European Community Foundation Initiative

There is still time to register to "It's all about you(th): the transformative power of youth participation & leadership for community foundations" event, that will take place in from the 11th until the 13th of September in Ghent (Belgium), the European Youth Capital 2024.    If you are interested on why and how European community foundations and the wider philanthropic field can foster young people's leadership, empower and involve them in decision-making to build fairer, more equitable, and thriving communities, then this is the right place for you! Hosted in collaboration with Streekfonds Oost-Vlaanderen and with the support of King Baudouin Foundation, the two-days will bringing together practitioners from the community philanthropy field, youth organisations, and other philanthropic actors,  and will give participants the opportunity to exchange and interact with peers, share ideas and experiences, and reflect on how their organisation can better and more meaningfully attract and involve young people. More information on the agenda and how to register here: https://shorturl.at/4J4Yu You have until the 14th of August to register and join us!

We are thrilled to share that Kamil Szlosek represented ECFI as part of the European delegation at the United Philanthropy Forum Annual Conference in St. Louis. The event was an incredible platform for learning, connecting, and exchanging ideas with fellow professionals in the philanthropy sector. The conference offered valuable insights into the dynamic American philanthropic landscape, highlighting the strong role of community foundations as local leaders and infrastructure supporters. It was inspiring to witness the power of collaboration and the impact of effective communication of values. A special thank you to our colleagues from Philea - Philanthropy Europe Association and the Mott Foundation for making this happen. We also extend our gratitude to all who were involved in the preparation of this event. We look forward to applying these learnings and fostering meaningful connections within our community. #Philanthropy #CommunityFoundations #UPF2024 #Networking #Learning #Transformation

We wish we could have invited you all to Poland! Not only because Zywiec is a beautiful place in the Polish mountains and not because the famous Polish beer is made there. The reason was the wonderful, third already, Jarmark, a traditional meeting, a kind of market, organized on June 29 by Żywiecka Fundacja Rozwoju (Żywiec Development Foundation) This year's meeting called "Jarmark na Zablocie in the Spirit of Sustainable Development Goals" was an opportunity to have fun and integrate the local community, but also to promote values related to sustainable development and ecology. Education through fun? Yes! it succeeded! Lots of activities aimed at different age groups. For the youngest there was a play about Lynx, which taught children the importance of environmental protection through play. A neighborhood swap was a treat for entire families. Residents could bring unwanted toys, clothes, books and other items to find them a new home. There were quizzes, contests and educational games to learn more about how to take care of our planet and community. A fun day it was! Congratulations! And we recommend you to watch the photos and get inspired!

The whole ECFI team got together last week in Berlin to plan the years ahead and how can we best strengthen and promote the European community foundation movement. We shared a wealth of ideas and inspirations, both from within and outside our field. It was a time of reconnecting with each other and nature, highlighted by a fantastic networking lunch with our colleagues at Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen! We could not be more excited for what comes next. Our commitment to enabling the #communityfoundations field to thrive and meaningfully shape Europe's future has never been stronger. Here's to the impactful journey ahead! 🚀 James Magowan Kathrin Dombrowski Kamil Szlosek Anja Boellhoff Francesca Mereta

Interesting trend - hope we see more engagement with ECFI and the growing community foundation movement across Europe. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience to share.

Super event connecting donors, policy makers, researchers, and local and national initiatives to address the climate and nature crisis, demonstrating the convening and leadership role of a community foundation. Well done to all involved at Community Foundation Ireland

Would you like to explore how to involve young people in governance and strategic decision-making processes of community foundations? The challenges and the opportunities that might surface? Then you cannot miss our upcoming webinar "Young people in the governance: examples from the field” taking place next 27th June from 3 – 4.30pm CET. Nevenka Girova, Executive Director at Community Development Foundation – Stip (North Macedonia) and Grace Hanley, Programmes Manager at Heart of Bucks Community Foundation (England) will prompt the conversation with their insights and learning. Register here to receive the Zoom link directly in your inbox ahead of the meeting: https://lnkd.in/dszWNgS9 More information on our work around youth participation can be found here https://lnkd.in/eGgEYT-4

A warm welcome from the whole ECFI team to Julcsi Dés, the new Director at Roots and Wings Foundation! You can read about her ambitions as a leader and where she sees the organisation, in particular the Community Support Program, going forward in her latest interview 👇

Am Rande des Deutschen Stiftungstags in Hannover, haben sich unsere Kolleginnen Anja Boellhoff und Kathrin Dombrowski mit Bianca Poersch von Salon 5 von CORRECTIV über Bürgerstiftungen in Europa und die Arbeit von European Community Foundation Initiative unterhalten. Hier geht's zum Interview (und vielen weiteren spannenden Gesprächen rund um Stiftungen und Jugendbeteiligung) ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/evmxMheN

The community foundation movement in Spain is building momentum. Here with Rosa Gallego at the Asociación Española de Fundaciones conference for community foundations mapping their presence Mott Foundation Porticus