Ariadne News & Events

Ariadne’s 10th Forecast Questionnaire:

It’s that time of year again, and what a year it has been. We’re creating Ariadne’s 10th Forecast for European Social Change and Human Rights Funders. A decade of your invaluable insights have shaped our understanding of the future landscape, and now we need your wisdom more than ever as we embark on this milestone edition. Please join us in answering the following questions:

– What is your greatest hope for 2024?
– What opportunities and challenges do you see for your grantees?
– How do you think your practice as a funder might change? 

You can easily submit your responses via our short questionnaire, available in French, Italian, Spanish, German or English (simply switch languages at the top of the form).

Webinar recordings:

• • Exploring the State of Rule of Law in the EU – Insights from the 2023 EU Rule of Law Report and Perspectives from European Philanthropy. Access the recording through the members portal.
  • Feminist Philanthropy’s Response to Crisis: Leading with Trust, Care and Flexibility: visit the Funding for Real Change website to watch the webinar recording.

If you missed an Ariadne event, don’t worry! We record most of them and share the recordings on our portal.

NEW Human Rights Grantmaking Principles blog: “Challenging the Obvious in Philanthropy: A fundraiser’s perspective on the Human Rights Grantmaking Principles” by Mathilde Rivoire, Démocratie Ouverte.

Healing Solidarity sessions:

Join the BIPOC Only Collective Care Space on October 25, 16:00 BST, 17:00 CET. Come and sit alongside Sarah Diedro Jordão for our monthly BIPOC only space. There is no need to prepare anything. Just show up as you are. We normally have a small group of between 3 to 9 people and these sessions will run monthly, until the end of 2023. Register here.

Call for Concept Notes – Green Screen Catalyst Fund:

Do you work on the intersection of climate justice and digital rights, or know someone who does? The Fund will support projects at the intersection of climate justice and digital rights to bring a diversity of voices into the local and global debates and enact change in terms of policy, research, and community building. The Green Screen Catalyst Fund is giving $10-40k to support the work of individuals and organisations. Learn more and join the Q&A sessions.

Save the date – April 2024: We invite you to keep your calendars open the week of 22 April 2024 for Ariadne’s Annual Member Reconnect meeting in Georgia. More information on registration, dates, and agendas to come soon!

Many members are sharing on Ariadne’s Membership Portal! Log in to join the diverse communities, connect and collaborate with other funders on Ariadne’s Membership portal! Have a colleague who doesn’t yet have access to the portal? They can sign up here. Need assistance? Take a look at our guide or email ariadneoffice@ariadne-network.eu.

All these resources and more can be found on Ariadne’s website and Member-only portal.

New Research, Articles and Judgements

Report: Othering & Belonging Institute: OBI’s latest reading packs reveal the scope of Islamophobia in Europe and Asia-Pacific. The release of these two publications for Europe and the Asia-Pacific region are their second and third reading packs on the topic, coming five years after the first one on Islamophobia in the United States.

Report: Conditions to Flourish: Understanding the Ecosystem for Narrative Power: This synthesis is one of a number of resources published in 2023 as part of the Global Narrative Hive’s launch. It highlights what practitioners and members of movements are themselves saying about the contexts in which they are operating and what they need. The English version is available here. Haga clic aquí para la version en español. Cliquez ici pour la version française. Português aqui.

Report: IDEO.org just released Speculative Futures in Gender Equality, a comprehensive, interactive futuring and foresight report to understand the nuanced and imaginative ways that global gender experts are thinking about what’s possible for our shared future and expand our understanding of how equity and intersectionality will inform and be impacted by the next frontier of gender equality.

Report: Fundamental Rights Agency – “Protecting civil society – Update 2023”: The FRA report covers civic space developments and includes four ‘spotlight’ chapters: on SLAPPs; migrant rights defenders and search and rescue at sea; participation for organisations representing groups at risk of exclusion; and how donors can better support CSOs under pressure.

Report: After years of research and collaboration, Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice has published the report, “Global Resistance to Anti-gender Opposition, LGBTQI+ Activism in Colombia, India, Kenya, Peru, and Serbia.” The report provides an illuminating look into the activism in five countries, bringing to light how anti-gender governments and policies manifest in all parts of the world. In addition to the full report, you can also read an executive summary and a one-page overview with highlights from each section.

Book: ‘Philanthropy Back to the Drawing Board’: With this open-source book, author Rien Van Gendt urges philanthropy to critically and reflectively assess how it can best live up to the promise it makes – and the responsibility it has – of investing private resources for the public good. Read more and access the book.

Report: The Trust Gap: In a new report, the Human Rights Funders Network addresses the trust gap in philanthropy. The report is based on their research in previous years, that has signalled disparities in how funders in the Global North are resourcing human rights organisations and movements in their own regions versus those based in the Global South and East. Access it here.

Blogs and Other Sites of Interest

Report: The European AI & Society Fund published the report Making the AI Act Work:  How civil society can ensure Europe’s new regulation serves people & society. It looks in detail at the challenges ahead and sets out a strategy for funders to build civil society capacity for implementation of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act). The report was prepared by the Center for AI and Digital Policy.

Report: Oak Foundation and Safer Young Lives Research Centre publish the “Seeing things from both sides” report, a comic to help young people and professionals understand each other’s views about young survivors’ participation in efforts to address child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Blog: Social Change Agency: We’re in this together – Reflecting on movement trends in 2023: Tactics employed by social movements are evolving, strikes are enjoying unprecedented levels of public support, and communities are increasingly taking matters into their own hands. The Social Change Agency’s Director of Practice Anya Stern and Consultant Aggie Taylor discuss some of the movement trends they’ve been observing in 2023. Listen here.

Learning brief: Media festival briefing: The role of media festivals in strengthening independent media: Festivals are a relatively recent phenomenon in the journalism world. Their openness, informality, and intentionally celebratory nature strikes a contrast with more formal, hierarchical and authoritative forms of event, and open up new pathways and possibilities for the independent media field. In this brief you can learn more about the role of media festivals in strengthening independent media’ in the Global South, and how donors and supporters can better support them.

Article: The neocolonial violence of the 1.5°C threshold: “Temperature targets set by Global North actors would reinforce the legacy of colonial harms and vulnerability in an era of climate emergency” state the authors, Juan Auz & Phillip Paiement in this article for Open Global Rights.

Article: Rewriting the narrative: The problem with problem-framing: “Born near the slopes of Mount Elgon in Western Kenya, my upbringing was rich with stories that served as the lifeblood of our community. However, too often when it came to the tales told by aid organisations, we weren’t the heroes of our own stories. Instead, we were the “problems” needing solutions. This skewed narrative echoes an African proverb: “Until the lion learns how to write, every story will always glorify the hunter.” Read more in this article authored by Chilande-Kuloba Warria, founder and director of the Warande Advisory Centre in Kenya.

Online resources: Weaving Liberation:  A new entity to imagine, organise and support digital justice. Over the last three years, a group of over 30 participants with a wide range of backgrounds have been working to design a decolonising process for the digital rights field in Europe. Some of the many results are a programme that sets out a vision for digital justice organising in Europe, a blueprint documenting the process that led to the creation of this vision, and a proposal for a new entity called Weaving Liberation that will support its implementation. You can journey through the first part of the blueprint already on weavingliberation.org. Watch this space for the upcoming decolonising programme and the written blueprint!

Guide: “Funding journalism using participatory grantmaking: A guide”: Access this guide by the Public Interest News Foundation to learn more about the building of a national journalism fund in the UK with in-built and participatory principles.

Podcast: Introducing Care at the Centre: Voices from the Majority World: This six-part podcast series produced by the Urgent Action Fund Asia & Pacific shed light on the important work of women, trans, and gender-nonconforming activists who bring meaningful change in their communities. Visit EN.rootingcare.org to learn more about the Urgent Action Fund Report “How Can We Ground Ourselves in Care and Dance Our Revolution” that guides and informs this series. You can listen to all the episodes of the podcast on Spotify.

Grant-Making

Alliance for Gender Equality in Europe (AGEE) – Accessibility, equity and decision making in funding: what we have learned from our 2023 economic opportunities fund: In July AGEE distributed 3.5 million euros of grants to organisations working on gender equality and economic inclusion across Europe. In this article, they reflect on the whole process leading to those grant attributions and share their learnings on accessibility, equity, and decision-making in grantmaking along the way. Read more.

Global Philanthropy Project: Trans and Intersex Funding and Movement Grantee Surveys: We are inviting you to share the intersex and trans surveys with your grantees and civil society groups, and encourage them to participate and make their voices heard.

Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) – Grantee Perception Report: We would like to bring to your attention the Grantee Perception Reports by CEP, some of which are publicly available. The report has been used by more than 300 foundations of different types and sizes – including Ariadne members. It aims to gather feedback from grantees on important topics such as impact on grantee’s fields, communities, and organisations, application, and reporting processes; and grantee communications and interactions.

Policy paper: Global Forum for Media Development – National Journalism Funds: This policy paper explores supporting National Funds for Journalism around the world, and how donors of different kinds can get involved. Access it here.

Resource: Environmental Funders Network (EFN) – Member Directory: EFN is in the process of compiling a directory of funders who participate in the network, based on information they have submitted, they are pleased to share a public version accessible to anyone interested. The directory includes information on what types of work funders are interested in supporting and their funding practices, such as average grant sizes and whether they accept unsolicited applications. EFN would welcome any feedback via this form and suggestions that they can take into consideration in the next phase of development of the directory, to make it as useful as possible.

Fenomenal Funds – Reimagining Power to Build Resilience: In 2021-2022 Women’s funds members of the Prospera International Network of Women’s Funds received the Resilience grants – core and flexible resources – to support their organisational strengthening during the pandemic. Through the shared power model they were able to shape the grantmaking process to support their ongoing needs. Read this story of collective care and solidarity: Reimagining Power to Build Resilience.

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

Jobs and Tenders

Wellspring Philanthropic Fund – Deputy Vice President Of Programs For Strategy, Monitoring & Learning. The Deputy Vice President of Programs for Strategy, Monitoring and Learning (DVPP) will report to the Vice President of Programs (VPP), serving as a trusted thought partner on the strategy development and implementation, grant making effectiveness, cross-programmatic learning, and management of the program teams. Key to this role is working with the VPP on developing and analyzing key indicators of success and outcomes, and the partnership with the Director of Evaluation. Salary: $365,000 – $385,000. Location: NYC, USA. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Mama Cash – Director of People, Finance and Operations. In this role, you will be at the forefront of Mama Cash’s team, leading and supervising the People & Purpose team while making significant contributions to their overall success. As part of the Management Team, the Director of People, Finance and Operations (DPFO) is co-responsible for the management, strategy and results of Mama Cash. The DPFO is responsible for the organisational systems and infrastructure that support the strategic objectives of Mama Cash. The purpose of the position is to contribute to Mama Cash’s overall mission and sustainability by leading and supporting seamless fiscal, operational (administration, data management, IT, facilities, etc), human resource management (HRM) and learning, monitoring and evaluation (LME) systems, procedures, and processes. Location: Amsterdam. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Ford Foundation – Program Assistant. The Gender Racial Ethnic Justice-International (GREJ-I) team is hiring a Program Assistant (PA) to join their team. The PA will support three Program Officers and will play a pivotal role in managing their calendar of appointments, meetings, and work-related travel. Additionally, the PA will help support various activities for them, such as managing the logistics of convenings and meetings, managing communications and follow-up. The PA will be required to schedule meetings across multiple time zones and must possess strong cross-cultural competency skills. The ideal candidate will be a detail-oriented, organized, problem solver who is a self-starter and remains calm and gracious in high-pressure situations. This position is an excellent opportunity for someone eager to learn from a collaborative and inclusive team tackling issues on Gender-based violence. Salary: $75,000-$87,000. Location: USA. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Ford Foundation – International Security, Safety and Risk Mitigation Manager. The Office of the Deputy Chief Operating Officer is hiring an International Security, Safety, and Risk Mitigation Manager who will be based in the New York office. The International Security, Safety, and Risk Mitigation Manager will work with the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to develop and implement a global security and risk mitigation framework that fosters a culture of safety awareness and risk mitigation. The incumbent will coordinate with the Director of Global Property Management to ensure the foundation’s duty of care for its staff and assets across all of its geographies are consistent and relevant. Salary: $109,000 – $127,000. Location: NYC, USA. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Thousand Currents – Program Manager, Latin America and The Caribbean. This position contributes to Thousand Currents’ programmatic efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean playing a role to deepen the programmatic work in the Latin America and the Caribbean regional program, with a focus on partnership development and grantmaking support. By nurturing strong relationships based on respect and integrity with movement partners, the Program Manager works to advance the Latin America and the Caribbean regional strategy. Reporting to the Regional Director, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Program Manager will be responsible for managing knowledge collection and research on food sovereignty, economic justice, and climate justice in the region and working with the Grants Manager to conduct the grantmaking in the region. With the supervision of the Regional Director, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Program Manager also collaborates closely with colleagues in Communications, Philanthropic Partnerships, Learning Initiatives, and Operations to strengthen and support Thousand Currents’ on the three thematic areas and contribute to content development on the work of partners in the Latin America and the Caribbean region. Salary: $92,150. Location: Remote, Global. Deadline for applications is October 15.

Mama Cash – Communications & Dissemination Consultant for Impact Study. The Dissemination Consultant’s primary objective is to conceptualise, design, and execute communication campaigns that effectively disseminate the findings of the Impact Study. In alignment with the Impact Study’s goal of crafting impactful narratives showcasing the transformative changes driven by Mama Cash’s initiatives, these dissemination campaigns will also play a vital role in mobilising financial support from individual and institutional donors. These campaigns will blend informativeness, entertainment, and persuasion to engage both new and existing audiences, compelling them to become active members of the Mama Cash donor community. To maximise engagement and reach, the consultants are expected to skilfully curate and compose compelling stories capable of inspiring readers, including those who may not yet fully grasp the significance of supporting feminist movements, to actively participate. Budget: 65,000 Euros. Location: Remote. Deadline for applications is 25 October.

Hivos – International Media Lead, Global Communication Team. As International Media Lead you will be part of the Global Communication Team. The team is based in The Hague at Hivos’ Global Office. You will also work closely with (communication) colleagues doing Hivos-wide or program-specific communication throughout the world. Salary: € 3.428,11 and € 4.561,52. Location: The Hague, the Netherlands. Deadline for applications is 29 October.

Various roles – American Jewish World Service (AJWS)
Various roles – Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
Various roles – Ford Foundation
Various roles – Fondation de France
Various roles – Global fund for Children
Various roles – Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism

*For more jobs, see the ‘Career Opportunities’ section of the Ariadne portal. To address pay gaps in the charity sector, we strongly encourage you to #showthesalary in your job adverts.

Events

Online

25 October

Examining Intersectionality Impediments Through a Post-COVID Lens. Join this sharing of stories from the philanthropic partners who continue to struggle with intersectionality, as well as from those who have pushed through early obstacles to find tangible solutions. The aim is to examine current best practices, but also invite guests to share their own stories of success or sources of frustration, in hopes that a deeper understanding to better inform future best practises can be created. Register here for this event taking place on 25 October 2:00 PM BST / 3:00 PM CET.

Mapping the Supply of Surveillance Technologies to Africa: Case Studies from Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco, Malawi and Zambia. Civic Futures and Institute for Development Studies (IDS) & African Digital Rights Network (ADRN) invite you to the publication launch of IDS and ADRN’s new research report: Mapping the Supply of Surveillance Technologies to Africa: Case Studies from Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco, Malawi and Zambia. In this webinar, report Editor Dr. Tony Roberts (Digital Research Fellow, IDS) and two researchers from Nigeria and Ghana will share key findings from their new research, which examines how the commercial trade of surveillance technology to these five African countries is facilitating the violation of citizens’ rights to privacy and anonymity, and freedom of expression and association. This webinar is for funders and civil society who are impacted by this issue in Africa and globally. Register here for this event taking place on 25 Oct 2:00 PM BST / 03:00 PM CET.

Solidarity Encounter: Healing Justice. This Solidarity Encounter will be a dialogue between adrienne maree brown, who grows healing ideas in public; Devin Atallah, a member of the Indigenous Palestinian decolonial healing collective CURCUM*; and Grassroots International staff. The conversation will explore the meaning and significance of the praxis of healing justice in Black Feminist, Palestinian, and other interconnected social movements working for decolonisation and collective liberation. Register here for this event taking place on 25 October at 7:00 PM BST / 8:00 PM CET.

Online

26 October

Funding Justice 2. For the second year running, the Civic Power Fund and Jon Cracknell from The Hour is Late have mapped where UK social justice grants go. As social justice becomes an increasingly urgent issue in philanthropy, this report analyses 18,816 grants from 60 known social justice funders. These grants total £952.4 million, 21% of UK foundation giving in 2021/22. The research aims to increase our shared understanding of where social justice funding is going and – given the urgency of our times – whether we are getting the balance right. It maps how much UK foundation giving goes to work addressing injustice and looks in detail at *how* social justice funding is allocated. The initial findings will be shared at this launch event and follow up with the comprehensive report. Register here for this event taking place on 26 October at 11:00 AM BST / 12:00 PM CET.

9 November

Mobilising Resources in Isolated Palestinian Communities. Indigenous people around the world have faced ethnic cleansing and other forms of oppression for centuries. Despite these challenges, they have shown remarkable resilience and resourcefulness in their struggles to survive and thrive. In this event, Jamal Juma’ and Ali Awad will share their insights on organising Palestinian communities facing daily threats of house demolition and ethnic cleansing. Isolated and deprived of their most basic needs and rights, these communities have been coming together like with the campaign “Stop the Wall” and the organisation “Youth of Sumud”, mobilising their limited resources in creative ways to resist military guns, bulldozers and settler violence. Register here for this event taking place on 9 November 10:00 AM ET / 5:00 PM Palestine Time / 7:30 PM IST / 2:30 PM BST / 3:30 PM CET.

22 November

UK LGBTQI Global Giving Summit. GiveOut and The Baring Foundation are hosting a half day summit, bringing together businesses, philanthropists, foundations and political leaders to discuss increasing UK funding to the global LGBTQI movement. There will be an exciting line up of speakers as well as recently commissioned research presented at the event. If you are are interested to learn more about this event taking place on 22 November in London, please email summit@giveout.org.