LEARNING FROM OUR INTERNATIONAL PEERS

we share in tackling them. The forum was certainly one of hope, not helplessness and there was a common understanding that more is possible by building shared narratives and priorities.

Gemma Instrall, ACF's director of membership, shares learning from PEXforum 2022.

This summer I joined over 100 people representing 69 organisations from 20 countries at PEXforum in Istanbul. Together we explored the power of collaboration in philanthropy. PEXForum, this year co-hosted by Philea and Third Sector Foundation of Turkey, provides a dynamic space to create an identity for European philanthropy and build common ground to advance our ecosystem.

As a membership body, we at ACF have a duty to look up and out rather than down and in. I see our community of UK trusts, foundations and grant-making charities as part of a global philanthropic infrastructure and as we navigate complexity, we should ask ourselves: “Who are we adjacent to? Who do we intersect with? Who can we learn from and who can we support?”. In a changing and uncertain world this feels more urgent and important than ever.

At PEXforum, delegates were reminded of the scale of the challenges we face, but also of the solidarity and connection

The two rallying calls of the forum spoke directly to the challenges we face:

1) We cannot be petrified in the face of the climate crisis. The solutions to our planet’s fate transcend borders, sectors and philosophies and require synchronised efforts and working at unprecedented scale.

A rousing keynote by Indy Johar from Dark Matter Labs, did an excellent job of summarising the complexity in which foundations fund today and called for philanthropy to “whisper the future into being” as we navigate a decade of deep transition. He called for action on a scale of the Marshall Plan (the 1948 American initiative to provide foreign aid to Western Europe), with a role for civil society in everything from conservation to pioneering radical economic alternatives.

2) We cannot take civil society for granted. It was humbling and painful to hear personal stories from those working in philanthropy. In Turkey, organisations are bravely defending civic space as freedoms are restricted.

In Ukraine, there is an emerging and inspiring civil society that has spontaneously developed on the frontline of the war. Foundations across Europe play a catalytic role in this work to build solutions and bring hope.

Sharing Experience From The Uk

After two years of virtual forums, all delegates were excited to connect face to face once again. For me this meant being able to make plans with organisations with whom we share members, so we can serve them more thoughtfully and collaboratively.

It also meant an opportunity to elevate the work of foundations in the UK. I was given a platform to speak about ACF’s Funders Collaborative Hub, presenting it as a simple, impactful and scalable platform, and inviting delegates to replicate this idea in their own geography.

I was also able to share the deep and reflective work on advancing racial justice being undertaken by UK foundations: from the pillars that emerged during our Stronger Foundations initiative, to members exploring their own origins of wealth and towards emerging collaborations to decolonise philanthropy. Sharing and hearing progress on this work challenges all of us to do better in leadership and learning roles around racial justice.

While continuing to unpack my learnings and connections from PEXforum, I look forward to exploring more opportunities for collaboration in the months to come and towards the forum 2024 in Rome.

Want to know more?

Visit PEXforum at philea.eu/ pexforum-2022-the-road-to-istanbul/