, Global Operations. OSF is searching for an Operations Officer to play a vital role in enabling the development, implementation, and monitoring of day-to-day operations, processes, and practices to provide visibility into the goals, progress, and obstacles of key initiatives across the organization. This role also will co-lead Global Operations’ work in supporting cultural transformation initiatives across the geographies where OSF does its work. Location: Bogota, Colombia. Deadline for applications is 13 July 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.

22 June 2026, London

Crisis to Solutions: Coordinating Capital, Courage and Collective Action. The gathering brings together progressive philanthropists, foundations, wealth holders, movement leaders, and networks including WINGS, EDGE Funders Alliance, Action for Sustainable Development, Human Rights Funders Network, and The Collective to strengthen progressive coordination and accelerate bold, values-led action. The event will focus on resource flow, movement infrastructure, collaboration, and practical pathways for collective impact. Learn more and register.

23 June 2026, Online 

Narrative Power in Motion: Film, Media, and Cultural Strategy for Change. Join Grantmakers in the Arts for a webinar to reflect on how narrative change has evolved across movements, where momentum is building now, and what it takes to support storytellers, organizers, and media-makers without flattening their work into message delivery. Learn more and register here.  

25 June 2026, Online 

Feminist Advocacy After Orbán: Donor Conversation. The Hungarian Women’s Fund invite you to join an international donor conversation. Together, you will explore what it would take to strengthen feminist advocacy in Hungary at a moment when political opportunities are re-emerging after 16 years of autocratic Orbán-rule. Learn more and register here.  

24-25 July 2026, Rio de Janeiro

FCAA Global Philanthropy Summit. Registration is now open for the Funders Concerned About AIDS Global Philanthropy Summit, bringing together funders and partners to address key issues in global health and philanthropy. Learn more and register. 

02-07 August 2026, Sao Paulo

Thousand Currents Academy. The Academy is an immersive, in-person experience focused on building solidarity with grassroots movements in the Global South. The goal of the Academy is to support participants to move more unrestricted, long-term, and flexible funding to movements in the Global South, with practices rooted in mutual trust and accountability. Learn more and register.  

28-30 September 2026, Montreal

WINGS Forum 2026. From 28–30 September 2026, 400 leaders from across the global philanthropy community will gather in Montreal for the eighth edition of WINGSForum. This year’s WINGSForum, building on past gatherings, focuses on how we move from intention to practical action. Learn more and register.

14-16 October 2026, Chișinău

Konektor 2026 – Democracy Defying Darkness: Countering Authoritarianism. Konektor 2026 will bring together foundations, donors, and civil society to examine these urgent challenges. It will explore what authoritarianism looks like today, identify who is most at risk, and highlight what philanthropy is doing, and can do, across sectors including digital safety, climate, culture, and media. Learn more and register.

28-30 October 2026, Barcelona 

Mozilla Festival 2026. Mozilla Festival, aka MozFest, is three days of bold conversations, hands-on building, and ideas worth traveling for. This year, MozFest is taking over Barcelona’s Recinte Fabra i Coats – a former industrial complex turned cultural powerhouse – from Wednesday, October 28 through Friday, October 30, 2026. They are partnering with the City of Barcelona and taking part in Open Tech Week – a city-wide celebration of the people shaping a better digital world. Learn more and register here.