Over 100 leaders from community foundations support organisations (CFSOs) representing 34 countries across four continents gathered in Bucharest, convened by Inspire, to reflect and exchange on the present and possible future roles for CFSOs. Here, we share some of the insights gathered by the ECFI team.
From 8–10 April 2025, Bucharest, Romania, became the focal point for a truly transformative event in community philanthropy: the Infrastructures for the Future (IF) gathering. Organised by Inspire and supported by the Mott Foundation, this global convening sought to co-create the future of community philanthropy by fostering connections, exchanging learning, and exploring new approaches to community-led development.
Centring capacities and capabilities for an evolving context
The gathering provided a valuable platform for participants to explore the capacities, capabilities, and collaborations essential for nurturing and strengthening community foundations in diverse settings. Francesca Mereta, Peer Learning and Communications Consultant for ECFI, co-hosted a session focused on building key capacities, particularly:
- Fund development and philanthropy advising
- Demonstrating impact through storytelling
- Working with the local community: assets and needs mapping
- Grantmaking practices
Among the key insights shared in the conversation on storytelling was the recognition of the need to equip community foundations with a deeper understanding of why communication matters, alongside the tools and techniques to do it well. Organisations must shift their perspective and recognise that one of their main responsibilities is to gather and share stories and learnings from the community in a respectful and participatory manner. Moreover, two important shifts were identified: first, that stories should not merely showcase success, but rather build connections and inspire action; and second, that the way we, as CFSOs, collect and invite people to share their stories must change, ensuring it feels natural and empowering, rather than evaluative or controlling.
Resilience and adaptation: the muscles we need to exercise and grow
Community foundations around the world are navigating increasingly challenging times. During the resilience session, co-hosted by Kathrin Dombrowski from ECFI, participants were invited to reflect on the range of threats facing community foundations and civil society, mapping them along a timeline from immediate concerns to medium- and long-term risks. Against this backdrop, the session highlighted how community foundations are already demonstrating remarkable resilience in the face of war, political repression, and ecological disasters, drawing on real-world examples from Ukraine, Serbia, and Chile.
The discussions that followed surfaced several important insights. One key realisation was that community foundations must not only respond to immediate crises but also design strategies that build resilience for medium- and long-term challenges. The global lens of the session revealed that what may appear as future threats for some foundations are already stark realities for others, as in the case of political repression. This disparity underscored the vital importance of strengthening global connections among community foundations and fostering spaces to share crisis response strategies, investing in resources for resilience, and offering mutual emotional support in the face of adversity.
Intermovement sharing potential: are our organisational structures fit for purpose?
At the session on “New and Future-Focused Networks,” Kamil Szlosek, Programme Manager at ECFI, facilitated a conversation on the diversity of structures among CFSOs worldwide, framed within the broader theme of movement building. Participants reflected on how their regional networks of community foundations are organised, the roles they play, and how different models can either support or hinder transformational development. Despite structural differences, participants clearly recognised a set of shared core functions across CFSOs: facilitating peer learning, networking, and leadership development; catalysing the creation and growth of community foundations; and advocating for enabling environments for community movement.
A key insight was the opportunity to raise the visibility and influence of the movement by more deliberately connecting it to broader philanthropic, civic, and global agendas — such as Philanthropy for Climate. Participants also acknowledged that even small contextual differences can offer valuable learning, and that paying close attention to these nuances could help gradually strengthen the global movement. This understanding led to a strong commitment to deepening relationships between networks that perform similar functions — starting with focused knowledge exchange and eventually moving towards broader, intentional collaboration across regions.
Participants also reaffirmed that the community foundation movement must be transformational, not merely transactional. While transactional activities support operational work, every interaction between organisations should aim to strengthen the collective movement. Building a shared identity and amplifying the voice of community philanthropy were seen as vital for the movement’s future vitality. Aligning with global issues such as climate resilience and migration was identified as a strategic way to boost visibility, forge alliances, and position the community foundation field as a proactive, future-shaping force.
Immersive experiences and local engagement
In addition to the gathering, participants had the opportunity to further expand their experience and connections, starting from getting to know better the Bucharest Community Foundation and their role and work in the city. Among others, people explored the Environmental Platform for Bucharest, the earthquake preparedness program and the community engagement grantmaking process.
James Magowan, Senior Adviser for ECFI, took part in the Făgăraș Research Institute’s convening aimed to take a deep dive into the relevance of Sustainable Development Goals at local level and, in particular, to the work of community foundations.
The rest of the team had the opportunity to visit the Brașov Community Foundation, gaining insight into its role in stimulating local philanthropy and civic participation, as well as developing a deeper understanding of Brașov’s rich history.
The “Infrastructures for the Future” gathering in Bucharest exemplified the beauty and power of collaborative efforts in philanthropy. By bringing together diverse voices and experiences, the event fostered a shared vision and outlined some of the possible future roles for community foundations support organisations to act as catalysts for inclusive and sustainable development.
