Giving Compass' Take:

• The Future of Philanthropy report gathers information from experts in the philanthropy field around the globe in order to develop a nuanced international view of what philanthropy is going to look like in the future. 

•  How will different global perspectives benefit the philanthropic sector?  

• Read more about what other family foundations are discussing when it comes to the future of philanthropy. 


There is huge variation, and sometimes contradiction in the way that philanthropists from around the world are striving to achieve positive change.

Completed in 2018, The Future of Philanthropy, aimed to build a global view of how philanthropy will change and adapt over the next decade. Professor Cathy Pharoah of Cass Business school generously and bravely authored an initial perspective. This was then built on and deepened via high-level discussions involving more than 200 experts from academia, business, government, charities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, London, Mumbai, Oxford, Quito, Singapore and Washington DC.

The results of these discussions and associated conversations have been published in a report that highlights the key issues and offers insights around some of the opportunities for positive change.

During our conversations three interconnected drivers of change were identified. They are Power, Knowledge and, inherent to both of these, Trust. They will shape the evolution of philanthropy over the next decade.

Theme 1: Power
Exerting power and influence to create positive change has always been a key element of philanthropy. As the centre of wealth shifts east and southwards a new global elite will emerge with greater female representation, and a technological mindset. T

Theme 2: Knowledge
Greater knowledge and understanding, together with working feedback loops, were viewed as essential pre-cursors to more impactful philanthropy. However, while an increase in more data driven philanthropy is widely expected to deliver improvement across the board, basic human nature will ensure that emotional giving continues to mitigate the ultra-rationalist promise of effective altruism.

Theme 3: Trust
There has always been a degree of both private and public skepticism around philanthropy and philanthropists, and, as in other walks of life, this distrust has been growing in the last decade.

Read the full article about future of philanthropy by James Alexander at Alliance