Ariadne’s Thread – April 2020

Ariadne’s Thread – April 2020
April 16, 2020 Hannah Stevens

April 2020

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

NEW BLOG! DON’T LET COVID-19 ANXIETY AND A SENSE OF THE UNKNOWN STOP US FROM THINKING AND ACTING FOR THE LONG-TERM: A time for optimism or pessimism? In this blog, friend of the network Deborah Doane argues that whilst we certainly cannot predict the long-term outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must play an active and positive role in shaping the emerging future. This blog is the first in a series which marks the release of the 2020 Ariadne Forecast, and looks at the challenges and opportunities identified by funders through the lens of the current pandemic.

ARIADNE COVID19 RESOURCE LIST: There has been a flurry of activity throughout the philanthropic world over recent weeks as foundations try to come to grips with the COVID-19 pandemic and what it means for their grantees and their operations. Articles and resources have been developed very quickly, and we know that it can be quite difficult to keep up with all of them. Therefore, we have developed a new section on our website and on the portal homepage where we have curated and organised links to the available resources. We have included information on how philanthropy is responding generally, including funding maps and recommendations for keeping funding flexible and flowing at this time, and analysis about how human rights issues specifically are likely to be affected by the pandemic and responses to it. We hope these will be useful to you as you consider how your foundation can make a difference at this time. We will do our best to keep this section updated as new resources are made available. If we’re missing anything that you think should be included, please send it to Florent Gonthier at florent.gonthier@ariadne-network.eu, and he will update the list.

ARIADNE HERO & RED THREAD AWARDS: We’re pleased to announce that Eva Rehse, Executive Director of Global Greengrants Fund UK, is the recipient of this year’s ‘Ariadne Hero’ award! A valued Ariadne member, Eva shares with the network her thought leadership on the climate crisis and her vision for positive change in the philanthropic sector. On top of this, her hard work made the 2019 Grant Skills Day, on funding with a climate lens, a success. The recipient of this year’s ‘Red Thread’ award is Nadia van der Linde, Coordinator of Red Umbrella Fund! Nadia has been a committed portal user over the years, joining and contributing to many different communities. As a moderator, she has helped make the ‘Peer Led Funding Models’ community one of the most active on the portal.

SAVE THE DATE: We have a lot of webinars planned for you in the coming weeks and months! Please save the date for a grant skills webinar on Inclusive Philanthropy for the 21st Century with Thousand Currents and Both ENDS (Thursday 30th April), and a webinar on Supporting the Vital Role of Trusted Journalism in a World on Fire by Adessium, Civitates and Journalism Funders Forum (Wednesday 20th May).

WEBINAR: PUSHED BACK AT THE EU BORDER: CAN THE NEW EU PACT ON MIGRATION AND ASYLUM BRING ANY GOOD NEWS FOR MIGRANTS COMING TO EUROPE? There is a history to the current situation at the EU (Greek) border with Turkey, where migrants are being used as a bargaining chip amidst the tension between EU Member States and Turkey. For too long the EU has relied on a short-term fix in the form of the deal to keep EU-bound migrants in Turkey instead. What has been missed is learning from the EU’s response to the 2015 migrant arrivals with developing a common European system that provides a rights-based and effective response to migration and asylum in the Union. With the new European Commission promising an EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, is this a way forward for effective and fair long-term policies? Ariadne and EPIM invite you to join this webinar on Monday 20th April, 16:00 CET / 15:00 BST/ 10:00 ET to learn more about the political situation in Greece, the threat to the current legislative framework posed by pushbacks, the upcoming Migration and Asylum Pact, the possible impact of the current Covid-19 measures on policy-making on migration, the recently published EU Gender Strategy. and the CSO response to these developments. Speakers: Catherine Woollard, Director of ECRE; Michele Levoy, Director of PICUM; Epaminondas Farmakis, Founder of Human Rights 360. Moderator: Sahar Yadegari, Programme Manager at Adessium Programme Manager and Chair of EPIM. To register, please click here.

WEBINAR: REWIRING CAPITALISM TO WORK FOR PEOPLE & PLANET: TAX JUSTICE & TACKLING CORRUPTION: You are invited to join a webinar on Wednesday 22nd April, 12:30 BST, which will present state of the art analysis about how structural components of the UK’s financial and economic system must be rewired in order to achieve a just transition and universal human rights. Tax justice and corporate accountability are both necessary to achieve fundamental shifts in business practice. Currently, the tax system favours entrenched interests over those of broader society. And major corporates can break laws with impunity, with huge negative impacts here and abroad. Leading activists from the UK tax justice and anti-corruption fields will present: (a) why these structural components are central to achieving a just transition and human rights, and (b) major opportunities for reform within each field. Speakers: Susan Hawley, Executive Director, Spotlight on Corruption; Robert Palmer, Executive Director, Tax Justice UK; and Alex Jacobs, Director, Joffe Charitable Trust. Moderator: Julie Broome, Ariadne Director. To register, please click here.

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 April at 15:00 BST. 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

Recommendations on privacy and data protection in the fight against COVID-19: Access Now is committed to protecting human rights and to contributing to governments’ responses to the COVID-19 outbreak. In this paper, Access Now provides privacy and data protection recommendations for governments to fight against COVID-19 in a rights-respecting manner. There will be an aftermath to the COVID-19 outbreak. The measures governments put in place right now will determine this aftermath. The recommendations outlined in this paper will ensure that the rule of law, and the rights to privacy and data protection, are protected throughout this crisis and in the future. See also, ‘End Internet Shutdowns to Manage COVID-19.’

COVID-19 Civic Freedom Tracker: Keep Civic Space Healthy: This tracker monitors government responses to the pandemic that affect civic freedoms and human rights, focusing on emergency laws. The COVID-19 Civic Freedom Tracker is a collaborative effort by the ICNL, ECNL, and their global network of partners, with research support from the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Fionnuala D. Ní Aoláin. This is an ongoing effort, and you are encouraged to email additional resources to epage@icnl.org and simona@ecnl.org.

The Virus and the Global Goals: What Could COVID-19 Mean for Sustainable Development? In this blog, Sarah Mendelson offers three future scenarios, arguing there may be no more urgent wake-up call to robustly implement the SDGs once we have moved beyond the immediate emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic and are focused on recovery. 

Who’s happy about coronavirus? Our rights and democracies are under threat. But how this crisis reshapes our world depends on us, writes Claire Provost in this article for openDemocracy.

Global Protest Tracker: Since 2017, about 100 significant anti-government protests have erupted worldwide and about 30 governments or leaders have fallen as a result. Hard-pressed governments might think the new coronavirus has given them a respite. But some protest movements are just turning to other tools and reorganising, while new protests have emerged to demand swift and effective responses to the health crisis. Use Carnegie’s Global Protest Tracker to follow the trends, as well as analyse and compare the triggers, motivations, and other aspects of many of the most significant anti-government protests. Designed for researchers, decisionmakers, and journalists, this comprehensive resource helps illustrate how protests impact today’s global politics.

Factsheet: Intersectionality at a Glance in Europe: The Center for Intersectional Justice has launched a factsheet which provides a framework and language for intersectional justice, reviewing the historical and legal development of intersectionality and its relevance to our societies today. CIJ developed the factsheet to help further the conversation on structural and institutional discrimination, providing examples of best practices and interventions that can be applied to strengthen intersectional policy making in Europe. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, society needs to re-evaluate the systems that have led to exclusion and inequality globally. The factsheet will provide some helpful theories and a starting point from which to engage in this transformative dialogue as we shift the paradigm to more inclusive, fair societies. See also, ‘We Have Been Here Before.’

How coronavirus is being used to attack democracy – and how to fight back: This webinar from openDemocracy looked at how the pandemic is being used to remove democratic rights around the world. Speakers: Berhan Taye, Kenya-based Senior Policy Analyst for Access Now; Justin Spike, Hungary-based Journalist; Aarti Khosla, New Delhi-based Journalist; Leigh Baldwin: Editor of SourceMaterial; and Mary Fitzgerald, Editor-in-Chief of openDemocracy. You can also sign up to ‘DemocracyWatch’ from openDemocracy, a weekly email round-up which monitors pandemic power grabs all over the world. Freedom Fund has also created a new weekly newsletter, ‘Keeping Democracy Healthy During a Pandemic.’

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Blogs and Other Sites of Interest

ZINE: Do What You Want: A Zine About Mental Wellbeing: Do What You Want is a one-off zine, curated and edited by Ruby Tandoh and Leah Pritchard. The print run raised over £24,000 for charities as diverse as Mind, Beat, Bipolar UK, Survivors UK, Merseyside Youth Association, Brixton Soup Kitchen, Voice for Domestic Workers, and Samaritans. They’ve now reissued it free of charge to all and any who might want to revisit it in these trying times.  

LIST: Global Greengrants Fund’s Top Environmental and Social Justice Themed Films: Global Greengrants Fund has curated a list of environmental and social justice themed films, whether you want to learn something new, want to be inspired, or need something for a family movie night.

ARTICLE: Yuval Noah Harari: The World After Coronavirus: In this article for the Financial Times, Yuval Harari writes that this storm will pass, but the choices we make now could change our lives for years to come.

BLOG: Shaping a new social contract through the pandemic: In this blog, Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Phil Bloomer, Executive Director of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, write about the potential for governments, business, investors and civil society to shape our futures through their responses to COVID-19.

BLOG: Rights and responsibilities in the Coronavirus pandemic: This blog from Kathryn Sikkink for OpenGlobalRights argues that, to protect our collective right to health in the current pandemic situation, we need to balance our individual rights with collective responsibilities. 

BLOG: What does solidarity look like in times of coronavirus? This blog from Thousand Currents asks, ‘what does solidarity look like in coronavirus times?’

Catalyst: Library of Free Support: Catalyst is a collective of digital agencies, funders and charities. They have relaunched their website in response to the COVID-19 crisis, and they’re growing their library of free support from across the Catalyst network.

Webinar: Movement-Building From Home Community Calls: You’re invited by Mozilla Foundation to participate in the launch of “Movement-Building from Home”, a new series of community calls meant to help support the continuity of your activism, community, and work during the COVID-19 global health crisis. These calls are open to anyone interested in discussing online community and movement building with peers around the world. Whether you’ve been thrust into running a virtual conference for the first time, or you’ve been movement-building from home for years, these calls are a space for allies ready to share their own experience with movement building online, online project and community leads, and community members pivoting to online work to learn from one another in community. Mozilla will share how they are approaching online meetings, community care, personal ecology, and community management. The webinars will take place on various dates.

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

How to Talk About Human Rights During Covid-19: Human rights are tools we can use to steer governments towards making decisions that put the health and wellbeing of everyone at the forefront. However, many governments and media outlets frame human rights as an obstacle to public health. We often reinforce this damaging narrative unintentionally. This guide offers suggestions on how to frame human rights when speaking about measures that authorities are taking (or failing to take) to halt the spread and minimise the impact of coronavirus. See also, ‘How to Talk About COVID-19.’  

Collaborating for a cause: How cause-related networks multiply the impact of philanthropy: This report argues that, with the charity sector now facing perhaps its greatest test yet, philanthropists can multiply the impact of their giving by teaming together around common causes.

Flexibility and freedom of foundation funding can boost third sector during Coronavirus crisis: In this blog, Carola Carazzone asks how philanthropy wants to make a difference with COVID-19. See also, European Philanthropy Statement on COVID-19.

Resourcing Earth Defenders: The Philanthropic Response to Heightened Repression in Latin America: The CLIMA Fund has recently produced a new resource for funders, which draws on the practical experience of grassroots activists and philanthropists to map the state of increasing violence against Natural Resource Defenders in Latin America, and philanthropy’s response. With the escalation of resource extraction, authoritarian governments, and land grabbing globally, it is critical that funders respond by providing more flexible, holistic support to Earth Defenders. Philanthropic support in Latin America trends towards short-term, project-based funding, or rapid response after a threat has occurred. This report suggests that philanthropy could focus on funding for movements, in order to more effectively support natural resource defenders experiencing increasing repression across Latin America. This would include a combination of rapid response, long-term support, and seed funding for movement organisations.

COVID-19 Bulletin for Donors, Philanthropists & Family Foundations: Beacon Collective has started to publish weekly bulletin of ways to donate and examples of funds. See also, ‘Getting the have-mores to give more’ also from The Beacon Collective.

National Committee on Responsive Philanthropy’s ‘Philanthropy & COVID-19’ microsite: NCRP has put together a microsite of important resources for foundations and donors looking to help their grantees weather the challenges created by the coronavirus.

BLOG: Social movements in times of pandemic: the moment for philanthropy has arrived: The COVID-19 pandemic might very well be the biggest crisis of our lifetime. The current situation has the potential to not only disrupt the status quo but to change our social, economic and political systems forever. It demands us to suspend great plans, focus on being present and think about what feels right in the current moment. In this blog, the guest editors of Alliance’s June 2020 special feature on the relationship between philanthropy and social movements, ask themselves about funding social movements and alternative forms of organising in a time of social distancing.

Rethinking Social Change in the Face of Coronavirus: In this series of articles, Stanford Social Innovation Review will present insight from social change leaders around the globe to help organisations face the systemic, operational, and strategic challenges that will test the limits of their capabilities.

Webinar: Infrastructure of UK Migration and Refugee Sector – Implications for COVID-19? During this webinar, researchers Ruth Grove White and Mike Kaye will present the key findings of their 2020 review into the migration and refugee charity sector’s infrastructure and resources and discuss the implications for COVID-19 response and recovery. The review draws on a detailed analysis of registered charities in the UK working on migration and refugee issues, a survey of 130 NGOs, 26 in-depth interviews with CEOs and data from 16 trusts and foundations. As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, fundamentally changing the context for all our work, this publication has been bought forward in order to inform discussion on how organisations can best be supported, for the ultimate benefit of people who are seeking protection of affected by immigration controls. Migration Exchange hopes that it will provide a useful baseline of the shape and size of charities and independent funding and provide helpful context for action and decisions on the current crisis and future recovery. To register, email dylan@global-dialogue.org. The webinar will take place on 20th April.

Webinar: Mapping the Funding of Global ‘Anti-Gender’ Movements: Global Philanthropy Project, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Open Society Foundations and Wellspring Philanthropic Fund invite you to a discussion on the current funding of the global “anti-gender” movements. This is a field analysis assessing relevant public and academic data towards tracking the funding sources and key structures, institutions, and activities of the “anti-gender” movements. The webinar will take place on 21st April.

Webinar: Philanthropy for Development in a New World Order: Let’s Reassess What Success Looks Like: Hosted by the OECD Network of Foundations Working for Development, this webinar will bring together their members and other leading foundations to share current initiatives in addressing the COVID-19 emergency and reflect upon priorities to collectively build long-term resilience in the most vulnerable communities. This discussion will be an opportunity to move away from sectoral siloes and rethink together how philanthropy for development can become more effective in these challenging times. Now it’s the time for philanthropy to assess current responses and its overall capacity to help build robust and responsive systems for the years to come. Speakers: Béatrice Néré, Head of Southern Europe, G7 & G20, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Deepali Khanna, Managing Director (Asia Region Office), Rockefeller Foundation; and Nicolette Naylor, International Program Director (Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice) and Director (Southern Africa), Ford Foundation. The webinar will take place on 22nd April.

Webinar: Mapping Progressive Philanthropic Opposition to the Global “Anti-Gender” Movement: Global Philanthropy Project, Open Society Foundations, and Children’s Investment Fund Foundation invite you to a discussion on ongoing progressive philanthropic efforts to counter the global anti-gender movement. Speakers will share the preliminary results of a survey of field activities countering the global anti-gender movement from key actors including private grantmakers and public foundations. The webinar will take place on 23rd April. 

Webinar: End of the World as We Know It? The Climate Crisis & COVID-19: You are invited to join the CLIMA Fund (a collaboration among Global Greengrants, Grassroots International, Thousand Currents, and the Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Rights) for this five-part webinar series for funders on grassroots movements, international solidarity, and the intersection of climate & the COVID crisis. The webinars will take place on 28th April, 27th May, 18th June, 22nd July and 18th August

The next Thread will go out on Thursday 21st May. We would love to hear from you! Please contact Hannah Stevens by 19th May if you would like to share announcements, events, or resources for the next issue.

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Jobs and Tenders

Invitation to Tender (Act for Change Fund – Yound People’s Events C-oproducers(s)) – Paul Hamlyn Foundation: Act for Change Fund is a £3.6 million partnership for organisations supporting young people working for change. The Fund provides resources for young people to challenge social injustice, find ways of overcoming inequality and give voice to issues they are experiencing. A joint initiative between Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation in partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund, both foundations are acting as match funders and are awarding grants on behalf of the #iwill Fund. Act for Change Fund is seeking tenders from organisations and/or individuals with proven experience in co-producing events with and for young people, and with experience of supporting young people from different organisations to form connections to work together. The commission aims to support young people from organisations funded through Act for Change to develop and lead two key events. Deadline for applications is 7th May.

Invitation to Tender (Youth Fund – Peer learning support for funded organisations) – Paul Hamlyn Foundation: The Youth Fund aims to enable organisations to sustain and prepare to grow their impact. It is open to organisations whose main purpose is work to benefit young people (aged 14-25) in the most precarious positions, where making the transition to adulthood is most challenging. The Fund supports organisations that work with young people in a way that recognises and builds on their strengths and abilities – sthis is often referred to as an ‘asset-based’ approach. This commission aims to deliver a programme of peer learning support that will help organisations supported by the Youth Fund to: progress on their journey towards growing their impact; develop understanding, improve and further embed practice around asset-based approaches; and build and enhance connections, networks, peer support and wider opportunities to learn from each other to ultimately enhance the strength of the sector. Deadline for applications is 26th May. There is another Youth Fund invitation to tender – ‘Three case studies of approaches to asset-based work with young people,’ with applications due 9th June.

Policy Officer (Open Society Justice Initiative) – Open Society Foundations: Open Society Foundations is seeking a Policy Officer to join its Justice Initiative, on a two-year, fixed-term contract. The Justice Initiative uses strategic litigation and other kinds of legal advocacy to defend and promote the rule of law and to advance human rights. It employs litigation, advocacy, research, and technical assistance across a range of issues. Location: Berlin, Germany. Deadline for applications is 30th April.

Advocacy Officer (Human Rights Initiative) – Open Society Foundations: Open Society Foundations is looking for an Advocacy Officer to join its Human Rights Initiative. The successful candidate will help develop advocacy priorities, coordinate with a select number of partners, and work in coalitions across issues and geographies to integrate advocacy with programmatic work. The Human Rights Initiative works across issues and geographies to promote a comprehensive vision of human rights that recognizes that a diverse and powerful human rights movement is critical to the ongoing struggle of all people to realize our rights. Location: Berlin, New York or Washington, D.C. Deadline for applications is 9th May.

Program Officer – Ford Foundation: Ford Foundation is hiring a Program Officer for its work in global documentary film and emerging media practices to help shape and advance the Foundation’s work at the intersection of non-fiction media and social justice. Working as a member of the Creativity and Free Expression (CFE) team and under the management guidance of the CFE director, the successful candidate will work alongside the Senior Program Officer in JustFilms and collaboratively with other team members to develop and implement program strategies to achieve significant and scalable impact. Location: New York, United States. Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation Officer – Media Legal Defence Initiative: Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI) is seeking a Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation Officer to lead the collection of monitoring, evaluation and learning data from grant work and from partners, ensuring learning and data is up to date. Using this and other relevant information this post provides vital data to support the CEO and Development Director, in preparing and making both funding applications and donor reports. Location: London, United Kingdom. Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

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

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Reasons to be Cheerful

It’s not all bad! Here, some Ariadne members share the silver linings they have found in otherwise cloudy skies.

 

Paula Riedemann, Calala Women’s Fund: In Spain, it has been truly inspiring to witness how different groups of migrant women quickly came up with solidarity responses. Some of these groups established “cajas de resistencia”, through which they raise funds to support the ones among them having a rough time during this emergency situation. An exceptional case of self-organisation and sisterhood!’

 

Carola Carazzone, Assifero:Struggling for individual and social resilience, I discovered how healing it is to cherish tiny things: transforming your balcony in a micro veggie garden, fixing a little something in your apartment with the support of internet tutorials, and even cooking home made pasta (which I never did before, being an Italian woman for whom emancipation from traditional roles was a political statement!).’

 

Inga Wachsmann:Let’s make time to prepare, together, how to build the future we’ve always wanted, instead of getting back to the ‘(not so) good old days’ of pre-coronavirus. I am reminded of the motivational slogan of a determined group of young people across the world (Let’s Take Care of the Planet), who show decision-makers that they are not waiting for them to save the planet but that if the decision-makers would act, the lever would be a lot bigger: “If it is not now, then when, if it is not us, then who?” Ready?’

Florent Gonthier, Ariadne: ‘This article shows that there is some light at the end of the tunnel. We have to keep on making an effort for the time being and, even though this crisis will have long-lasting impacts, we can look forward to going back to a more normal life soon.’

 

Debora Guidetti, Ariadne: Portugal has granted temporary citizenship rights to migrants! Have a read of this article.’

Ariadne is supported by the American Jewish World Service, Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Oak Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Sigrid Rausing Trust and Zennström Philanthropies.

Ariadne is also supported by voluntary contributions from its participants.

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