Ariadne News & Events

SAVE THE DATE – 2019 GRANT SKILLS DAY: Ariadne is pleased to announce that the 2019 Grant Skills Day “Funding with a Climate Lens – How to Climate-Proof your Foundation and Strategies” will be held on Monday 21^st October 2019 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. This Grant Skills Day will focus on practical ways human rights and social change funders can begin to incorporate climate change into their strategies and operations, to climate-proof their work. Further information to follow soon, and registration to open shortly.

ARIADNE PORTAL UPGRADE USER CONSULTATION: The Ariadne Portal has been good to us over the years, but we think you’ll agree that it could do with a bit of an update. We’re hoping that – with your help – we can build a new online space for you to collaborate with your colleagues in this 600-strong network of European Social Change and Human Rights Funders. To do this, we’d like to know what your ideal Ariadne Portal looks like. Please fill in our survey – which will take just 5 minutes of your time – by 1^st August. If you have anything to add, or if you have any expertise you’d like to share, please get in touch with hannah.stevens@ariadne-network.eu.

REGISTER NOW – ARIADNE PORTAL TUITION: A half-hour of tuition to improve your skill in using the Ariadne Portal will be held on Tuesday 13^th August 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.

HAVE YOU READ? 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.

NEXT ISSUE: Ariadne’s Thread will be taking a break in August, with the next issue out on Thursday 19^th September. We hope you have a great summer!

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

New Research, Articles and Judgements

#AssoTech: Agir contre le cyberharcèlement des militant.e.s de la diversité et des luttes contre les discriminations: Le cyberharcèlement des militant.e.s est un enjeu majeur sur lequel la société civile doit travailler à sensibiliser, développer des outils et porter des revendications. VoxPublic a publié cet rapport, isssu de la rencontre #Assotech.

Voting in Prison: Prisoners are like other voters, but not all of them, not everywhere. Prison Insider has released a comparative study on the implementation of the right to vote in countries all over the world.

UN expert condemns failure to address impact of climate change on poverty: Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, has released a report condemning the failure to address the impact of climate change on poverty.  In the report, he not only targets the failure of States but also of the human rights community. While he notes that groups like Amnesty International are starting to make climate change a priority, he suggests that human rights groups and multilateral human rights bodies have been slow to put the issue on their agendas.

How Italy’s ‘digital populists’ used the anti-vaccine agenda to propel themselves into power: From a network of fake news sites, with nebulous links to the party, to direct ministerial endorsement, the pseudo-scientific fight against the ‘dangerous’ measles vaccine has been adopted as a vital linchpin in the rise of the Trumpian Five Star Movement. This article is from Political Critique.

Building on bones: working undercover on Ukraine’s deadly building sites: Every year, dozens of workers die on Ukraine’s construction sites due to poor safety procedures. To find out more, this journalist got a job at one of them. This article is from openDemocracy.

European activists fight back against ‘criminalisation’ of aid for migrants and refugees: More and more people are being arrested across Europe for helping migrants and refugees. Now, civil society groups are fighting back against the 17-year-old EU policy they believe lies at the root of what activists and NGOs have dubbed the “criminalisation of solidarity”. This article is from The New Humanitarian.

Blogs and Other Sites of Interest

BLOG: Brain research suggests emphasising human rights abuses may perpetuate them: In this blog for OpenGlobalRights, Laura Ligouri writes about how capitalising on the brain’s capacity to simulate events, messages of positive behaviour – instead of repeated exposure to accounts of abuse – could better lead to the changes we wish to see in the world.

SURVEY: EU LGBTI Survey II: This is the second wave of the European survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, non-binary, and other gender non-conforming people. The survey is looking for responses from anyone who considers themselves to be LGBTI, who is aged 15 years and above and lives in the European Union, Serbia or North Macedonia. See also blog, ‘Pride as a hopeful resistance.’

BLOG: When I Was an Asylum Seeker I Wasn’t Allowed to Work. Here’s Why That Must Change: In this blog for the Huffington Post, Amina Kadogo explains why she’s supporting Lift the Ban, a campaign to give asylum seekers the right to work.

OpEd: The Right-Wing Is Weaponizing Gender Panic: In this OpEd, Astraea Executive Director J. Bob Alotta writes about the rising Gender Ideology movement. The right wing is weaponizing gender panic – what can we do about it?

VIDEO: Climate Action: A Role for Civil Disobedience? Despite the ever-growing public awareness of the urgency of climate action, environmental scientists and activists have struggled to motivate the wider public, policymakers and corporations to push through the disruptive and ambitious policies needed to mitigate the harmful effects of climate change. In recent months however, a new sense of urgency has been injected into the environmental debate by movements including ‘Extinction Rebellion’ in London and ‘Youth for Climate’ strikes internationally. The panel in this video  address questions such as: Do acts of civil disobedience, like those carried out by the Extinction Rebellion, mark a turning point in environmental activism or do they serve to alienate large swathes of the population? And, what is the role of other lower-profile methods of public engagement, such as citizens assemblies, in helping to create meaningful and long-lasting change?

Queer Activism Goes Online: This article from Stanford Social Innovation Review looks at how Astraea’s CommsLabs programme combines indigenous knowledge, technology, and healing practices to power the next wave of LGBTQI organising.

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

Where the Green Grants Went 7: This report provides a valuable resource for funders and environmental groups looking to hone their strategies. It examines over 13,000 grants awarded between the four-year period from 2012/13 to 2015/16 and provides insights from a survey into funders’ thinking around flexible and long-term funding.

Advancing Human Rights: Annual Review of Global Foundation Grantmaking: Candid and Human Rights Funders Network have published their latest Advancing Human Rights report. The report captures foundation funding for 2016, a year of considerable challenges for human rights and human rights philanthropy, including violent attacks by extremist groups, increasing concerns over surveillance and digital security, and a surge in populism that prompted the British to vote to leave the European Union and Americans to elect Donald Trump.

People, Power and Place: Building a lasting legacy for community organising: Community Organisers has just published ‘People, Power and Place’ – a report outlining their vision for the growth of community organising in England. The report was written as a direct response from funders, Government departments, and other agencies; to encapsulate the current policy context in relation to community organising and to outline the organisation’s vision for its growth. Through a series of conversations with a wide range of partners, the report aims to capture the present policy landscape for civil society and the role that community organising can play within this.  It also seeks to communicate the impact that community organising is having – and could have – with further investment and support.

Linking Participation and Economic Advancement: Buen Vivir Fund Case Study: This is a case study of the Buen Vivir Fund; a participatory impact investment fund operating internationally. It was founded in 2018 by Thousand Currents, a non-governmental organisation, following a co-design process to conceptualise the Fund, initiated in late 2016. See also article, ‘listening to the voice of the beneficiary.’

Youth movements and funders need to learn to understand each other better: In this article for Alliance Magazine, Gioel Gioacchino writes that, like with dating, clearer communication and mutual understanding can improve relationships between youth movements and funders.

A New Vision for Philanthropy: Justice Funders have released their guide – ‘Resonance: A Framework for Philanthropic Transformation.’ The guide seeks to support philanthropic institutions to accelerate a just transition for philanthropy.

Philanthropic Investment in the Transgender Community is not Commensurate to the Threat Transgender Women of Colour Face: This blog for the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy outlines how, although funding for the transgender community has increased, so have efforts to roll back protections.

Reflections and key lessons from the Journalism Funders Forum: Independent journalism should be considered not (just) as an instrument to highlight certain specific issues, but as an essential building block of democratic societies. DAFNE shares some key take aways from the Journalism Funders Forum.

The next Thread will go out on Thursday 19^th September. We would love to hear from you! Please contact Hannah Stevens by 17^th September if you would like to share announcements, events, or resources for the next issue.

Jobs and Tenders

Data Support Offer – 360Giving: 360Giving is looking for a Data Support Officer. This is a new role in a high-performing, enthusiastic and friendly team, providing the practical guidance grantmaking organisations need to share their data openly. The successful candidate will be the first point of contact, providing help desk support via telephone, email and face to face, contributing to the development of tools and guidance materials, maintaining a CRM system and helping to run workshops and peer-networks. Location: London, United Kingdom. Deadline for applications is 4^th August.

Foundation Executive – Thirty Percy: Thirty Percy is seeking a Foundation Executive. The successful candidate will provide support to the CEO, Directors and Trustees to enhance their effectiveness in delivering the Foundation’s activities and projects in line with their strategic plan. Responsibilities will include administrative support; supporting the Office Coordinator when needed; ensuring grant agreements and documentation are kept up to date; keeping track of payments and reporting schedules; and organising meetings. The post holder may also take on grant relationships and contribute the decision-making process for new grant approvals. Location: Flexible, but with the ability to be in central London when required. Deadline for applications is 23^rd July.

Program Specialist (Economic Justice Program) – Open Society Foundations: OSF’s Economic Justice Program is seeking a Program Specialist to work on economic justice issues, focused on a Shared Future Economy, with the possibility of assuming new areas of focus in 2020. The Program Specialist is at the forefront of OSF’s grant making activities, helping plan and execute grant-related deliverables including grant recommendations, strategy documents, and organisational assessments. Program Specialists also develop relationships with partners in the field and provide programmatic support to Program Officers. Contributions include the identification of high potential new partners, the design of grants, shepherding grants through the internal processes, and the assessment of grants and portfolios. Program Specialists may also take the lead on projects or issues as assigned. Location: London, United Kingdom. Deadline for applications is 19^th July.

Climate Initiative Director – Wellspring Philanthropic Fund: Wellspring Philanthropic Fund seeks an expert in climate change to lead its first initiative focused on reducing carbon emissions and accelerating the transition to clean energy. A leader in the field, the Climate Initiative Director will work closely with Wellspring’s leadership and a special advisory team to oversee all aspects of research, portfolio development, and management related to grantmaking. Deadline for applications is 31st August. Location: Southern California (Irvine), with travel to New York and Washington DC offices, plus other domestic and international locations, as needed.

Programme Assistant – Oak Foundation: Oak Foundation is seeking to hire a Programme Assistant to support the International Human Rights Programme, as well as the Special Interest Programme. The successful candidate’s responsibilities will include scheduling, team calendar maintenance, administration, meetings, grantmaking, routine correspondence, communications, contracts and payments, event planning, and recruitment. Location: London, United Kingdom. Deadline for applications is 31^st July.

Communications Intern – EuroMed Rights: EuroMed Rights is looking to recruit an intern to assist the Communications team in its work. The successful candidate’s responsibilities will include: translation management, practical and logistical organisation of activities; participation in meetings, taking notes and preparing press reviews; drafting/proofreading press releases and statements in English; monitoring communication opportunities; maintaining and updating the media database, website and social media accounts; responding to GDPR-related requests. Location: Brussels, Belgium. Deadline for applications is 18^th July.

Program Associate (Land, Water and Climate Justice) – American Jewish World Service: AJWS’s Land, Water, and Climate Justice grantmaking department seeks an entry-level Program Associate to provide largely administrative and some programmatic support for the department. The successful candidate will work with the Director and Program Officers to collect and communicate key information about AJWS’s programs for internal and external use. They will also provide broader administrative and logistical support to the department and to the Programs Division, as well as work collaboratively with other divisions to support AJWS’s advocacy, communications and fundraising efforts. Location: New York, United States. Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Program Assistant – Ignite Philanthropy: Ignite Philanthropy: Inspiring the End to Violence Against Girls and Boys is recruiting for a Program Assistant. The successful candidate 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 Out of the Shadows Advocacy Fund. A minimum of 2 years of relevant professional experience is required for the role; previous experience in a grantmaking institution is highly desirable. Location: The role is based remotely, with some preference to be in or near CET or GMT time zones. Deadline for applications is Sunday 4th August 2019.

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

Public Meetings

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
September 8^th – 14^th
Addressing Homelessness in the EU: Supporting the Most Vulnerable: This symposium will provide an opportunity for policymakers, EU-wide stakeholders and other professionals working in this sector to have open and honest discussions on the latest strategies for confronting homelessness in the EU. It will examine ways of addressing homeless people’s basic needs and of connecting them to suitable services, as well as how to make a real difference in reducing and eradicating homelessness in the EU. The event will take on 11^th September in Brussels, Belgium

September 15^th – 21^st
Unseen Victims, Untold Stories: Why violence faced by asylum seeking and refugee women remains invisible in the European Union: At this event, the findings of a project funded by the EU’s Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme will be presented. The project is titled: ‘Co-creating a counselling method for refugee women gender-based violence victims.’ Participants will be presented with a storyline of gender-based violence against women in the refugee context, how it is pushing women to migrate, what happens during the journey to Europe, and how asylum-seeking women are often revictimized in the EU. A practical tool – a counselling method – will also be presented. The event will take place on 17^th September in Brussels, Belgium.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
July 28^th – August 3^rd
An evening with gal-dem: Founded and run by women and non-binary people of colour, gal-dem’s aim is to produce content in print and online that more accurately reflects the diversity of voices and talent available than the mainstream media has ever done. Their new book, I Will Not Be Erased, sees the gal-dem collective bring together 14 unique and thought-provoking essays that explore what it means to grow up as a person of colour. Using raw material – from chat histories to diaries and poems – the writers tackle race, gender, mental health and activism. Liv Little, founder and editor-in-chief of gal-dem, and deputy editor Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff will be talk about their new book at this Guardian event. The event will take place on 1^st August in London, United Kingdom.

Until 8^th September
Faith Ringgold: ‘I can’t get through the world without recognizing that race and sex influence everything I do in my life’ – Faith Ringgold. For more than five decades, Ringgold has consistently challenged perceptions of African American identity and gender inequality through the lenses of the feminist and the civil rights movements. As cultural assumptions and prejudices persist, her work retains its contemporary resonance. Focusing on different series that she has created over the past 50 years, this survey of her work includes paintings, story quilts and political posters made during the Black Power movement including one to free activist Angela Davis. This exhibition will run until 8^th September in London, United Kingdom.

September 15^th – 21^st
Populism: causes and responses: A populist wave has swept across the democratic world. What are the economic and social causes of this wave, and how should democratic leaders respond? At this LSE event, Michael Ignatieff, President and Rector of Central European University, and Pippa Norris, a comparative political scientist at Harvard, will speak. The event will take place on 19^h September in London, United Kingdom.

November 10^th – 16^th
Trust Conference 2019: Trust Conference is the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s flagship annual event. Day one will address creating a fairer economic system for those left behind, with a focus on modern slavery, women and girls, radicalisation, and the human impact of climate change. Day two will look at closing civil society space, exploring the relationship between tech and human rights, as well as news and democracy. Both days will feature grass-roots voices from around the world and showcase some of the most innovative solutions to the challenges discussed. The event will take place between 13^th and 14^th November in London, United Kingdom.

MUNICH, GERMANY
September 8^th – 14^th
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 11^th and 12^th September in Munich, Germany.

ONLINE
July 21^st – 27^th
Communicating Human Rights and Social Change: A Dialogue Series Among Funders: You are invited to join the first instalment of a webinar series: ‘Communicating Human Rights and Social Change: A Dialogue Series Among Funders.’ This is an initiative of the Communicating Human Rights and Social Change community co-sponsored by Ariadne and HRFN. This webinar dialogue series is co-sponsored by Ariadne, OSF and Global Dialogue. The first dialogue will be ‘A Brilliant Way of Living Our Lives: Shifting the narrative on human rights to engage our base and persuade the middle’ with Anat Shenker-Osorio. The webinar will take place on 25^th July.

PRAGUE, CZECH REPULIC
October 20^th – 26^th
ILGA-Europe Annual Conference 2019: The ILGA-Europe Annual Conference is an agenda-setting moment for European LGBTI movements. It’s when, each year, LGBTI movements identify priorities for the coming year and strengthen effectiveness in bringing change that matters to LGBTI people. It connects activists and enablers of change, builds on diversity, and is a place to get inspiration and be empowered. The conference serves as ILGA-Europe’s Annual General Meeting. The event will take place between 23^rd and 26^th October in Prague, Czech Republic.

STANFORD, UNITED STATES
September 8^th – 14^th
Nonprofit Management Institute: Transforming Anxiety into Active Leadership: Many of us today are living in a constant state of generalised anxiety. Concerns about the state of the economy, the ever-shifting political landscape, and what these forces could mean for the future are creating a heightened sense of apprehension, and those of us in the nonprofit sector often feel especially vulnerable. Unfortunately, anxiety among nonprofit leaders can lead to organisational paralysis, which is particularly dangerous given that we and our organisations are increasingly called on to address the challenges arising from these social and economic upheavals. So how do we transform this unease and foreboding into a sense of renewed purpose and focus for the future? The event will take place between 10^th and 12^th September in Stanford, United States of America.

September 15^th – 21^st
Philanthropy Innovation Summit 2019: The Philanthropy Innovation Summit is a biennial event that convenes individual and family philanthropists to discuss strategic and impactful giving in a non-solicitation environment. The event will include panel discussions, armchair interviews and intimate philanthropy salons. This event is designed for individual philanthropists with the ability to give six-figure annual support to the issues about which they care. Philanthropists with varying levels of experience and diverse backgrounds are encouraged to attend. The event will take place on 17^th September in Stanford, United States.

THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS
July 28^th – August 3^rd
HagueTalks: Five years after the attack on the Yazidi community: On 3^rd August, it will have been five years since the Yazidi community was attacked by Islamic State. Humanity House will commemorate the anniversary of the attack. Two brave women will share their personal stories about how they have been fighting for a better life for Yazidi women since the IS attack.  The event will take place on 3^rd August in The Hague, The Netherlands.

November 3^rd – 9^th
EVPA 15^th Annual Conference: Celebrating Impact: EVPA invites you to its annual conference, which it describes as the ultimate event in the social investment and venture philanthropy sector, bringing together different actors from all over Europe, all seeking to create and collaborate in an impactful way. The event will take place between 5^th and 7^th November in The Hague, The Netherlands.

TBILISI, GEORGIA
October 20^th – 26^th
Grantmakers East Forum 2019: Common actions for social change – Mobilising people, creating spaces, using technologies: Grantmakers East Forum seeks to help sustain the steady development of philanthropy and civil society in communities and states in wider Europe, and facilitates collaborative efforts of the philanthropic sector to fully integrate into European and global philanthropic initiatives and institutions. The event will take place between 23^rd and 25^th October in Tbilisi, Georgia.