Making the Case and Being a Voice for Community Foundations
This brief sums up the insights from the online discussion, that ECFI hosted, about the distinctive role of CFSOs and CFs in advocacy. The conversation has been framed around three interconnected dimensions of advocacy: visibility; operating environment and addressing issues/topics.
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.
La Epifanía del Lugar
This opinion piece in Spanish argues that place-based philanthropy offers a powerful pathway to systemic change by grounding action in local realities. Community foundations, deeply embedded in their territories, combine long-term commitment, local knowledge, and relationship-building to address complex challenges holistically. Moving beyond crisis response, they act as connectors, facilitators, and catalysts of social transformation. The article highlights their unique capacity to build trust, strengthen social fabric, and reconfigure systems by working across sectors and mobilising diverse forms of capital at the local level.
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.
A beacon of hope in crisis: How Community Foundation for Northern Ireland stands for peace and equity
The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland has a long history of fostering hope and reconciliation. Now, faced with incidents of hate-motivated violence in their community, their ‘Equity in Action’ initiative is tackling disinformation, hate and social division head-on. Róisín Wood, CEO of the community foundation, shares in this article their vital long-term and rapid interventions.
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.
The Journey of Community Foundations in Portugal
Our next destination of our Interail mini-series is Portugal. Discover how community foundations are emerging and how the Portuguese Foundation Centre is supporting the development of the movement.
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.
