Ariadne News & Events

REGISTER NOW: ANTI-SLAVERY LUNCHTIME BRIEFING: Ariadne UK invites you to a lunchtime briefing on 2nd March with Kevin Hyland, the UK’s first Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, in discussion with Nick Grono, CEO of the Freedom Fund. The briefing will run from 13:00 – 14:00, with a light lunch available from 12:30. To register, please email Lori Stanciu at lori.stanciu@ariadne-network.eu. Please note that spaces are limited.

REGISTER NOW: TELE-BRIEFING ON THE REFUGEES IN EUROPE – INSIDE THE CALAIS JUNGLE: Ariadne will hold its 6th tele-briefing for funders focusing on the arrival of refugees in and around Europe on Tuesday, March 8th at 17:00 CET, 16:00 GMT, 11:00 EST. This tele-briefing will look both at the humanitarian issues and also consider how funders can help in the search for a policy solution to this problem. We will discuss these issues with Pierre Vimont, Senior Associate at Carnegie Europe and a career diplomat and Will Somerville, UK Programme Director of Unbound Philanthropy. Jo Andrews, Ariadne Director, will moderate the call. Please confirm your participation by clicking here. Please note that this invitation is for funders only.

REGISTER NOW: WEBINAR SERIES ON ETHICAL INVESTMENT – “Money Matters” #EDGEtalk: Ariadne, in partnership with the EDGE Funders Alliance and Europeans for DivestInvest, will host a webinar on “Beyond COP21: What does de-carbonisation mean for investments?”, with Ellen Dorsey from the Wallace Global Fund/DivestInvest and Alexander El Alaouifrom the Germanwatch/Brot für die Welt, on 14 March 2016, 13:00-14:00 GMT, 14:00-15:00 CET. This is part of a series of webinars organised by the three organisations in order to open a conversation around the question on how investments can have a meaningful impact in support of the foundation’s vision and mission, while respecting the financial imperative of liquidity, security and profitability. This first #EDGEtalk webinar will be a space for dialogue on the rationale and practices of ethical investment for foundations. It will provide foundations with meaningful, up-to-date and independent information on ethical investment, and create a space for peer exchange and learning. To find out more and register, please click here.

REGISTER NOW: 2016 ARIADNE POLICY BRIEFING, TALLINN: Ariadne will hold its annual Policy Briefing this year from April 20^th-22^nd in Tallinn, Estonia. All Ariadne participants are invited to join us, and can see the agenda or register for the event here. Once again we hope to offer free places to attend the Ariadne Policy Briefing. This is a good way for Southern or Eastern European grant-makers from smaller foundations to come to the Policy Briefing. If you would like to be considered for a free place this year, please e-mail Lori Stanciu at lori.stanciu@ariadne-network.eu with your name, job title, organisation and 2 sentences on why the place would help your work as a grant-maker.

REGISTER NOW: ARIADNE PORTAL TUITION: A one-hour tuition session to increase your skill in using the Ariadne Portal will be held on two upcoming dates, on Thursday, March 17^th 2016, at 14:30 GMT (London) and on Thursday, 7^th April 2016, at 15:00 GMT (London). These are online webinars that you can participate in from your desk. To join, you will need a computer or tablet (iPad/Android tablet) in order to watch the online demonstration. To register, please RSVP to Kenneth Hill – kenneth.hill@ariadne-network.eu.

SAVE THE DATE: 2016 LEARNING VISIT – TURKEY: Ariadne, in collaboration with the International Human Rights Funders Group and the Peace & Security Funders Group, are organising a 4 day learning visit to Turkey in October 2016. Learning visits to global destinations help funders improve their understanding of local human rights situations and philanthropy, while providing opportunities to meet peer grant-makers and human rights leaders from around the globe. The 2016 Learning Visit will look at strategies to address the current global refugee crisis. More details will follow soon.

The next Thread will go out on Thursday, March 24th. We would love to hear from you! Please contact Lori Stanciu by March 21st if you would like to share announcements, events, or resources for the next issue. 

New Research, Articles and Judgements

Photo attribution by PhotosforClass

For Europe, Integrating Refugees Is the Next Big Challenge: In an article for World Politics Review, Judith Sunderland, Associate Director for Europe and Central Asia Division at the Human Rights Watch, looks at ways of integrating asylum-seekers when they reach EU territory. She argues that they should have access to basic conditions and services that can lay the right foundation for further integration measures to enable those who obtain legal status to remain. In order to be successful, the integration process has to start early and needs to include these main stepping-stones: legal status, appropriate accommodation, access to employment and education (including language classes) and family reunification.

Criminalisation of Human Rights Defenders: The new report from Protection International categorises the various forms of criminalisation and judicial and administrative harassment suffered by HRDs, identifies the actors who contribute to the phenomenon, and offers recommendations aimed at HRDs, the state institutions responsible for their protection, and other key stakeholders.

Communicating global inequalities: How LGBTI asylum-specific NGOs use social media as public relations: At least 75 countries have specific regulations persecuting LGBTIs. Without protection, these global citizens are forced to seek asylum in other countries. This paper investigates how LGBTI asylum-specific NGOs (Organisation for Refuge, Asylum & Migration and International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission) are using Facebook and Twitter to build organisational–public relationships, and demonstrates that the conventional public relations measures of cognitive learning, affective responses and resulting behaviors manifest within these online functions as well. See also this new brief from Stonewall The Sustainable Development Goals and LGBT Inclusion.

Improving the Measurement of Civic Space: The Transparency & Accountability Initiative, a donor collaborative that includes the Ford Foundation, Hivos, Omidyar Network, and Open Society Foundations, among others, has released a report on Improving the Measurement of Civic Space. The specific purpose of this study is to inform the development of a global index of civic space that will enable concerned actors to be more effective in supporting and advocating for the protection and enablement of civic space. The report pays special attention to the potentially important role that international initiatives and agreements can play in the protection of civic space.

Studying Under Fire: Attacks on Schools and Military Use of Schools During the Armed Conflict in Eastern Ukraine: The armed conflict in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed militants has taken a heavy toll on civilians. Over 9,000 people have been killed, including many civilians, and at least 20,000 injured, according to data gathered by the UN office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. This new Human Rights Watch report examines some of the negative impacts of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine on the right to quality education for Ukrainian children, as guaranteed by Ukraine’s constitution and international law. The report also describes obstacles children face in accessing schools due to hostilities, government-imposed travel restrictions, and lack of transportation. Also by Human Rights Watch see World Report 2016: ‘Politics of Fear’ Threatens Rights.

Identification and Support of Victims of Trafficking for Labour Exploitation in the Netherlands, the UK and Romania: This new report from FLEX sets out a roadmap towards improved responses to human trafficking for labour exploitation in Europe. The report focuses on seven key areas: identification; access to support; housing; psychosocial support; work; legal counselling; and long-term support. One important finding on identification relates to the key role of labour inspection in preventing labour exploitation in all countries. Whilst labour inspection was found to be critical, it was also shown to suffer when combined with immigration control, meaning victims do not come forward and, importantly, that trust with workers is damaged.

Prisoner’s internet access ban breached human rights law: The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that a ban which prevented a prisoner from accessing legal information online was in breach of the European Convention of Human Rights. The case of Kalda v Estonia concerned Romeo Kalda, an inmate serving a life-sentence in an Estonian prison. The complainant argued that an Estonian law which prevented him from accessing legal information on various websites including State and Council of Europe breached his article 10 rights under the Convention. This year’s Ariadne Policy Briefing will take place in Tallinn and will include an overview of local human rights and social change issues in Estonia.

The Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights of Migrants in an Irregular Situation: This new UN report argues that international human rights law provides that everyone, without discrimination, must have access to the fundamental human rights provided in the international bill of human rights. It goes on to say that “where differential treatment is contemplated, between citizens and non-citizens or between different groups of non-citizens, this must be consistent with international human rights obligations, undertaken for a legitimate objective, and the course of action taken to achieve this objective must be proportionate and reasonable”.

Blogs and Other Sites of Interest

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WATCH: Seven videos that give hope for LGBTI rights around the world: Seven videos that suggest acceptance for LGBTI people is growing around the world.

WATCH: Inside Syria: Life Amidst Revolution and War: Drawing on first-hand testimonies from opposition fighters, Syrians in exile and human rights activists, this Chatham House discussion explores the complicated reality of life in present-day Syria. Looking at the militarisation of the uprising, the rise of the Islamists and sectarian warfare, and the role of Syria’s government in the conflict, the speakers will discuss the issues from the grassroots to the geopolitical, including the role of the international community in bringing to an end the violence.

Russia: Court Orders Rights Group Closed: According to Human Rights Watch, Russia has given a court order to close a leading rights group in the country. On February 10, 2016, the regional court of Tatarstan issued a ruling to dissolve the Agora Human Rights Association. Agora, a network of lawyers and activists, is widely known for defending civil and political activists across the country, representing victims of political prosecution in numerous high profile court cases, including the case against the feminist punk group Pussy Riot. See also Grounds for (a little) optimism? Russian public opinion on human rights.

WATCH: Child rights video “Because it’s our right”: This a new video from the Children of Prisoners Europe aimed at children between the ages of 8 and 12 and focusing on article 9 of the UNCRC as well as the information on the inclusion of children of prisoners as a group of vulnerable, marginalised children in the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021) expanding the criminal justice frame previously used.

Proposed Hungarian Law Would Allow Government To Suspend Key Human Rights Whenever There Is A ‘Terror Threat Situation’: According to Amnesty International, the Hungarian government is currently drafting a proposal to combat terrorism that recommends amendments to the Constitution and to several laws to streamline the process of calling a state of emergency in the country. If adopted in its current form, the proposal would have profoundly negative consequences for human rights in Hungary, including the freedoms of expression, assembly, association, and movement, and the rights to privacy and security of person.

PHOTOS: Abandoned Checkpoints: Photographer documents Europe’s forgotten borders: Polish photographer Josef Schulz’s Übergang series (meaning Crossing) explores abandoned military checkpoints across the continent. Interestingly, each former checkpoint no longer belongs to anywhere. Schulz hopes his series will highlight how these physical traces of borders are impossible to forget. He explains: “Borders were lines, drawn not only across territories but also through our heads.”

Creating Sustainable Farms, One Abandoned Prison at a Time: Flip the Prison is an innovative project supported by Soros Justice Fellow Noran Sanford, aimed at supporting at-risk youth by turning prisons into sustainable farms, a non-traditional way to address youth incarceration. The project provides residential college internships for veterans, as well as recreational opportunities for community members. Jail cells are transformed into aquaponic tanks, guard towers into climbing walls, the prison bus into a traveling museum, and the old ‘hot box’ into a recording studio. Working with schools and the courts, the aim is to divert youth from the court system.

Great New Guide To The UK Human Rights Act: The British Institute of Human Rights has produced a new useful and well-designed guide to the Human Rights Act.

Grant-Making

WATCH FOR: Challenging the Closing Space for Civil Society – A Practical Starting Point for Funders: Ariadne, IHRFG and the European Foundation Centre are pleased to publish Challenging the Closing Space for Civil Society: A Practical Starting Point for Funders. This report shares outcomes from the June 2015 Donor Workshop on Closing Space through analyses, case studies, and practical actions for funders to support civil society and represents a great place for funders to start – it will help them understand this trend and see how they can tackle it in their own work and with their grantees. The guide is a public one. Please feel free to share it as widely as possible, or post it on your own website. We have also released a funder-only heat map showing where work is already happening. Please do not share this resource beyond your circle of grant-making peers.

WATCH FOR: 2016 Ariadne Forecast: For the second year running the Ariadne network has gathered over 540 social change and human rights funders from 25 countries to collectively think about what the next 12 months will bring for donors and grant-makers, and to look at what trends are emerging as central to them in 2016. All funders that have contributed so far largely agree that the overarching issue for them will be global instability, which is driving a number of important trends: conflict and terrorism, the creation of millions of new refugees and an ever more restrictive environment in which funders have to work. The report will be publicly available on the Ariadne website from the end of February.

LISTEN TO: Tele-briefing Refugee Crisis in Europe: New joint initiatives from funders: Ariadne continued its series of tele-briefings on the refugee crisis with a tele-briefing looking at new joint initiatives from funders which took place on Tuesday, February 16^th. During the call participants heard from Rien van Gendt, board member of the European Cultural Foundation who is now in charge of a new initiative by the “Maatschappelijke Alliantie” (Major Alliance), which will focus on the midterm challenges of integrating refugees and immigrants into Dutch society. Ayesha Saran, Programme Manager on Migration at the Barrow Cadbury Trust discussed a new collaborative of funders which has been developed in the UK.

LISTEN TO: Preventing violence against women – A success story from Uganda: Ariadne and the Fund for Global Human Rights recently held a lunchtime briefing with Tina Musuya, a leading advocate on gender-based violence in Uganda, and Executive Director of the Centre for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP), to discuss her work and the remarkable SASA! model she has helped develop which has seen levels of violence against women drop dramatically. Poonam Joshi, of the Fund for Global Human Rights moderated the briefing.

Tampon Tax Fund now open: The UK government’s Tampon Tax Fund has been opened to little publicity and the guidelines are what some might call vague.  However, it is an annual £15 million pot aimed at projects working with women and has the potential to be an important source of funding for the women’s sector. The rub is that the deadline for the current bidding round is Monday 22^nd February 2016 with successful proposals due to be announced at the budget on March 16^th. Please do pass on to relevant projects that you think might be interested.  The more that get to know about the Fund, the better.

IssueLab Special Collection: Youth Giving: The Foundation Center is building YouthGiving.org, a platform to elevate stories, resources, and data about youth grant-making. The platform will offer insight into who is doing what and where in the youth grant-making movement. This collection brings together reports, articles, case studies, multimedia, and other resources for adults and youth already engaged in or looking to get involved in this work.

Open Grantmaking Innovations: Improving the Effectiveness and Legitimacy of Government: In partnership with The GovLab, GrantCraft has launched a publication series that aims to enable broader and more diverse groups of people to bring greater expertise and creativity into the process. The series also aims to mandate more transparency, with the aim of improving accountability, and incorporate greater use of data and evidence.

A new project strengthens the community foundation movement in Europe: As an umbrella initiative for community foundations, The European Community Foundation Initiative (ECFI) will be active throughout Europe, working to consolidate the loose network of community foundations in the region. It has been conceived as a long-term project and is financed by a number of foundations, including the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation based in the U.S., the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Körber Foundation.

New migration realities: The Policy Network in partnership with the Barrow Cadbury Trust will launch a new project on ‘New migration realities: Inclusive Narratives‘. The project will seek to analyse how recent developments in immigration and jihadist terrorism are impacting on mainstream politics in Europe and what counter-narratives are available to defend an open and migrant-welcoming society in this context.

A Practical Guide to Venture Philanthropy and Social Impact Investment: EVPA, the European association for social (impact) investors and venture philanthropists, has released its latest report capturing the learnings and findings of ten years of practice. Building on the collected lessons, failures and successes from practitioners and several years of EVPA research, the guide is a reference for venture philanthropy funders, social impact investors and players in the corporate, foundation, banking or financial institution space wanting to understand the “what, why and how” of the Venture Philanthropy (VP) approach.

Jobs and Tenders

Two Programme Officers – Open Society Foundations: OSF is looking for two programme officers, one for its Information Programme and one for Higher Education in MENA region. The Information Programme Officer will work both independently and collaboratively to manage the Programme’s work on the “quantified society”, challenging the impact of big data and strengthening rights and justice in this new data-saturated environment. The Higher Education in MENA region officer will have expertise in the Middle East and North Africa and must be committed to the role of higher education in creating and protecting open societies, specifically throughout the MENA region. Location: London. Deadline for applications is 5^th March 2016 for the Information Programme Officer and 10^th March 2016 for MENA Higher Education Officer.

M&E consultant or consultancy team – The Green Alliance for Gender Action (GAGA): GAGA is a coalition between the Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres (Central American Fund for Women), Mama Cash and Both Ends, with the World Resources Institute (WRI) as a strategic partner, with the aim of uniting and strengthening the lobbying and advocacy capacities of grassroots groups around the world in the field of women’s rights and environmental justice. As part of the programme, GAGA is looking for an M&E consultant or consultancy team that can conduct a participatory baseline study that will serve as the basis for the programme’s mid-term review and final evaluation. Deadline for applications is 29^th February 2016.

Project Director – Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation: The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch) is currently looking for a Project Director. The main role of this post is to ensure the smooth running of the Inquiry into the Civic Role of Arts Organisations. The individual commissioned will manage contracts with a small number of delivery partners who will deliver various aspects of the work: a) research, analysis and drafting; b) consultation and engagement and c) communications. Location: London. Deadline for applications is 21^st February 2016.

Communications Officer – The European Endowment for Democracy (EED): The EED is currently seeking a Communications Officer to lead the development, planning, and implementation of the EED’s communications strategy and activities. The individual will work in collaboration with the EED Secretariat, Board of Governors, and Executive Committee to update and implement a communications strategy and promote the activities of the organisation. Location: Brussels. Deadline for applications is 14th March 2016. 

Director of Strategic Learning, Research and Evaluation – American Jewish World Service: AJWS is looking for a Director for its Strategic Learning, Research and Evaluation Programme. The individual will lead and manage the strategic research, monitoring, evaluation and learning of the Early/Child Marriage strategy and be responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of institutional grants. Location: New York. Deadline for applications is ongoing.

Part-Time Regional Grant Manager – Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales: The Lloyds Bank Foundation is looking to appoint a Part-Time Regional Grant Manager based in the South West of England. The post is home-based with frequent travel in the region and to the Foundation’s London Office. The role requires an individual that is experienced in undertaking grant assessment and grant management work, with a good understanding of the environment that small and medium charities are operating in and who has established networks across the voluntary sector, especially in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset. Location: South-West of England. Deadline for applications is 22^nd February 2016.

Invitation to Tender – Review of Strategic Initiative on Philanthropy – City Bridge Trust: The City of London Corporation’s charity, City Bridge Trust, seeks to commission a review of its various philanthropy initiatives which encourage the effective giving of time, talent and money.With a strong track record in undertaking evaluation within the charitable sector, the consultants will need to demonstrate a sound understanding of the role of philanthropy, as well as the voluntary sector’s capacity and support needs. Location: London. Deadline for applications is 25^th February 2016.

Public Meetings

BAHIA

May 2^nd – 8^th
13^th AWID International Forum – Feminist Futures: Building Collective Power for Rights and Justice: AWID Forum will focus on ‘Feminist Futures: Building Collective Power for Rights and Justice’ and will bring together a wide range of activists from diverse movements around the world that seek to advance human rights and justice, in order to assess the current context, their achievements so far and challenges they now face, and build new visions and agendas for the future that place gender equality. The event will capture four broad challenges to social and gender justice: reclaiming democratic space, climate and environmental justice, bodily integrity and freedom, and the state of diverse movements. The event will take place between 5^th – 8^th May, 2016 in Costa do Sauípe, Bahia, Brasil.

BOGOTA

April 25th – May 1st
International Civil Society Week 2016: The International Civil Society Week 2016 (ICSW), organised by CIVICUS and co-hosted by Confederación Colombiana de ONG (CCONG), will provide an open space for CIVICUS, CCONG and their partners to deliver a series of conferences, workshops, training sessions, volunteer initiatives and cultural experiences under the banner of “Active Citizens, Accountable Actions”. The event will gather thinkers, innovation leaders, and influential organisations. The event will take place between April 25^th -28^th, in Bogotá, Colombia.

BRUSSELS

February 22^nd -28^th
Supporting civil society under shrinking space in Eastern Europe and Eurasia? At a time when the space for civil society is shrinking and many donors are ceasing to fund in the Eastern Neighbourhood and Eurasia, European Endowment for Democracy will hold a roundtable discussion with The Prague Civil Society Centre on how funders can best support civil society and democratic development in the Eastern Neighbourhood and Eurasia. The Centre is a newly established fund tasked to help sustain and further empower civil societies across Eastern Europe and Central Asia in their quest for the rule of law, human rights and dignity in their countries as well as the region as a whole. The event will take place on February 24^th, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium.

February 22nd – 26th
Training Reporting & Management: How to successfully manage an EU funded project? A one day training that might be useful to your grantees and which will look at the reporting rules and obligations related to the management of an EU-funded project. Some of the objectives of the training are: to discover the allowed flexibility between the original project and its implementation, to understand the European Commission’s payment procedure and to master the subcontracting rules, etc.  The event will take place on February 26th, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium.

March 14^th-18^th
The European Union-Civil Society Organisations Forum: This large-scale event will bring together diverse Civil Society Organisations from both the development and human rights fields worldwide. The meeting will focus on three interlinked trails: the issue of enabling environment for Civil Society, and threats thereto, the EU’s donor support to CSOs based in developing countries and the EU’s various pro-Human Rights and pro-CSOs tools, as well as innovative support models. The event will also be an opportunity to discuss the use of these tools and mechanisms both at global and at country-level and to offer practical and operational information for CSOs to benefit more strategically from a variety of EU instruments and funding. Please contact Emilie Dromzée at emilie.dromzee@ariadne-network.eu for more information and if you would like to attend.

DUBLIN

February 22^nd – 28^th
VOICES Project: Opening Conference: The Voices of Individuals: Collectively Exploring Self-determination (VOICES) is hosting a conference to launch its long term project of developing new approaches to the right to legal capacity for people with disabilities. The project aims to place those who have experienced a denial of legal capacity on disability grounds with scholars, policy makers and activists so as to critique and analyse current policies and develop alternative recommendations for reform. At the opening conference, those interested in participating will be given further information on the project prior to launching its first workshop in April 2016. Those wishing to attend must register before 22^nd February. Registration is free but places are limited. The event will take place on February 26^th, 2016 in Dublin, Ireland.

GENEVA

March 4th-13th
Festival du Film et Forum International sur les Droits Humains: The FIFDH brings together filmmakers, human rights defenders, policymakers, media and citizens around leading violations of human dignity to promote and amplify strong voices and build public support for human rights. The event will showcase international cinema, documentary and fictional films on human rights and it aims to amplify the voices and work of human rights defenders, connect change-makers from all kind of horizons and strengthen international protection networks. The event will take place between March 4th-13th, 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland.

LISBON

March 7th-11th
International Meeting on the Enabling Environment for Philanthropy: Worldwide, philanthropy is facing a concerning trend of increased controls and restrictions, both at the local and international levels. WINGS is convening its network members and partners to share knowledge on the current situation and discuss the role of philanthropy support organisations in promoting and enabling the environment for philanthropy. The event will take place between March 10th-11^th in Lisbon, Portugal.

LONDON

February 22^nd – 28^th
Realities of Forced Migration: The Design Museum and the Learning Lab at Counterpoints Arts are collaborating to create the Migration Lab – an evening exploring the potential of design to build collective futures in the face of the daunting physical, social, and cultural challenges triggered by global population displacement. Going behind the headlines, Migration Lab focuses on the ‘on-the-ground reality’ of forced migration, inviting participants to put themselves in the shoes of those who are creating solutions by making, doing, sharing, and debating. The event will take place on February 23^rd, in London, United Kingdom.

February 29^th –March 6^th
‘Hidden Hurt’ research launch: Agenda, The Alliance for Women and Girls at Risk will launch Hidden Hurt, a research which reveals that one in 20 women in England has experienced extensive physical and sexual violence as a child and as an adult. These women face very high rates of mental and physical ill-health, disability, homelessness, addiction, and poverty. This research seminar will provide an opportunity to explore the research, and the links between extensive abuse and disadvantage in women’s lives. The researchers will present their findings, and answer questions on aspects of the research. The event is free to attend and takes place from 2-4pm on February 29^th, in London, UK.

February 29th – March 6^th
Protecting Vulnerable Groups. The European Human Rights Framework: The Centre for European and International Legal Affairs in the School of Law at Queen Mary University of London, with the sponsorship of Hart Publishing, will host their new book forum for Dr. Francesca Ippolito (University of Cagliari) and Dr. Sara Iglesias Sánchez’s (Référendaire – Court of Justice of the European Union) new edited collection, Protecting Vulnerable Groups: The European Human Rights Framework. The forum will begin with an introduction by Dr. Ippolito and Dr. Iglesias, and will be followed by commentary, replies, and general discussion with the audience. The event will take place on March 4t, in London, UK.

February 29th – March 6th
Panel Discussion: The Problem of Philanthropy: Philanthropy rouses passionate debate among both advocates and detractors. But, why are philanthropists regarded as paternalistic, even elitist? Do the benefits of giving outweigh such negative perceptions? Is philanthropy undermining the contemporary welfare state consensus? Join Dr Beth Breeze, University of Kent and a panel who will discuss. Chaired by Sir Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive of NCVO. In partnership with the Academy of Social Sciences. The event will take place on March 1st, in London, UK.

PRAGUE

March 7th-16th
One World – International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival: One World will present more than 110 documentary films from around the globe, focusing on social, political, environmental, media and human rights issues. The event provides a platform for exchange of views and experiences and offers the audience an opportunity to discuss subjects of films during Q&As and debates with filmmakers, producers, distributors, protagonists as well as with experts, policy makers, media and NGO representatives. The event will take place between March 7th-16th, 2016 in Prague, Czech Republic.

THE HAGUE

March 18th-26th
Movies that Matter Festival: Movies that Matter screens and promotes films that draw attention to human rights and situations in which these are at stake. The Movies that Matter Festival is a platform for engaged cinema, with over seventy documentaries and feature films from filmmakers being screened every year. Movies that Matter promote human rights film screenings worldwide, offers advice and assistance and stimulates the exchange of knowledge and experience. The event will take place between March 18th-26th, 2016 in The Hague, The Netherlands.

STOCKHOLM

May 23^rd-29^th
Good Pitch Europe: Good Pitch Europe returns to the Nordic countries, this time to the Swedish capital, Stockholm. The event connects social justice films with new allies and partners. The seven selected film projects examine the powerful forces pulling migrants towards Europe, take a closer look at rising ultra-nationalism across the continent, consider the trap faced by a repentant former jihadi wanting to return home, explore the social and legal challenges of transition from dictatorship to democracy, investigate the power and collusion of secret services, offer an unflinching look at the effects of domestic violence and provide a riotous challenge to assumptions around disabilities. The event will take place on May 24^th, 2016, in Stockholm, Sweden.

THESSALONIKI

June 20th-24th
Stavros Niarchos Foundation International Conference on Philanthropy: The aim of the conference is to bring together experts from the fields of academia and science, as well as foundations and institutions to present best practices on the developments within the wider field of philanthropy. The conference is addressed to representatives of foundations, non-profit organisations and institutions, as well as to all those who are interested in the role of philanthropy and social giving. This year’s theme will be developed around the areas of the Mediterranean and the Balkans, as a wide geographic region which is currently facing enduring and diverse geopolitical challenges. Distinct themes will be examined based on the Foundation’s four programme areas: Arts and Culture, Education, Health and Sports, and Social Welfare. Attendance to the conference is free, but pre-registration is required. The event will take place on June 21st and 22nd, 2016 in Thessaloniki, Greece.

VALENCIA

February 29th – March 4th
Internet Freedom Festival Funder Delegation: Digital surveillance and censorship threaten freedom of expression, access to information and human rights, world-wide. The Internet Freedom Festival is the largest and most diverse gathering of technologists, developers, policy experts and activists working to address these threats. IFF 2016 is centered around eight tracks, representing the leading topics of interest to the community. Media Democracy Fund and Open Technology Fund will provide funder-only gathering opportunities to learn about the Internet Freedom community and explore conference themes, including policy, design, diversity, journalism, best practices and technology tools. Please contact Kristin Thomson with questions about the event and for travel recommendations. The event will take place between March 3rd-4th, in Valencia, Spain.