The Global Philanthropy Forum is thrilled to welcome philanthropists, thought leaders, change-makers, and social investors from around the world back in-person for the first time in three years, for two days of collaboration, innovation, and action at the Golden Gate Club in the beautiful Presidio of San Francisco.
GPF hosts this year's conference amidst a period of immense global crisis and transformation - the rise of authoritarian governments and decline of democratic institutions, the enduring impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, an ongoing international racial justice reckoning, and the increasing threats of climate disaster. But with these crises comes the opportunity to reaffirm our core values and fundamentally disrupt the traditional systems that govern the philanthropic sector. This year's theme, "Shifting Power, Collective Action," implores attendees to reassess their own positionality, confront bias head-on, and find power – and action – through solidarity, redistribution, and critical engagement with local communities affecting direct change on a range of issues around the world.
World Affairs CEO Philip Yun kicked off Day 1 with a call for collaboration, inviting conference participants to embrace the unique opportunities of in-person community and find commonalities, build new connections, and consider diverse perspectives.
The conference's opening plenary session took on one of the most urgent threats of our time: the backsliding of democracy. Michael Abramowitz, CEO of Freedom House, identified the past 15 years as a global "democracy recession" - a period in which countries are increasingly experiencing more declines to civil rights and democratic institutions worldwide than improvements, a reversal of trends of progress throughout the twentieth century. David Litt, author and former speechwriter, emphasized the unique ways disinformation and polarization diminish trust in democratic institutions and exacerbate inequality.
But democracy is not just a target - it is also the solution. Kristin Lord, President and CEO of IREX, emphasized how championing democratic institutions better equips civil society and governments to address other human rights crises. To do this, Hilary Pennington, Executive Vice President of Global Programs at the Ford Foundation, encouraged funders to "empathize to organize." Strengthening democracy isn't limited to reforming electoral systems; it requires grassroots relationship-building between civilians and civil society actors and active listening to threats to democracy on-the-ground. Panelists encouraged attendees not to suffer from a lack of imagination in identifying creative solutions and coalitions to defeat anti-democracy efforts and rebuild trust in representative government.
"I lost hope for a minute after the Uvalde shooting. But then I was reminded of a quote from activist Miriame Kaba, 'hope is a discipline.'" Throughout a moving conversation with World Affairs President and CEO Philip Yun, founder of PolicyLink Angela Glover Blackwell reminded those in the GPF audience that we have a collective responsibility to that discipline. But in order to achieve a truly multiracial democracy, we have to–as she put it–"punch above our moral weight." That means accepting the ways that our institutions have oppressed minority groups while also focusing on transformational solidarity. "What we need to realize is that your issue is my issue," said Blackwell. "If you are not making progress, I am not making progress."
The Shared Studios portals transported conference attendees to Mexico City, providing the chance to directly act on calls to disrupt existing power structures and center on-the-ground communities in philanthropic decision-making. The Portals' tech-enabled booths placed participants directly "in the room" with digital security activists in Mexico for an inspiring live back-and-forth conversation and collective brainstorm. The discussion highlighted the specific importance of digital literacy and protections, for women and journalists, who are disproportionately the targets of harassment and surveillance campaigns. As philanthropists and researchers working in Brazil and Pakistan found commonalities in goals with the Mexican activists, it was easy to see the seeds of an international strategy being planted - right here in San Francisco.
Across the hall, climate justice took center stage. Youth advocates shared that less than one percent of philanthropic funding goes toward youth-led climate activism – despite young people being at the frontlines of the movement, both in the US and abroad. Joshua Amponsem, Climate Lead for the UN Office of the Secretary General's Envoy on Youth, and Nathan Méténier, Founder of the Green Africa Youth Organization, championed a model of participatory philanthropy, in which those closest to the problem have a say – and stewardship – in the use of philanthropic funds. In their words, "funding that allows the movement to decide where the money goes."
Another common theme was viewing climate justice as not just an isolated movement, but as a high priority for any organization or funder focused on women, children, education, and all other social justice movements. As part of the discussion, a representative from the Global Children's Fund encouraged funders to "reframe risk" in funding new youth movements, often dismissed as unorganized and unknowledgeable, and to instead, consider the greater risk of not acting in the climate crisis.
"If we can use capital for extraction and oppression, can we also engage it for liberation, justice, and equity?" This was an early question posed by Nwamaka Agbo, CEO of the Kataly Foundation and in the funding transformative economies working group, solidifying as a theme as the session progressed. There was a focus on how structural racism and systematic oppression–not only in our institutions, but also in the philanthropic world–has stripped marginalized groups of their decision making power.
Rodney Foxworth, CEO of Common Future called out, "There's a reason why the people that hold decision making power are white, it's a designed feature of the system." But Foxworth went on to say that organizations like Common Future and Kataly also offer a different path, "We focus on recycled capital. I'm not concerned with return on investment for us–that capital goes back to community members instead of back to the foundation."
The lesson from the "Rethinking Aid: Investing in Local Knowledge" session was that if you want to get a room full of philanthropists on the edge of their seats, invite Degan Ali. She is the Executive Director of Adeso and her message was clear: the Global South cannot be ignored. Not just in terms of where grants and donations land, but more importantly, where decisions are made. Ali's sentiments were echoed by the other panelists, Fatema Sumar and Navyn Salem–that philanthropists need to build trust through organizations in the Global South through partnership, and be more responsive to their needs by providing flexible funding timelines.
