Ariadne News & Events

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER: 2017 ARIADNE GRANT SKILLS DAY: MOVEMENTS MATTER: THEY CAN INFLUENCE CHANGE: Join us on October 2nd, between 10:00-20:00 BST for our annual Grant Skills Day and Networking Dinner. This year’s Grant Skills Day will focus on why movements matter. By attending the event you will gain an appreciation of how funders can recognise and support movements and make links with fellow funders who are already funding or considering funding in this area. Speakers will include Shari Turitz of the American Jewish World Service, Jenny Hodgson of the Global Fund for Community Foundations, Jessica Horn of the African Women’s Development Fund, Rose Longhurst of the Edge Fund UK, Jesenia Santana of the NoVo Foundation and Emma Oppenheim of the Open Society Foundations. To register, please click here.

INSCRIPTIONS: WEBINAIRE: SE RÉAPPROPRIER LA FAMILLE QUAND ON EST PROGRESSISTE: 26 septembre, 12h00 à 13h00 CET (en français): Rendez-vous pour une discussion sur 10 manières dont plusieurs acteurs progressistes se sont emparés du thème « famille » en Europe: par leurs stratégies globales; leurs financements; leurs recherches et travaux préparatoires de campagne; leurs stratégies de communication; leur lobbying et plaidoyer; leurs alliances au sein de et entre mouvements progressistes; leur travail avec les médias; et leurs stratégies de litige stratégique. Un nouveau Guide à destination des activistes et bailleurs de fonds en Europe: Se réapproprier la famille quand on est progressiste explore aussi les manières de répondre aux acteurs anti-égalité (tels que « La Manif Pour Tous » en France), et de travailler de manière constructive avec des groupes religieux. Enfin, ce guide offre des exemples réels et des suggestions pour guider les lecteurs/-trices à utiliser le thème « famille » dans leurs efforts progressistes. Vous pouvez confirmer votre participation au webinaire en cliquant sur ce lien et trouver plus d’information içi.

INSCRIPTIONS: 19 OCTOBRE, PARIS, RENCONTRE SUE LE RÉTRÉCISSEMENT DE l’ESPACE DE LA SOCIÉTÉ CIVILE: Ariadne, la Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer et l’Initiative des Donateurs pour la Société Civile (Funders’ Initiative for Civil Society), invitent des fondations à un après-midi d’échange consacré aux initiatives et aux opportunités pour les fondations francophones face au rétrécissement de l’espace de la société civile. Cette rencontre a pour objectif d’échanger sur les enjeux et l’envergure de la fermeture de l’espace de la société civile et d’appréhender comment les fondations francophones qui soutiennent des projets au niveau national et international sont affectées par cette problématique. Ce sera également l’opportunité d’explorer les initiatives effectives des fondations et les besoins de poursuivre un travail collectif sur ce sujet. La réunion se déroulera en français. Merci de bien vouloir vous inscrire en cliquant sur le lien ici avant le 1 octobre 2017.

REGISTER NOW: ARIADNE PORTAL TUITION: An hour tuition session to increase your skill in using the Ariadne Portal will be held on Thursday 19^th October, 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 RSVP here.

SAVE THE DATE: ELEVATE CHILDREN FUNDERS GROUP AND ARIADNE EVENING RECEPTION – 25TH OCTOBER: The Elevate Children Funders Group and Ariadne will host an evening reception on 25th October between 18:00-20:00 at the Migration Museum in London, prior to the Elevate Children annual general meeting. We will be joined by child and youth rights experts who will share their insights and experiences working in the UK and globally.   Registration will open soon on the Ariadne portal.

REGISTER NOW: FUNDER WEBINAR ON DISCRIMINATION IN ALGORITHMIC DECISION-MAKING: Throughout the world, powerful institutions are increasingly using computers to automate decisions that matter to people’s lives.  To learn about the risks of automated judgements in social and political contexts and ideas for what funders can do, join us for this webinar with Patrick Ball, Director of Research at the Human Rights Data Analysis Group, and Julia Angwin, investigative journalist at ProPublica. Patrick has been applying statistical methods to human rights violations for more than 20 years. Julia is a 2017 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for Explanatory Reporting for her work on exposing machine bias in criminal justice and social media. This webinar will be hosted by Ariadne in collaboration with an informal group of European digital rights funders. It will be moderated by Vera Franz, Deputy Director, Information Program, Open Society Foundations. The webinar will take place on 31^st October at 16:00 GMT. To register, please click here.

ARIADNE 2018 POLICY BRIEFING:  Next year’s Ariadne Annual Policy Briefing and Networking Event will take place in Paris, France (as suggested by last year’s participants). We will select a date and open the call for session proposals in early Autumn. More details will follow on the Ariadne portal soon. In the meantime, we would love to hear from you if you would like to propose a site visit to one of your grantees based in Paris. Contact Lori Stanciu at lori.stanciu@ariadne-network.eu for more details.

To register for Ariadne events, your institution must be a member organisation of Ariadne. For questions regarding your membership status, please contact Lori Stanciu at lori.stanciu@ariadne-network.eu.

New Research, Articles and Judgements

Mixed migration – Challenges and options for the ongoing project of German and European asylum and migration policy: Migration to Europe has increased considerably in the last two years. Above all, the very high numbers of asylum applications pose major challenges for many receiving countries. A particularly tricky policy-issue represents the mixing of forced and economic migration, the so-called mixed migration flows. This new study by the Bertelsmann Foundation captures the dynamics of mixed migration with the available qualitative and quantitative data. The study also offers policy recommendations to improve mechanisms for handling the phenomenon. See also, Harrowing journeys: Children and youth on the move across the Mediterranean Sea, at risk of trafficking and exploitation,  by IOM and UNICEF and Two new reports on attitudes to migrants in Germany and France, by The Social Change Initiative and More in Common and Purpose Europe, which provide first of its kind information on attitudes to migrants in France and Germany.

Turkey: Civil Society environment 2016 report: The Third Sector Foundation has published the Monitoring Matrix on Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development Turkey Country Report 2016. The report presents the state of civil society in terms of basic legal guarantees of freedoms, financial viability and sustainability, and government-civil society actors relationship. See also, Participatory democracy under threat: Growing restrictions on the freedoms of NGOs in the EU, by Liberties and State restrictions of Civil Society and the free flow of information, by The Global Governance Institute which provides a short overview of the situation of civil society actors in the EU and around the world.

Mapping the maze: Services for women experiencing multiple disadvantage in England and Wales: ‘Mapping the Maze’ is a new report mapping service provision specifically for women facing homelessness, substance misuse, poor mental health, offending and complex needs. The project is a collaboration between Agenda and AVA (Against Violence and Abuse).  See also, Leave No Woman Behind, Christian Aid’s report on women inclusion, empowerment and equality.

Protecting the heart of environmental civil society: For more than 20 years, Global Greengrants Fund has funded grassroots organisations and frontline communities working to protect the environment and advance rights to lands, forests, water, and natural resources. In this blog for the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Peter Kostishack, Director of Programmes at Global Greengrants Fund shares three strategies for ensuring the safety and security of people defending their environment and human rights around the world.

Left behind: Refugee education in crisis: More than 3.5 million refugee children between the ages of 5 and 17 did not get a single day in school during the last academic year, a new report from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has found.

The evolution of Morocco’s human rights movement: The “Evolution of Morocco’s Human Rights Movement” is the second paper published by the Arab Reform Initiative as part of the project ‘Future of Human Rights Action in North Africa’. The paper tackles the evolution of the human rights movement in Morocco through studying the context and conditions under which human rights actors appeared and the influences that shaped their development, current challenges and could dictate their future prospects.

Removing barriers to justice: How a treaty on business and human rights could improve access to remedy for victims: This report commissioned by a coalition of eight civil society organisations, including ActionAid Netherlands, Brot für die Welt, Friends of the Earth Europe and the Norwegian ForUM for Development and Environment, stresses how a treaty on business and human rights could improve access to remedy for victims of business-related human rights abuses. It proposes seven areas of reform to address this issue.

Lost in transition: Brexit and labour exploitation: According to ‘Lost in Transition’, a report from Focus on Labour Exploitation and the Labour Exploitation Advisory Group, uncertainty, confusion and threats to EU migrants as a result of Brexit are making it more likely that EU workers will face labour exploitation in the UK.  See also, British Future’s ‘Time to get it right’ on post-Referendum public attitudes.

Defending EU values in Poland and Hungary: In this article for Carnergie Europe, Heather Grabbe, Director of the Open Society European Policy Institute and Stefan Lehne, visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe look at the EU’s role in protecting values in its members’ domestic affairs. The authors argue that the EU’s institutions have to defend common standards on the core obligations that allow members to trust each other to stick to commitments, and they must ensure citizens and businesses can operate across borders without discrimination.

Last chance for justice for Bosnia’s wartime rape survivors: Two decades after the end of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, many of the estimated 20,000 women who had been subjected to rape and other forms of sexual violence are still battling with the pervasive and devastating consequences of these crimes. This new Amnesty International report paints a picture of the conditions in which many survivors live today and shows how a combination of factors has resulted in the failure of the authorities to provide the victims with meaningful justice and support.

Hate crime against LGBT people in Britain increases by 78% since 2013: New Stonewall research shows that one in five LGBT people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity in the last 12 months. The launch of this report also coincides with a new national awareness campaign from Stonewall, to encourage all people in Britain to ‘Come Out for LGBT’ and support equality for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people everywhere. See also, Pay it forward: A new way to fund grassroots LGBTQ organising in the South, by Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Executive Director of the Campaign for Southern Equality.

Blogs and Other Sites of Interest

(Photo by Franck Prevel/Getty Images)

VIDEO: How to turn protest into powerful change: On campuses, in public squares, on streets and social media, protestors around the world are challenging the status quo. But while protest is often necessary, is it sufficient? In this TED Talk, Eric Liu outlines three strategies for peacefully turning awareness into action and protest into durable political power.

SURVEY: Voice4Change England and Migrants’ Rights Network Survey: Working Across the Lines is an initiative from Voice4Change England and Migrants’ Rights Network funded by Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. It is a response to an increasingly powerful ‘politics of prejudice’ combining racism, anti-Muslim sentiment, anti-Semitism and xenophobia. The project aims to better understand what works in collaborative efforts across faith, racial justice and migrants’ and/or refugee rights and to better support future combined efforts for equality. The first step is a survey aimed at understanding the experiences of anyone working (paid or unpaid) on race equality, faith issues, migrants’ and/or refugee rights. The deadline for submitting the survey is Wednesday 27^th September 2017. Please feel free to share the link with your networks.

BLOG: Digital literacy: A core capacity for 21^st century nonprofits:  In this blog for Digital Impact Grants, Dr. Angela Daly explores the risks and challenges facing digital organisations and offers tips for navigating the ‘dark side’ of data. She argues that non-profits and philanthropy organisations need to embrace the digital age and start engaging more with digital and data in their activities. However, they must also be careful to avoid the ‘dark side’ of data and digitisation, and ensure they uphold respect for the privacy and security of individuals’ data.

BLOG: A country divided – How it affected me: After the second world war, across the Indian subcontinent, communities which had co-existed for centuries descended into violent sectarian fighting. Up to a million-people died and tens of thousands of women were raped and abducted. Seven decades on, 12 people who now live in the UK, including the Ariadne member and Executive Director of the Sigrid Rausing Trust, Poonam Joshi, reflect on their partition experiences in this blog series for the BBC.

INFOGRAPHIC: Brexit and the risk to our rights: Keeping track of the latest developments: RightsInfo have launched a new infographic to help you keep track of the human rights issues in the UK and the EU. Topics include health, the environment, security, freedom of movement, data protection and more.

FELLOWSHIP: Obama Foundation Fellowships: The Obama Foundation has announced a new two-year fellowship programme for ‘civic innovators’.  The fellowship is open to both US and non-US activists working in communities around the world. Please feel free to pass on to any grantees or others who may be interested.

CONSULTATION: UK consultation published – overseas funding declaration: The Charity Commission for England and Wales has published details of a consultation about proposed changes to the Annual Return that registered charities with an annual income of over £10,000 are required to submit. This includes a new requirement to declare overseas funding. The Funders Initiative for Civil Society (FICS) will be reviewing the proposals, and Ariadne will be working with FICS to support members that wish to respond to do so. In the meantime, donors and other parties interested in reviewing, sharing, or responding to the consultation can do so by 5pm on 24^th November 2017.

VIDEO: Poverty is a problem we can solve: In this short video, Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s Chief Executive, Campbell Robb, explains what has been happening in the year since the foundation launched its strategy, We can solve poverty in the UK. See also, Rethinking poverty What makes a good society?, by the Webb Memorial Trust’s Director, Barry Knight.

TRAINING: New leadership programme launched: Running from November 2017 to April 2018, Interfaith Activists is a 6-month leadership programme from the St. Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, designed to offer young people an opportunity to explore alternative solutions to global issues, engage their own community and grow resilience and leadership skills. The programme will include a training on how to engage and mobilise their community around big issues and peer mentoring and expert coaching to develop own action projects. It will also help participants gather experience of delivering a talk/event to their community to inspire others as well as develop critical thinking and the ability to create alternative solutions.

PODCAST: Was Brexit all about immigration and who are the children migrating unaccompanied to Europe? In the aftermath of the EU referendum in the UK, in which the British population voted to leave, Talking Migration discusses the prominence of immigration in the debate with Robert Ford, Professor in Political Science at the University of Manchester, and Kenan Malik, writer, lecturer and broadcaster. Nando Sigona, Senior Lecturer at the University of Birmingham looks at the situation for unaccompanied migrant children arriving in Europe.

VIDEO: Cheshire without abuse: Lloyds Bank Foundation’s Invest funding: Hear how one local charity based in North England and supported by Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales makes a real difference to people’s lives. Lloyds Bank Foundation’s Invest funding is open until 22^nd September 2017.

TOOLKIT: Creative coalitions: A handbook for change: This Handbook by Crisis Action aims to help you unlock effective collective action and secure the systems change that’s needed. Throughout this handbook Crisis Action shares examples of how the organisation has used the model of organising for impact so that people living in active war zones such as Syria, Sudan, and the Central African Republic got the protection they needed. See also, Creating effective new coalitions in tough political times, by Andrew Hudson, the Executive Director of Crisis Action.

PODCAST: The end of the world as we know it: Since the UK’s EU referendum and the election of Donald Trump, there has been a flood of commentary arguing that we are witnessing the ‘end of the liberal world order’, which has defined international affairs at least since the end of the Cold War. But is it ‘the end of the world as we know it’? Or is just that ‘the times are changing’? To address this question, The European Council on Foreign Relations have launched a new podcast mini-series which looks at how the global order is being challenged or transforming into something else. In each episode ECFR’s director, Mark Leonard, talks to a big thinker who is engaging with this central question of our times.

Do you have a great blog post, case study or podcast you’d like to contribute? We would love to feature it. Email Lori Stanciu at lori.stanciu@ariadne-network.eu.

Grant-Making

Why we need specific funding for the rights of women with disabilities: In this blog for the Disability Rights Fund, Catherine Hyde Townsend, Senior Programme Officer at Wellspring Advisors, shares three fundamentals she has learned in funding this work: the need for a twin track approach, the importance of intentionality and targets, and the value of listening to women with disabilities. See also, Supporting inclusive movements: Funding the rights of women with disabilities, a brief by Christen Dobson under the partnership of the Disability Rights Fund, Wellspring Advisors, and Channel Foundation.

Making grants to a pooled fund: What grant managers need to know: There are many ways that donors collaborate to advance their work in a particular field or issue. They might convene as a group to learn together, align their funding or operational strategies, and/or pool their financial resources to increase their impact. This article by Jordana Belke and Lydia Guterman  of Arabella Advisors, looks at some of the lessons learned by the Arabella Team in the past decade on making grants to a pooled fund. See also, Seven ethical principles to collaboration in the social sector, by The Collaboration Champions.

Global Philanthropy Project: Report on Berlin donor meeting: The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany and Dreilinden co-hosted a 1.5-day meeting in Berlin focused on closing space impacts on global LGBTI communities. This meeting, ‘Time to react – Creating an enabling environment for civil society’ was organised in response to the GPP 2016 report ‘The Perfect Storm: The closing space for LGBT civil society in Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, Kenya, and Hungary’. Attendees included NGO leaders and activists from impacted countries as well as a range of grantmakers, public and private foundations, multi-lateral grantmakers and donor government actors. The report of the meeting is now available on the Ariadne portal for anyone interested.

What the green groups said: Insights from the UK environment sector: In 2016/17, the Environmental Funders Network surveyed the chief executives of UK environmental groups. The results, summarised in ‘What the Green Groups Said’, illustrate where the sector is getting its funds from, what it is spending its income on, what its key successes and failures of recent years have been, and, crucially, what its leaders think the sector needs to become markedly more effective. Altogether, 92 charitable organisations conducting environmental work responded to the survey, with a combined annual income of over £1 billion.

Rockefeller Brothers Fund expands efforts to promote impact investing: The Rockefeller Brothers Fund has announced plans to expand its efforts to promote mission-aligned investing as an option for foundations and other funders. The Fund also announced that it will partner with the Mission Investors Exchange, a network of two hundred foundations engaged in impact investing, as a member of its inaugural class of sustaining members. The eighteen sustaining members, leading foundations committed to helping boost the network’s capacity to drive additional capital to mission-aligned investing, include the Ford, Gates, Heron, Kellogg, MacArthur, Rasmuson, Rockefeller, and Surdna foundations. See also, Impact management principles, a guide by the European Venture Philanthropy Association, which helps funders set up impact measurement and management systems that help improve the products and services delivered to the final beneficiaries and that are in line with the overall strategy of the organisation.

The Big Lottery Fund announces new funding to benefit lives of young people in the UK: The UK Government and the Big Lottery Fund have pledged £40m to the Youth Investment Fund that is set to benefit 300,000 young people.

The Narrative Initiative – Ford Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies: The Narrative Initiative was established to equip leaders with the knowledge and skills necessary to harness the power of narrative for social change. A multiyear collaboration by the Atlantic Philanthropies and Ford Foundation, the project was sparked by the recognition that pervasive and systemic narratives define our personal and collective identities, inform our values, animate our popular culture and influence our politics. The Initiative’s new report ‘Toward New Gravity‘ is now available.

Five reasons to support participatory grantmaking: This year, UK grantmaker Edge Fund turns five. Since 2012 they have distributed more than £300,000, funded 175 grassroots groups, and learned a great deal about participatory grantmaking. To celebrate their fifth birthday, Rose Longhurst, Edge Fund Member, shares five reasons why she thinks participatory grantmaking is the future of philanthropy. Rose will be speaking at the next Ariadne Grant Skills Day on October 2^nd. See the Ariadne News & Events section for more details.

Smarter Grants Initiative: Unlocking better giving for all: The Smarter Grants Initiative, supported by the Ariadne member The Indigo Trust, is a new annual recognition programme held to explore major issues and identify and reward best practice in charitable grant-giving and funding in the UK. By recognising those organisations with the best processes, finest communications and most effective relationships with their grantees, the Smarter Grants Initiative hope to simplify the pipeline of funding to charities in the UK, unlocking better giving for all.

Global social justice fund launched by the NoVo Foundation: The NoVo Foundation has launched a new $20 million fund to support social justice globally. The Radical Hope Fund will commit the funds over four years and focus on four main goals: to join communities together, particularly in ways that promotes feminist leadership, to connect global movements with similar purposes and visions, to tap into the power of mass media and popular culture to share stories and ideas, and to experiment with new strategies to promote a better world and emphasise ‘local, community-driven solutions.’

Comic Relief launches ‘Core Strength – Local Communities’ grants programme: Comic Relief and UK Community Foundations have launched a 12-month programme entitled Core Strength – Local Communities. The programme will fund the organisation costs of small locally-led groups working in communities across the UK.

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

Jobs and Tenders

Officer for Philanthropic Partnerships – Mama Cash: Mama Cash is looking for an Officer for Philanthropic Partnerships (36 hours/week) based in Amsterdam. The Officer for Philanthropic Partnerships contributes to the organisation’s financial base by increasing and diversifying income from institutions within and outside the Netherlands, including governments and public and private foundations. Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands. Deadline for application is 30^th September 2017.

Programme Officer – Open Society Foundations: The OSF Arab Regional Office is recruiting a full time Programme Officer on a fixed term 24 months contract with possibility of renewal to join their Rights & Governance Programme. The Programme Officer will be responsible for developing and managing the Syrian Refugees Empowerment Concept. The portfolio is currently focusing on rolling out activities and grant making in Jordan with multiple local and international organisations while seeking to expand programming to Lebanon in 2018. Location: Amman. The deadline for applications is 18^th September 2017.

Evaluation & Learning Manager- Comic Relief: As Evaluation and Learning Manager you will be providing a comprehensive programme of support to Comic Relief’s Grants teams, grantees and partners on the design, implementation and utilisation of quality monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL). This will range from providing specific support to individual grantees on what and how they track change in their projects, to designing and managing large MEL frameworks, learning studies and evaluations across initiatives and groups of grantees. Location: London. The deadline for applications is 17th September 2017.

Programme Officer for China – Ford Foundation: The Ford Foundation China Office, based in Beijing, seeks a dynamic and innovative Programme Officer to help drive and shape the foundation’s work in the critical areas of philanthropy (building the field in China and other parts of Asia), organisational capacity building for grantees, and broader social sector development. The Programme Officer will support the strategy of the China Office and the broader social justice goals of the Ford Foundation. Location: Beijing, China. Deadline for applications is 28^th September 2017.

Grants Manager – Paul Hamlyn Foundation: The Grants Manager will work closely with a portfolio of organisations that Paul Hamlyn Foundation funds through its various funds and programmes, supporting those organisations to help the Foundation achieve its strategic priorities and to achieve their own growth and development objectives. The Grants Manager will assess applications for funding, manage relationships with grantees and will play a key role in recommending what funding and support PHF should commit to them. Location: London. The deadline for applications is 28^th September.

Policy Advisor for Natural Resource Rights & Climate Justice – AJWS: The Policy Advisor is an integral member of the American Jewish World Service advocacy department and is responsible for the strategy development and implementation of day-to-day activities related to AJWS’s natural resource rights and climate justice advocacy portfolio. This portfolio includes strengthening communities’ land and water rights, ensuring equitable development outcomes and advancing climate justice. Location: New York or Washington. The deadline for applications is ongoing.

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

Public Meetings

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

September 25^th – October 1^st
Performance Desperately in Need of an Audience, with a key note speech by Herman Van Rompuy: The rise of the far right and popular reaction to the refugee crisis have shown the failings of the system. Many citizens are not only questioning the point of the EU’s existence, but challenging the very concept of democracy. Why democracy and what does democracy actually mean? Opened by a keynote speech by Herman Van Rompuy, the first president of the European Council, the cultural event will feature a performance by the Arab Puppet Theatre. This event is co-hosted by the European Parliament, in cooperation with the European External Action Service and the European Commission, and in partnership with the Office of International IDEA in Brussels, the European Partnership for Democracy and the European Network of Political Foundations, within the framework of the International Day of Democracy. The event will take place on 27^th September in Brussels, Belgium.

September 25^th – October 1^st
Fostering the successful integration of Syrian refugees in Europe and Turkey – Exchange of good practices between Turkey and the EU: This roundtable discussion, organised by the European Liberal Forum with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and in cooperation with European Foundation for Democracy, is part of the Ralf Dahrendorf Roundtables. The aim is to exchange good practices between Turkey and the EU in the successful integration of Syrian refugees. To register, please click here. The event will take place on 26^th September in Brussels, Belgium.

September 25^th – October 1^st
Invitation: High-Level Luncheon on the Trust Fund for victims of the International Criminal Court: The European Parliamentary Group of Parliamentarians for Global Action, chaired by Ms. Ana Maria Gomes, MEP, kindly invites you, along with other members of the corporate, business, and philanthropic communities, to join members of the European Parliament and leadership of the Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) at the International Criminal Court for a luncheon and strategic discussion on how the support for the TFV can be integrated into a Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy. The event will take place on 28^th September 2017 in Brussels, Belgium.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

October 15^th – 21^st
2017 PILnet Global Forum: A Global Conference on Pro Bono and Public Interest Law: The PILnet Global Forum will focus on how, through collaboration, law can be reclaimed as a force for good and work for all. The 2017 meeting will bring together expertise and networks from Europe, Russia and Asia and give local innovation a global stage. It will seek to connect activists, academics, pro bono professionals and public interest law champions, and provide them with opportunities to share the most effective techniques and skills of the legal profession – all to benefit the public interest. The event will take place between 16^th and 19^th October 2017 in Budapest, Hungary.

CARDIFF, WALES

September 10^th – 16^th
European Conference of Community Foundations: ‘Building Bridges for Local Good’: The 2017 European Community Foundation conference will be hosted in Cardiff by the Community Foundation in Wales. The event will consist of a mix of plenary and workshop sessions, networking opportunities, research briefings, debates and leadership development. This year’s conference will be preceded by an international conference for 100 delegates from around the world who have an interest in the work of international community foundations. The event will take place between 11^th and 12^th September 2017 in Cardiff, Wales.

DUBLIN,  IRELAND

October 15^th – 21^st
2017 Dublin Platform for Human Rights Defenders: The Dublin Platform brings together over 200 people from approximately 80 countries, 100 of whom are at-risk Human Rights Defenders. The aim is to provide an opportunity for Human Rights Defenders to come together to share experiences, acquire new skills, develop new strategies and further their understandings of the mechanisms available at the international level. Attendees will include: UN Assistant Secretary General for human rights, Andrew Gilmour; UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst; Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard; and EU Special Representative on Human Rights, Stavros Lambrinidis. The event will take place between 17^th and 19^th October 2017 in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. For more information email sinead@frontlinedefenders.org.

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

October 30^th – November 5^th
Beyond Grantmaking: The Role of Philanthropy in Conflict Prevention and Resolution: Under the theme, Beyond Grantmaking: The Role of Philanthropy in Conflict Prevention and Resolution, Foundation Center, the Geneva Center for Security Policy, and DAFNE will co-host an event that brings together a group of about 25 foundations, trusts, philanthropic associations and other civil society organisations to explore common challenges and emerging practices within the field of conflict prevention and resolution. The event will take place on 30^th October in Geneva, Switzerland.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

September 25^th – October 1^st
‘Who really feeds the world? How do we inspire a global mainstream audience with the benefits and potential of agroecology?’ During this event, Cheryl Newman, former picture editor for the Daily Telegraph, and former BBC journalist Francesca Price, now at the Gaia Foundation, will give a sneak preview of their global photographic project. ‘We Feed the World’ has brought together over 40 world-renowned photographers to document the stories of small farming communities across six continents. Cheryl, who curated the collection, and Francesca will talk about the ambitions of the project, the upcoming exhibitions and book and how they are working with a global network of civil society groups, ethical businesses and media to take a complex message out to a large mainstream audience, capturing hearts and minds as they tell the story of agroecology and helping people to question our reliance on industrial agriculture. They will also describe how the project will be used by communities and local decision makers to affect change on the ground. Please RSVP at emma@greenfunders.org. The event will take place on 29^th September in London, United Kingdom.

October 16^th – October 22^nd
After the Parliament hack: How safe is Britain’s data? Cyber security has come to the forefront of public attention relatively recently, when rising numbers of cyber-attacks, such as data theft, large scale bot attacks and attacks by ransomware on companies and public institutions were recorded. This has brought the potential enormous damage that cyber-attacks can cause to the forefront and forced a re-think among policy makers. This event organised by Policy Connect, will feature Daniel Zeichner MP, Member of Parliament for Cambridge, Baroness Neville-Jones, Former Minister of State for Security and Nick Coleman, Head of Cyber Security Intelligence, IBM. The debate will focus, among others, on liability for data theft, how to improve security of public service digital infrastructure, and encryption. To register, please click here. The event will take place on 16^th October in London, United Kingdom.

October 23^rd to 29^th
Syria Working Group Conference: As the UN Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, announces the ‘beginning of the end’ of the war in Syria, the country is devastated and the international community is reviewing its engagement in the region. This first meeting of the Syria Working Group will assist funders to understand the situation on the ground in Syria, to explore the important contribution that private philanthropy can make in conflict-affected environments, drawing on lessons learned in other conflicts and to discuss the opportunities for funding in Syria and Syrian civil society in diaspora at this important moment. This meeting is open to funders who are already funding in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon or Turkey, and those who are considering doing so when the opportunity arises.  Please contact Esther Hughes at Global Dialogue for an invitation and an agenda. The event will take place on 27th October in London, United Kingdom.

September 18^th – September 24^th
Tackling Modern Slavery: Raising Awareness & Supporting Survivors: Healthy Indian chef Mira Manek and inspirational yoga teacher Leila Sadeghee have joined up with Women for Change, an initiative that seeks to bring together leaders who want to make a positive social impact, to shine a light on a pressing and little-understood issue – Modern Slavery in the UK. The panel will discuss modern slavery in the UK, followed by a brief Q&A session exploring how you can make a difference. The event will take place on September 22^nd in London, United Kingdom.

MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM

October 9^th – October 15^th
Early Action working with people in crisis: This event, organised by Community Links in partnership with Refugee Action and Big Lottery Fund, is a participatory event bringing together funders, practitioners and local stakeholders to discuss what early action looks like in crisis. The event will also see the launching of the report A Rough Guide to Early Action. The panel will consist of organisations working at the frontline of crisis services and discussing about how they are adopting an early action approach. Please register your interest by emailing Natalie.Brandon@biglotteryfund.org.uk.  The event will take place on 11^th October in Manchester, United Kingdom.

NEW ORLEANS, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

September 17^th – 23^rd
2017 Unity Summit: Investing in Movements for Equality: CHANGE Philanthropy Partners and the UNITY Summit Planning Team invite you to attend their 2017 Unity Summit, which will focus on how philanthropy can align its investments along the themes of Resistance, Protection, and Empowerment. The event will take place between 18^th and 22^nd September 2017 in New Orleans, United States of America.

ONLINE

September 25^th – November 1^st
Internet health: A checkup for civil society: This virtual roundtable, organised by the Society Lab at Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, will gather three experts for a check-up on the state of the internet and a closer look at key initiatives designed to monitor, evaluate, and improve the digital ecosystem for civil society. Speakers will include Solana Larsen, Editor of Mozilla’s Internet Health Report, Dhanaraj Thakur, Senior Research Manager at the Alliance for Affordable Internet and the World Wide Web Foundation and Jessica Feldman, media theorist, artist, and Postdoctoral Fellow at the DCSL. The panel will discuss methodologies and case studies for gauging internet health across key indicators, such as openness, inclusion, privacy, security, decentralisation, and others. To register, please click here. The event will take place on 27^th September online.

OSLO, NORWAY

November 6^th – 12^th
13th EVPA Annual Conference – Guiding Lights: The 13th EVPA Annual Conference – Guiding Lights will is a space for ideas exchange, lessons learnt and be inspired by a variety of actors in venture philanthropy and social investment and showcasing the Nordic model. The event will take place between 9^th and 10^th November in Oslo, Norway.   

OXFORD, UNITED KINGDOM

September 24^th – 30^th
CEDAW for Change Institute: Course participants will learn about The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), offered in partnership with the Women’s Human Rights Education Institute, the Women’s Solidarity Fund and the International Gender Studies Centre at University of Oxford. The course will look at CEDAW through an activist lens; exploring how the Convention can be used as an analytical framework and a practical tool for advancing feminist advocacy, and the role and importance of CEDAW within the context of transnational feminist organising. The course will be run by Costa Rican feminist jurist and Chair of the UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women, Alda Facio. The event will take place between 25th and 30th September 2017 in Oxford, United Kingdom.

PARIS, FRANCE

September 18th – 24th
The Housing Solutions Platform: The Housing Solutions Platform is a joint initiative from FEANTSA, Housing Europe, Friends of Europe and Fondation Abbé Pierre. The Platform’s purpose is to address growing housing exclusion in Europe by bringing together housing experts who have knowledge and experience in innovative approaches to affordable housing provision. The Platform would act as a gathering space for said experts who could then share best practices and ideas, while also presenting adapted resources and disruptive solutions to policy makers and actors interested in new ways of fighting housing exclusion. The project gathers over 60 experts and includes a live blog series. The Fondation Abbé Pierre, a French funder working on the issue of housing exclusion in France, will be hosting a meeting on September 18^th in Paris, with the aim of presenting the Platform and exploring the involvement of other foundations. To register, please email scoupechoux@fap.fr. The event will take place on 18^th September in Paris, France. 

SÃO PAOLO, BRAZIL

October 1^st – 7^th
15^th International Human Rights Colloquium: Human Rights Today: Crisis or Transition? The 15^th International Human Rights Colloquium invites NGOs, activists and agents of social transformation to participate in a collective reflection on their role in the current and defiant global context, which severely threatens rights and freedoms. The organisers of the meeting will seek to facilitate sharing of how attendees have resisted setbacks throughout the world, and to create a space in which to rethink strategies adopted by the human rights movement and expand alliances to face the challenges imposed by this conservative wave. The event will take place between 1st and 6th October 2017 in São Paolo, Brazil.

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

September 24^th –  30^th
TBLI Conference Nordic 2017: At the 4^th TBLI Conference, hosted by Nasdaq, participants will be invited to explore investment opportunities and learn about the latest trends in the Nordic Market on ESG and Impact Investing. The programme will be tailored to the needs of both ESG and Impact Investors, featuring: workshops with case studies, market analysis and lessons learned; TBLI masterclasses on opportunities, innovation and risks; plenary sessions with ESG investors, entrepreneurs, CSR and SRI specialists; and an entrepreneur pitching salon featuring pre-qualified businesses. The event will take place between 28^th and 29^th September 2017 in Stockholm, Sweden.

THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS

October 2^nd – 8^th
Financial Inclusion for Freedom and Security: This event will showcase new research on the topic of shrinking space for civil society, and more specifically on the negative impact of counter-terrorism financing regulations on civil society space. It will highlight how these measures have a disproportionate effect on vulnerable segments within civil society, such as women’s rights organisations. The event is organised by Women Peacemakers Program, Duke International Human Rights Clinic, Human Security Collective, Charity & Security Network and Transnational Institute. This event will take place on 2^nd October in The Hague, The Netherlands.

VIENNA, AUSTRIA

September 25^th – October 1^st
Reclaiming civic spaces: Imagination, expression and creation for social change: The 22^nd annual Grantmakers East Forum will take place in Vienna, Austria and will be hosted by the ERSTE Foundation. Throughout the programme, particular attention will be given to the role of arts and culture in responding to the different threats Europe is facing. Plenary sessions and breakout discussions will explore how arts and culture can be powerful tools to re-open spaces and re-capture opportunities for open and challenging debate and expression.  Conference sessions will look at a wide range of different spaces which, taken together comprise the “civic space” which is increasingly under pressure. The event will take place between 27^th and 29^th September in Vienna, Austria.

WARSAW, POLAND

October 29^th – November 4^th
ILGA-Europe Annual Conference: Change! Communities Mobilising, Movements Rising: At this conference, participants will be encouraged to ask themselves how they can put the needs and strengths of their own communities at the centre of their work. The focus will be on considering how to further strengthen LGBT communities so that they can come together, organise and demand that their needs are addressed, in solidarity with others. The conference wishes to explore how, together, participants can contribute to reversing populism by working on common objectives and making democracy work for people again. The event will take place between 1^st and 4^th November 2017 in Warsaw, Poland.

YORK, UNITED KINGDOM

September 17^th – 23^rd
Measuring Social Impact and Social Value: This two-day workshop will seek to share with participants: what social impact is and how to measure it, how to understand and measure outcomes, how to develop a Theory of Change or Logic Model, how to conduct stakeholder mapping, and how to calculate social value. The event will take place between 21^st and 22^nd September 2017 in York, United Kingdom.