By Inga Ingulfsen – Global Partnerships Research Manager, Candid
How can we direct attention to organizations that work to put the power in local communities? How can we provide up-to-date information about who is doing what, and how, in the field of community philanthropy? How can we help learn from and among these organizations? These were the questions that a group of funders, researchers and community philanthropy practitioners discussed in New York in early 2018. Now, almost three years later – after reviewing hundreds of spreadsheets and receiving a lot of support from colleagues around the world –, Candid launched the Community Philanthropy Directory (Community Philanthropy Directory, in English), a free, global database that brings together organizations that work in the field of community philanthropy.
It's more important than ever that we highlight work that focuses on bringing power to local communities. The global spread of COVID-19 has made it impossible to ignore the deep structural problems, inefficiencies and inequalities in the philanthropic sector, and has accelerated new calls for a shift towards placing decision-making power in the hands of the communities most affected by the pandemic. Many financiers have committed to the Call to Action of Council of Foundations to offer more flexible financing, support structural changes, listen to and trust the expertise of those working directly with impacted communities.
Community philanthropy, at its core, focuses on bringing power to communities through an emphasis on local resources and capabilities. Community philanthropy organizations are uniquely positioned to respond to disasters and to mobilize and redistribute local resources to those who need them most.
In the UK, community foundations have played a leading role in the national response to COVID-19, mobilizing and distributing resources and activating volunteers at the community level. In addition to organizing donations of medical supplies, goods and services to families living in poverty, Chinese community foundations they also recruited volunteers for frontline actions, organized mental health assistance services for those suffering from the effects of lockdown restrictive and partnered with community activists on local governance plans. In Romania, 17 community foundations have joined forces to gather an unprecedented amount of donations for coronavirus relief efforts. Community foundations in Mexico have been on the front lines of the pandemic response. Armed with their experience from the 2017 earthquakes, these organizations have focused on programs aimed at community resilience, coordinating their funding through the Communalia, the Mexican network of community foundations. More than 600 Community foundations in the United States have launched dedicated funding funds to combat COVID-19.
We hope that the Community Philanthropy Directory will increase the visibility of organizations working in this area and facilitate new relationships between those looking to connect and learn from their peers around the world. The directory lists more than 2,000 organizations. There you will find basic information about the mission, areas of work, and funding interests of these organizations, as well as links to their websites and contact information to learn more. You can search for organizations according to region, populations served and themes of activity, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) they promote and/or by the name of the organization.
The information available in the directory was collected and verified in a process that lasted two years and involved hundreds of spreadsheets and a lot of support from our friends in different corners of the world. We reviewed information from more than 40 sources, covering more than 90 countries, and received expert advice and direct data submissions from more than 30 practitioners and researchers working in the field of community philanthropy. Without the specialized knowledge of our colleagues, the directory would not exist.
Now that the directory is live, we need your feedback and help to keep it updated. The global community philanthropy movement is continually expanding and evolving, and we want the directory to expand and evolve with it. If your organization is listed in the directory, you can update your information using the Foundation Updater by Candid. This update will ensure that your organization's work is appropriately reflected in the directory and other Candid materials. If you know of unlisted organizations, notice incorrect information, have feedback to share, or would like to ask questions about the directory, please write to us at cpdirectory@candid.org.
Originally published at: https://blog.candid.org/post/building-a-global-community-philanthropy-database-hundreds-of-spreadsheets-and-lots-of-help-from-our-friends/
