Looking Back at 2025: What did this year ask of ECFI and the field?
With an eventful, exciting but also challenging year coming to an end, it’s a good moment to reflect on what this year has asked of the community foundation field, and of ECFI, which exists to support it. In a context of growing pressure on civil society and community foundations, our work this year has been shaped by listening closely, hosting moments of connection and responding alongside our partners. This reflection brings together some of the key themes that emerged from that shared experience.
“Lleida Alimenta: A territorial agrifood movement strengthening community resilience”
In this article, Elena De Carandini, President of Raimat Lleida Community Foundation, shares the community foundation’s role in setting up, convening and lead a participatory initiative, Lleida Alimenta, a territorial agrifood movement strengthening community resilience.
Small actions, big shifts: What can we learn from social tipping points about driving climate action locally?
Systems at all levels of scale, whether at a national, regional, local, community, or personal level can tip (to a changed state / social norm) and community foundations can help trigger positive local social tipping points. With their knowledge of the local context and dynamics, and their ability to invest in bridging social capital, they are well placed to help build the trust required to adopt and cultivate a positive narrative around agency and change, rather than trying to push transformation prematurely or in a top-down manner. Importantly their understanding of the locality enables them to appreciate a diversity of opinions, concerns and impacts, such that they can work towards locally relevant ‘just transition’. A Positive Tipping Points Toolkit is suggested as a useful way to explore and identify how small, well-placed actions can trigger large, self-reinforcing positive change.
Impact Investing – from a symbol of the past to a place maker for the future
Officina Badoni offers a compelling example of how a community foundation can redefine impact investing by transforming a disused industrial landmark into an open, collaborative civic hub. The Fondazione Comunitaria del Lecchese chose to invest a quarter of its endowment not for financial return, but to regenerate a shared space where young people, organisations and citizens can work, connect and imagine new futures together. Through a co-design process involving local actors, the building has become a platform for social innovation rather than a real-estate project, already fostering new partnerships, daily community use and a shift in how the Foundation relates to its territory. Ultimately, Officina Badoni shows how investing in places can strengthen community life, turning an “asset question” into a “community question” where the real value lies in people and relationships.
Bridging communities through philanthropy: insights from a study visit to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
In July representatives from Local Action Hubs (prospective community foundations) from North Macedonia, along with the support organisation, Association Konekt, took part in a study visit to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. They engaged with the Trag Foundation, foundation leaders, community members, and local stakeholders to learn from diverse models of grassroots action explored how community foundations are driving local development, fostering civic engagement, and cultivating a culture of philanthropy. Below Nikola
Trajkovski, Programme Associate, Association Konekt reflects on a deeply emotional, intellectual and transformative experience.
Energy, Ideas and Renewed Conviction – A Spontaneous Reflection After the 4th Meeting of Community Foundations in Spain
The 2025 Spanish Community Foundations Meeting in Madrid brought together foundations, universities, support organisations and international guests to exchange ideas, strengthen networks and celebrate impact. Over two days of dialogue, reflection and workshops, participants reaffirmed the growing movement in Spain, highlighted the power of collective intelligence, and welcomed the launch of the country’s tenth community foundation —the first in Madrid, the Hortaleza Filanda Community Foundation.
The Epiphany of Place
Place-based philanthropy offers a powerful approach to tackling complex local issues and driving systems change. Rather than relying on distant policies, real change may begin within communities themselves. Community foundations, rooted locally, are well-positioned to lead this transformation. This piece was first published on Philea’s website in June 2025.
2025 ECFI Study Visit Report: Lessons from the Hungarian Community Foundation Field
The ECFI Study Visit 2025, hosted by the Roots & Wings Foundation, took place in Hungary, bringing together 20 delegates from across Europe. The visit’s core objective was to facilitate deep learning from the Hungarian community foundations’ context and foster peer-to-peer exchange, enabling participants to gain practical insights and actionable ideas for their own organisations and national context.
Among the topics explored throughout the four days were: how to encourage civic participation, foster solidarity, promote youth engagement, implement new fund development techniques, succession planning and leadership renewal within the organisation.
Youth Participation That Works: Lessons from Community Foundation Halle
In this blog Lydia Bökelmann from Halle Community Foundation, Germany, reflects on the experience and lessons from their Youth Participation project.
It set out to test various ways of connecting with
and involving young people. Having explored how to find and connect with young people, the next step was to turn ideas into reality. Lydia concludes
‘Ultimately, it’s about empowering them to navigate these systems and take meaningful action in shaping their community’.
Community Foundations in Ukraine: Resilience in Times of War
Despite the ongoing war, Ukrainian community foundations continue to play a crucial role in supporting local populations, adapting to new
challenges, and fostering resilience. Viktoriia Zablotska from the National Network of Local Philanthropy Development shares insights into their efforts, highlighting the experiences of three foundations operating under extreme conditions.
