Ariadne’s Thread – April 2019

Ariadne’s Thread – April 2019
April 17, 2019 Lori Stanciu

April 2019

Ariadne’s Thread is a monthly update of events, briefings and research for social change and human rights funders. 

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Ariadne News & Events

ARIADNE CALLS FOR GREATER FOCUS ON RIGHTS, EQUALITY, AND CITIZENSHIP IN BREXIT DEBATE: For those of you who were unable to join us at our recent Policy Briefing, please note that the participants of the conference agreed to issue a statement regarding the lack of attention to issues of fundamental and citizenship rights in the Brexit negotiations. The statement is available on our website, and we encourage you to share it with your networks.

2019 ARIADNE FORECAST: The Ariadne Forecast is a community created resource that draws on Ariadne’s network of more than 578 funders in 23 countries. Ariadne participants and other friends of the network were asked six questions about trends in their field for 2019. We collected surveys and interviews from members across Europe and held forecast meetings for funders in Paris, London, Milan, Leiden and Berlin to discuss and add to the findings. In the end we estimate that around 189 people have had the chance to contribute to the Forecast. Click here for the report.

PREVENTING AND RESPONDING TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT: FUNDERS’ PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES: As in the rest of society, among those who work for and interact with foundations, there will be individuals who are the target or perpetrators of sexual harassment in its various manifestations. Foundations committed to social justice and human rights have an important role in combating sexual harassment through their work, but they must also take all steps necessary to prevent and respond to it in their work. Different foundations – and individuals within them – will have very different starting points, prior experiences and analyses and will need to think through different aspects of the full picture. This report seeks to provide some food for thought in the form of foundations’ shared experiences as a basis for this kind of thought process. Click here for the report.

MAKING A WAY FORWARD – COMMUNITY ORGANISING AND THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY IN EUROPE: Ariadne and the European Community Organising Network have published a joint study that presents insights from funders on the role that community organising can play for protecting liberal and inclusive democracies. The report showcases examples of people reclaiming democratic space and developing leadership for the future of their communities, from promoting housing as a human right in Ireland to countering nationalist movements in Slovakia. It also explores the example of the United States, where supporting the community organising sector is an established strategy for many funders. Click here for the report.

REGISTER NOW – CLIMA FUND: THE UNDERPINNING STORIES DIALOGUE SERIES: How might we approach climate change with funding strategies that reflect the complexity and interdependence of the crisis itself? How might we bridge domestic and international funding initiatives to support linkages within the global climate movement? In this session we will unpack assumptions about geography, how different funders make choices about geographic funding, and what that means for advancing transformative climate action. This webinar is organised by CLIMA Fund, and co-sponsored by Ariadne and several other networks. The event will take place online on Wednesday 24th April at 17.00-18.30 BST. To register, please click here.

SUBMIT YOUR GRANTS DATA NOW: The Advancing Human Rights research is a collaboration between Candid (formerly known as Foundation Center), Ariadne, Human Rights Funders Network and Prospera. It tracks the evolving state of global human rights philanthropy by collecting and analysing grants data. Its goal is to help human rights funders and advocates make more informed decisions, discover opportunities for collaboration, and increase the effectiveness of their work. Foundations can now submit their 2017 and 2018 grants using this template. If you use software from any of these providers to manage your grants, you can simply export your data into the template. Please email your grants information to florent.gonthier@ariadne-network.eu as early as possible, but by 30thJune at the latest.

REGISTER NOW – ARIADNE PORTAL TUITION: A half-hour of tuition to improve your skill in using the Ariadne Portal will be held on Tuesday 21st May at 15:00 GMT. This is an online webinar you can participate in from your desk. To join, you will need a computer or tablet (iPad/Android) to watch the online demonstration. To register, please click here. For additional portal tuition dates, please click here.

*To register for Ariadne events, your institution must be a member organisation of Ariadne. For questions regarding your membership status, please contact Hannah Stevens.

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New Research, Articles and Judgements

Crossing Divides: How Arts and Heritage can help bring us together: This new report from British Future looks at the divides in British society and the role that the arts can play in bridging them.  It explores in depth the 14-18 NOW arts programme for the First World War centenary, which had broad reach and resonance across different social groups.

EU Cohesion Monitor: Cohesion is the glue that holds Europe together. It is shaped by a variety of factors that make Europeans more willing to cooperate with one another. These factors include the connections between societies and economies, people-to-people contacts across borders, as well as attitudes and expectations. The EU Cohesion Monitor brings all these factors together in a comprehensive measurement of European cohesion across time for all EU member states. For the first time, this updated and extended edition of the Monitor includes the EU28 cohesion ranking and trends from 2007 to 2017.

China’s hi-tech war on its Muslim minority: This article from The Guardian covers how smartphones and the internet gave the Uighurs a sense of their own identity – but now the Chinese state is using technology to strip them of it.

The hidden constituency: Will Roma voters decide next month’s European elections? Across Europe, Roma people are fighting back against right-wing, anti-EU populism. This article urges progressive politicians to recognise their shared values.

Born into a legacy of genocide: This article is the first of a four-part series examining how Rwandans and the humanitarian community have moved on since the genocide that killed nearly one million people a quarter century ago.

Change the narrative: how a Swiss group is beating right-wing populists: This article looks at howOperation Libero is winning key victories by using fun but hard-hitting messages to tackle fear and pessimism.

Human Rights Council unanimously recognises vital role of environmental human rights defenders: The Human Rights Council has adopted a strong consensus resolution recognising the critical role of environmental human rights defenders in protecting vital ecosystems, addressing climate change, attaining the sustainable development goals and ensuring that no-one is left behind.

Leadership transition and succession: A toolkit for social-change activists and non-profit organisations: This toolkit is aimed at those who are considering a leadership change, those exiting, those managing transition and succession planning within organisations and those who are replacing a leader as incoming CEO. It is specifically aimed at non-profit organisations. See also, ‘When change-makers face change’ blog written by author of the report, Denise Charlton.

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Blogs and Other Sites of Interest

BLOG: How values-based campaigns can unite diverse movements: No cause is an island. In this OpenGlobalRights blog, Tom Crompton writes that human rights and other movements can better work together by identifying and working to strengthen shared values like social justice, equality and love.

BLOG: Solutions Privilege: This Non-profit AF blog covers how privilege shapes the expectations of solutions, and why it’s bad for our work addressing systemic injustice.

BLOG: Employing Ex-Offenders: Does the Charity Sector Do Enough? Despite all the good charities have done for ex-offenders, is the third sector as a whole living up to its values by welcoming job seekers with a criminal offence to join their team? This CharityJob blog looks at what is holding charities back, argues that ex-offenders are an untapped resource, and offers advice on how to create an open recruitment policy.

MAP: X them out – The Black Map of Athens: The Campaign “X them out – The Black Map of Athens” was designed to identify within the city of Athens and to highlight the under-reported hate crime in the public space. It is a joint initiative of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and HumanRights360.

BLOG: NGOs start thinking like businesses in Eastern Europe and Central Asia: In this OpenGlobalRights blog, Prague Civil Society Centre’s Rostislav Valvoda writes that NGOs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia have shown resilience under pressure by inventing new ways to generate funds, including hybrid for-profit and non-profit models, and creative partnerships.

GUIDE: ‘Trans-forming’ the Workplace to Be Transgender Inclusive: Transgender and gender-nonconforming people often run into unnecessary barriers that make their jobs harder than they need to be. This guide from Stanford Social Innovation Review suggests10 actions that social sector organisations can take to help.

Do you have a great blog post, case study or podcast you’d like to contribute? We would love to feature it. Email Hannah Stevens at hannah.stevens@ariadne-network.eu.

Grant-Making

European Philanthropy Manifesto:  While it is easy for goods and services to move freely around Europe, it is still difficult for donors, foundations and committed citizens to act philanthropically across borders. The time is ripe for a European Single Market for Philanthropy. “The European Philanthropy Manifesto” is a call to politicians in Europe to work towards a Single Market for Philanthropy.

Women’s Groups and Funders Respond to Global Gag Rule: This article from Stanford Social Innovation Review offers four successful strategies to mitigate the effects of a restrictive funding policy that the Trump administration reinstated.

Harnessing the power of media to achieve change: Reporting on climate change effects by locally-based journalists is helping to bring far-flung issues to the attention of government officials, who have the power to do something about it, as well as into the homes of people around the world. In thisAlliance Magazine article, Oak Foundation’s Rachel McKee explains.

Girls In The Driving Seats Of Philanthropy: This Forbes article  looks at how the With and For Girls Collective is generating capital for 60 girl-led and girl-centered organisations in 41 countries, using a participatory grantmaking approach with women at the forefront. It also covers the barriers to participatory grantmaking in philanthropy.

Lessons from citizen journalism—the promise of citizen philanthropy: In this article for Media Impact Funders, Cynthia Gibson, who helped design one of the first national participatory grantmaking initiatives with the Case Foundation, describes how funders exploring participatory grantmaking can learn important lessons from citizen journalism and broader efforts among journalists to engage with audiences and build trust.

Snapshot of the sector 2019: Diversity: NPC’s 2016 State of the Sector research found that the social sector knew that greater diversity was something to strive for but was less sure of the benefits it might bring. NPC has recently interviewed 20 sector leaders to see how attitudes to diversity in the social sector had changed since their original State of the Sector. The results are covered in this snapshot.

The next Thread will go out on Thursday 16th May. We would love to hear from you! Please contact Hannah Stevens by 14th May if you would like to share announcements, events, or resources for the next issue.

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Jobs and Tenders

Programme Officer (Field Building on Psychological Violence) – Oak Foundation: Oak Foundation is looking for a programme officer with experience in field building and/or psychological abuse, coercion and control to help them build on the successes of their grantees who are working on domestic violence. The successful candidate will work closely with the lead Trustees and the Issues Affecting Women Programme team to increase knowledge of the field of psychological abuse; embed learning across Oak Foundation’s growing domestic violence portfolio; build and manage a portfolio of grants that will contribute to changing the wider domestic violence sector; and support service providers to recognise, address and intervene to end psychological violence, coercion and control in all its forms. Location: Geneva, Switzerland. Deadline for applications is 2nd May 2019.

Project Head (Executive Office Grants) – Open Society Foundations: The Executive Office supports the top leadership of Open Society Foundations in all aspects of their roles. They oversee the global network, establishing and adjusting its strategies in partnership with the Chairman and the Global Board, advancing its strategies as its principal representative body, fostering and sustaining collaboration across the network, and continuously assessing and strengthening the quality and effectiveness of the institution. The Executive Office seeks a Project Head to work on grant-making activities. Location: New York, United States of America. Deadline for applications is 3rd May 2019.

Program Assistant – Ignite Philanthropy: Ignite Philanthropy: Inspiring the End to Violence Against Girls and Boys is recruiting a Program Assistant. The Program Assistant will play a central role in ensuring effective coordination and administration across a number of Ignite Philanthropy initiatives, including the End Violence Investors Forum and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Sexual Violence Against Children (SVAC) Index Advocacy Fund. Location: Flexible, preferably based in or near ET or CET time zones. Deadline for applications is 12th May 2019.

Senior Sector Officer (Civil Society) – EEA and Norway Grants: The Financial Mechanism Office of EEA and Norway Grants is recruiting a Senior Sector Officer – Civil Society. The successful candidate’s responsibilities will include:  contributing to improving and further developing civil society support activities; acting as a Programme Manager for the Active Citizens Fund in some Beneficiary States; and maintaining an overview and assessing relevant developments within the civil society sector in Donor States, Beneficiary States and at the EU level. Location: Brussels, Belgium. Deadline for applications is 28th April 2019.

Director of Programs – Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice: Astraea is recruiting for a Director of Programs. This is an opportunity for someone to apply expertise in grantmaking to LGBTQI and gender justice movements, with a strong lens on transforming philanthropy to align its resources with activists’ priorities. Location: New York, United States of America. Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Office and Communications Manager – Sigrid Rausing Trust: Sigrid Rausing Trust is seeking an Office and Communications Manager who will provide effective administrative and logistical support. The successful candidate is the first point of contact for those visiting, telephoning or contacting the Trust’s main email address, and has to deal with trustees, grantees and potential grantees from all over the world, as well as with the Trust’s suppliers and advisers. The role includes the day-to-day management of the office, the organisation of events and meetings and the maintenance and updating of the Trust’s website. The Office and Communications Manager also provides general administrative support to the grant-making process, and is responsible for coordination of the production of the Annual Report. London, United Kingdom. Deadline for applications is 6th May 2019.

*For more jobs, see the ‘Career Opportunities’ section on the landing page of the Ariadne portal. 

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Public Meetings

BERLIN, GERMANY
Until 1stJune
Objects of Desire: Exploring sex work through object biographies, Objects of Desire provides an alternate narrative of sex work to the binary ‘exploitation versus empowerment’ discourse that dominates popular discourse.The exhibition is a collaborative project led by sex workers and artists. It aims to preserve sex workers’ stories through archiving and exhibiting the artefacts of sex workers. The project invites current and former sex workers to submit photographs, objects and narratives. Objects might include gifts received from clients, good luck charms or sex work activism memorabilia. The exhibition will be open until 1stJune 2019 in Berlin, Germany.

 

BERN, SWITZERLAND
May 19th– 25th
Andrew Carnegie: Historic or Forward-Looking Philanthropy?The 100thanniversary of the death of Andrew Carnegie will be commemorated with a half-day symposium, which will highlight and discuss current aspects of philanthropy. Questions to be addressed will include: What is philanthropy today? What forms does it take? How do patronage, foundation and donations in the form of money, things and time relate to each other? How do nobleness, business and politics intervene in philanthropic activities?The event will take place on 24thMay in Bern, Switzerland. 

 

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
June 23rd– 29th
Women Rule Summit 2019: With the recent mid-term elections in the U.S and the upcoming European elections in May, this promises to be an exciting time to reflect on the progress achieved by women at the political and corporate level and revive the debate on women’s empowerment. Some of the key questions that will be tackled during this event include: Will women get to lead the European Union in 2019-2024? Which organisational changes and policies have proven most successful for women empowerment? How can we involve men in the conversation on gender equality? What threat does the rise of far-right parties pose to gender equality? The event will take on 27thJune 2019 in Brussels, Belgium.

 

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
May 26th– June 1st
Forced Displacement Today: The Human Impact: Today, with the number of people uprooted by conflict and violence globally at an unprecedented high, issues related to refugees and migration have become bitterly divisive in many parts of the world – a flashpoint around which concerns about globalisation and its impact are often manipulated for political gain. Yet this trend stands in stark contrast to the hospitality and solidarity of those countries hosting the largest refugee populations, and the upsurge in solidarity across many parts of society today. At this event, UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi will share his perspective on the dynamics of forced displacement and the global response to refugees, drawing on decades of experience in the UN and as a humanitarian aid worker, and looking ahead to the implications of the new Global Compact on Refugees.The event will take place on 27thMay 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. 

 

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
April 21st– 27th
Unseen Holocaust: You are invited to attend a screening of Unseen Holocaust, a film that shows rare footage of the Holocaust filmed by Soviet camera crews during World War Two. This enables audiences to get a deeper understanding of a neglected part of the Holocaust: the Nazis’ mass shootings of Russian, Ukrainian, and other Jews of the former Soviet Union in 1941 and 1942, that preceded the gas chambers and the death camps. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion. The event will take place on 25thApril 2019 in London, United Kingdom.

April 21st– 27th
New frontiers: The social sector in post-Brexit Britain: The Brexit Civil Society Alliance, NPC and the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales are hosting a free conference, bringing together the social sector to discuss the potentially momentous changes Brexit will have on charities, voluntary organisations and the communities they champion and represent. The conference will seek to raise awareness of the issues facing the sector post-Brexit; galvanise the sector in its preparedness to overcome challenges; and provide a space for figures from across the sector to come together and debate how Brexit might change our collective mission. The event will take place on 26thApril 2019 in London, United Kingdom.

May 5th– 11th
Power dynamics in grant-making: Wielding power: Power can be difficult to define: it can be ‘hard’ or ‘soft’, ‘visible’ or ‘invisible’, ‘old’ or ‘new’. This roundtable will explore what power is and how funders wield it. Participants will explore funder power and influence, and how that can be used for good. Rhiannon Bearne will speak about how Millfield House Foundation influences policy relating to poverty and inequality in the north east. Colin Baines will present Friends Provident Foundation’s model of using its power as an asset owner and shareholder to influence social change. The event will take place on 8thMay 2019 in London, United Kingdom.

May 19th– 25th
Rethinking Human Rights: a southern response to western critics: In this lecture, Muthoni Wanyeki will draw on three decades of human rights activism with Kenyan, African and international organisations to push back against the western critique of human rights and to formulate her own assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the human rights movement in Africa and the global south.The event will take place on 22ndMay 2019 in London, United Kingdom.  

May 19th– 25th
Transformative Philanthropy – What every philanthropist and professional advisor should know: In a time when the very wealthy are worried, and their wealth is being questioned due to growing income inequality, the need for philanthropic exemplars and supportive advice from their professional advisers is essential. Wealth creation, wealth management – including philanthropic giving and social impact investment – are one of the keys to living the values of the wealthy while addressing societal problems. Speakers Ise Bosch, Founder and CEO of Dreilinden, and Rennie Hoare of C Hoare & Co are examples to be emulated. Ise Bosch, inspired by philanthropist Robert Bosch (founder of Bosch and her grandfather), decided to be a part of “the world of social change.” She will discuss her vision of Transforming Philanthropy and how this can be a philanthropic game changer. Ise will be interviewed by Rennie Hoare, the youngest partner of C Hoare & Co. He will provide an in-depth look into their innovative method in helping customers achieve their own philanthropic goals.The event will take place on 22ndMay 2019 in London, United Kingdom.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
June 16th– 22nd
Global Health: inequalities, interventions and biases: To ensure that people live long and healthy lives it is important to know what kills different groups of people in different places. The Global Burden of Disease based on the Disability-Adjusted Life Year has been developed to do this. This lecture shows how this measure leads to various anomalies and biases, in particular it underestimates the health problems experienced by women and children.Professor Sudhir Anand Professor Amartya Sen will be the speakers at this event.The event will take place on 18thJune 2019 in London, United Kingdom. 

 

MUNICH, GERMANY
September 8th– 14th
C SUMMIT: The European Corporate Philanthropy and Social Investing Summit: EVPA & DAFNE are co-organising the first European Corporate Philanthropy and Social Investing Summit. It will gather corporate social investors and corporate philanthropists of all types with their European peers to share their knowledge and experience and learn together. The aim is to empower and inspire. This year’s C Summit is organised under the theme of strategic alignment. The event will take place between 11th and 12th September 2019 in Munich, Germany.

 

ONLINE
April 21st– 27th
It takes legal empowerment to solve the housing rights crisis: The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Leilani Farha, recently launched a report on access to justice for the right to housing. In her report, the Rapporteur underscores that “the global housing crisis is rooted in a crisis in access to justice because without access to justice, housing is not properly recognised, understood or addressed as a human right.” The report identifies ten key principles, derived from international human rights law obligations, which States must satisfy to ensure access to justice for various components of the right to housing. During this webinar, participants will discuss the main conclusions of the report and how it can help as a tool to advocate for policy changes and improved access to justice. A group of grassroots organisations from the global south will provide feedback on the report, reflecting on experiences from their own contexts in promoting access to justice for informal settlement and disadvantaged urban communities. The webinar will take place on 23rd April 2019.

 

PARIS, FRANCE
May 19th– 25th
EFC Annual General Assembly and Conference: Despite the universal nature and appeal of “Liberté, égalité, fraternité!” these three ideals are not (yet) fully realised: they continue to represent aims rather than achievements due to an array of critical and constantly evolving challenges. Bearing this in mind, how can European foundations: Respond to the migration crisis as a challenge to freedom of movement and an indicator of global inequalities? Address the threats to freedom of speech and freedom of the press in an age of fake news and post-truth politics? Help bridge long-standing inequalities in access to education, culture or health, and more recent ones such as the consequences of climate change or the digital divide? Promote human rights in Europe, thirty years after the fall of the Iron Curtain? Encourage new forms of solidarity and inclusion? The event will take place between 22nd and 24th May 2019 in Paris, France.

 

OXFORD, UNITED KINGDOM
May 12th– 18th
The International Human Rights Law Implications of Cyber Interference Aimed at Influencing Voters: At this event, Kate Jones, Director of the Diplomatic Studies Programme at the University of Oxford, and Harriet Moynihan, Chatham House and Visiting Research Fellow at the Bonavero Institute, will discuss the human rights issues and implications of cyber interference aimed at influencing voters.The event will take place on 14th May 2019 in Oxford, United Kingdom.

 

THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS
May 12th– 18th
 The protection of cultural heritage in armed conflicts:  During this HILAC-lecture, participants will talk with researcher Marina Lostal Becerril about the protection of cultural heritage in armed conflicts. Marina researched the behaviour of armed non-state groups in Iraq, Mali, and Syria. What is their stance towards the protection of cultural heritage?The event will take place on 14th May 2019 in The Hague, The Netherlands.

 

TUNIS, TUNISIA
June 9th– 15th
RightsCon: RightsCon is the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age. It brings together business leaders, policy makers, general counsels, government representatives, technologists, and human rights defenders to connect, strategise, and shape the future. The event will take place between 11th and 14th June 2019 in Tunis, Tunisia.

Ariadne is supported by the Oak Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Sigrid Rausing Trust, Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Adessium Foundation, Democracy and Media Foundation, David and Elaine Potter Foundation and Zennström Philanthropies.

Ariadne is also supported by voluntary contributions from its participants.

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