Philanthropy’s contributions to large development frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been growing worldwide. Philanthropy is interested in leveraging resources to achieve greater impact, influencing long-term development, as well as creating scalable solutions. However, despite good intent, philanthropy’s impact remains limited because of siloed approaches, lack of understanding of broader development eco-systems in countries, and lack of appreciation for collaboration.
This new research paper presents winning strategies for foundations which achieve scale through systems design and thinking, supporting local innovations, and collaboration. The paper builds on inputs from a global partnership initiative, SDG Philanthropy Platform, which aims to align philanthropic investments with the SDGs. The paper discusses practical approaches practiced by global foundations such as the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and the Ford Foundation, as well as national philanthropic associations in 8 countries worldwide.
The research paper zooms in on the prototyping from Kenya, Ghana, Zambia, India, Indonesia and Colombia, and our work with a broad spectrum of local philanthropic players ranging from traditional grant-making foundations to social and impact investors.