The past two years have been a time of incredible change, including rapid shifts in the way we work as a philanthropic sector.

When Covid-19 hit in early 2020, we were all shell shocked, and foundations had to make decisions about how to react very quickly and with limited information. Emergency grants were made, new funds were set up, reporting requirements lifted, and project funding turned into core funding. Staff wellbeing and health came into focus, bringing with it a new notion of care. Two years on, the world is trying to adjust to ‘normal’, and the temptation to revert back to previous ways of working is strong. But what are the things that we don’t want to lose from the changes we made? What have we learned that could help us do our work better, and in greater service of those we seek to support?

We discussed this question with a small group of peers during Ariadne’s Great Reconnect, held in Lille, France, 26-28 April. The Great Reconnect was a paradigm shift from a traditional conference to an open space with room for reconnection, fun, and rest. In one small group, we talked about the ways that our sector had changed for the better during the Covid pandemic, despite hard times, and how we could sustain some of those changes. Here we offer a synthesis of some of the things we discussed and that we would like to keep in our own minds going forward.

  • Keep reporting requirements to a minimum.
  • Prioritize the well-being of foundation staff and the staff of partner organizations.
  • Focus on the most vulnerable communities.
  • Be nimble and flexible.

Read the full article about how philanthropy should move forward from 2020 by Julie Broome and Claudia Bollwinkel at Alliance magazine.