The report ‘DEVELOPING A COLLECTIVE FRAMEWORK & AGENDA TO ADVANCE SOCIAL JUSTICE PHILANTHROPY, IN AFRICA AND THE ARAB REGION’ is based on a convening held in Johannesburg in October 2012. The Convening was an initiative of TrustAfrica, the Working Group on Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace and the African Grantmakers Network, in collaboration with the Global Fund for Community Foundations and the Arab Foundations Forum.

The report highlights key emerging themes from the conversations and reflects the implications for our practice.

Four specific themes emerge:
•Demonstrate leadership: a call for individuals working in the field of SJP to lead by example by themselves investing in their institutions, demonstrating clear strategy along with leadership and a peer review mechanism.
•Be inclusive: a call to include voices across the board; through grant making as well as within peer grant maker networks, across boundaries created by geography and language.

How can we grow the practice of philanthropy for social justice and peace?
This is the question we put to twenty-four leading practitioners from different parts of the world during interviews conducted between May and December of 2012. In the attached report, you’ll hear a fascinating and at times provocative array of answers, reflections, and further questions. Some talk about the relationship between social justice and economic development. Others call for a greater emphasis on indigenous philanthropy. Some speak to what is common among practitioners of social justice philanthropy, while others discuss geographic differences. Risk emerges as a key obstacle, networking as a key opportunity.

We did these interviews—along with a survey of 68 practitioners—as part of our work to spark conversation and connection among philanthropy practitioners committed to advancing social justice and peace in regions around the globe. The Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace Network exists to increase the impact of this kind of grant making. We do this by developing tools and practices, shifting the narrative in philanthropy, and supporting a community of practice.

“Weaving our Fabric in the Arab World” captures the story of Naseej (a Community Foundation based in Amman, Jordan) between the years 2005 and 2012, its achievements and efforts to engage youth in their own development, to build active communities across the region and to positively influence the social, economic and political conditions at various levels. “As the report describes all elements of our Foundation and work, Naseej uniqueness remains very much at the heart of our conceptual framework and working ethics, the holistic approach to development and in our extended network of partners - individuals and structures - across the Arab World and beyond”, says Hania Aswad, Executive Director of the Foundation.

This report, written by Jenny Hodgson and Barry Knight, is a first attempt to establish a baseline for the field of community foundations and other types of community philanthropy organizations in Africa. This is an important field united by a focus on building local assets, promoting local giving and strengthening the communities in which these organizations operate. The report draws on data collected by the Global Fund for Community Foundations (GFCF), both through its grantmaking and knowledge building programme, and information provided by non‑grantee partners interested in being included in this cohort.

The Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity (PRE) just released its latest publication, Mobilizing Community Power to Address Structural Racism, the fourth volume of their Critical Issues Forum series aiming to deepen the discourse around important progressive racial justice issues within philanthropy.

The full publication and individual articles can be downloaded here.

An article by Michael Seltzer in the first issue of the professional journal for grant mangers - GMNSight of the Grants Managers Network, explores the meaning of social justice philanthropy. The essay provides insightful reflections on how a foundation can effectively practice social justice philanthropy and is a very useful tool for grantmakers looking to bring or strengthen a social justice lens and approach in their grant making practices.

Read the essay here .

This short publication, launched in September 2011, highlights the lessons learned through the Bill of Rights Programmes the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland with funding from the Atlantic Philanthropies . The programme helped to build awareness and generated much discussion about the Bill of Rights process, content and how a rights-based approach might be used to deliver on community development objectives.

This report summarises the projects supported under the programme and traces the Community Foundation’s thinking in developing a new model for a rights/social justice-based approach to community development.

Download the publication by clicking here.

The South Asia Women’s Fund (SAWF) has published a resource mapping study covering all five South Asian countries i.e. Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The study was undertaken in order to identify and map:

1. The availability of resources for social justice work
2. The allocation for women’s human rights work within that, and
3. The access of women’s groups and organisations to these resources

The study explores the:

• • baseline available resources for human rights work and tracks allocations for women's rights work and to women's groups and organizations
• • identifies the obstacles and challenges faced by women's groups and organisations in accessing resources for undertaking their activism and work to ensure human rights of women
• • identifies and creates a data base of information on available resources: fiscal, technical and in kind, that can be used to strengthen women's movements for human rights in the region

The 2012 State of the Work Report highlights the efforts of leaders in philanthropy over the past year who have worked to recruit new foundation leadership who more closely reflect U.S. demographic trends, increase funding within diverse communities, and become more transparent about data collection on issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within the sector. To read the full report, click here.

The 2008 Financial Crisis Likely to Affect Assets and Grantmaking Through 2015

New York, NY — November 17, 2011.

According to a new report from the Foundation Center, a small but important subset of grantmakers — those who work on issues ranging from human rights to environmental justice — has been disproportionately impacted by the global financial crisis and their recovery remains in jeopardy. Diminishing Dollars: The Impact of the 2008 Financial Crisis on the Field of Social Justice Philanthropy examines historical trends in foundation assets, spending, and giving levels; describes strategies used by foundations to cope with depleted assets immediately following the crisis; and presents projections through 2015 for asset and grantmaking levels.