Energy, Ideas and Renewed Conviction – A Spontaneous Reflection After the 4th Meeting of Community Foundations in Spain

As the train approached Chamartín station in Madrid, one thought kept circling in my mind: the first meeting of community foundations, four years ago. Having attended all of them, which almost perfectly overlaps with my own journey in a community foundation— I think it gives me a perspective to view things from many angles. But above all, it gives me an emotional lens that goes beyond technical or observational analyses.

I believe we were among the first to arrive at the hotel. But we already knew how many we would be, and that once again there would be new faces. Excitement: reunions and new connections. If I had to sum up the first part of the meeting in a word, it would be this: relationships. A human network. Real.

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I thought about the DANA (and its devastating impact on our territory, Valencia), and how each of the community foundations helped us row together, especially in those very difficult early moments. Some in one way, others in another. All according to their possibilities —and all wonderful. A bit like the legend of the hummingbird from Guaraní culture, which has been the symbol of our Foundation for years and reminds us that if everyone contributes their small part, we can achieve great things.

But I was also thinking about the futures: those we want and those we don’t —and how a network like this one can be absolutely essential. Later, in the afternoon workshop, Òscar shared with our randomly formed group (as part of a dynamic workshop) the experience of the Tot Raval Community Foundation during the attack on Las Ramblas in Barcelona. He helped us open our eyes. Not all disasters are —or will be— climate-related, and none can be solved alone (or at least, not in the best possible way).

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It is in meetings like this —even though many of us already knew it— when one truly understands what collective intelligence really means. Here, we are forging it with a shared purpose.

And that forging doesn’t just happen in meeting rooms, but also over coffee, walks in the park, and shared meals on terraces.

But the second day was the real powerhouse. The engines were already running and the network was in full motion. Listening to Alexandra Stef (Inspire Institute), Vera Dakova (Mott Foundation), James Magowan (ECFI) and Agustín Landa (LANZA), among others, was a gift. And I dare say everyone felt the same. The perspective of donor organisations, the voices of community foundations and the contributions from second and third-level entities provided us with a valuable overview —valuable even, I would say, for those who were pioneers in imagining what now connects us through the concept of community foundations. And it wasn’t just about the content.

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How important it is to make things beautiful, artistic. It was a four-act event, culminating with everyone going up on stage. Like that magical New Year’s Eve theatre night —at least in Catalonia— when the play pauses so that performers and audience can toast to the new year together.

The workshops on annual reports continued the programme and were also interesting. Not just because of the content, but especially for the shift in mindset they provoked. Nothing is final, and everything can be improved. Rigour and seriousness can also be attractive.

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Next year, it would be enriching to see a comparative review of the 2024 and 2025 reports —I’m sure we’ll see significant changes.

And to close the gathering, James Magowan (ECFI) and Rosa Gallego (AEF) delivered a brilliant talk. A genuine masterclass that surely moved (and above all, motivated) everyone in the room —no matter where they came from.

In summary: the 2025 Spanish Community Foundations Meeting was a reaffirmation of the movement and a call to build a collective future. It felt like everyone left Madrid with more energy, new ideas and —above all— greater conviction. That we are not alone, and that matters. That fear paralyses, as Naomi Klein says, when you do not know where to go —but mobilises when you are part of a group and do know where you’re headed. The challenges are immense, but we have a real, effective and affective network with enormous potential.

And yet, right now, perhaps it’s also important to scratch the surface a bit. Many challenges remain: from ensuring balanced spaces for all community foundations, to amplifying the voices of those newly joining the movement —voices that may offer different perspectives. We also need to reconcile diverse realities, especially between urban and rural contexts, and actively reclaim everything we learned from doing things poorly in the past (or not in the best possible way), or from what we had to abandon for one reason or another. These are also small losses that we need to acknowledge and process together, so that not only do they not repeat, but that we can even build something better from them.

There’s much more to say and reflect on, but for now I think it’s important to highlight the pride in the eyes of the participants —seeing how something that just four years ago sparked questions like “what is this?” and “why are we doing it?” keeps growing. And growing with meaning.

Now, as Lucía Casani from the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation said, the next step is to ensure that the human bond is also connected to the land. Because if “human” comes from “humus”, that is our greatest challenge. As in any community, in any territory, nothing is neutral. And the path ahead won’t be easy —walking that fine line between embracing contradictions and setting boundaries. That’s why it’s essential to stay united with a shared purpose.

And I’ve left two of the most important things for last. First, heartfelt thanks and congratulations to everyone who made the meeting possible (Valentina, Rosa, Laura, Julio…). The seeds they water every day —with such care and love— are sprouting, and they are largely responsible for the progress of this movement in Spain (as is the former programme director, Alejandro Hernández, and many others who work for its development both from within and from outside).
Second, the celebration we experienced live: the presentation of what will become a new community foundation in Spain (the tenth in the country and the first in Madrid): the Hortaleza Filanda Community Foundation.

If the presentation was already a demonstration of will, attitude and community affection, we are truly looking forward to seeing their progress and contributing to their process of establishment so that, as María González (Porticus) noted, they can bring forth that “intergenerational, complementary and intercultural quality that emerges from the community foundation model”.