Balkan Re-think Action Research. National research reports
The Re-think National Research Reports – Annex complements the Balkan Re-think synthesis by providing detailed country-level analyses from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Drawing on interviews, desk research, and practitioner insights, the annex explores how community foundations and support organisations navigate fragile civic environments, donor dependency, and limited capacity. It captures national specificities while reinforcing shared patterns around trust-building, local legitimacy, and the critical role of long-term support in transforming emerging initiatives into sustainable community-based institutions.
The ingredients of succession planning: in conversation with Agrigento and Trapani Community Foundation
ECFI, in collaboration with Article Org (AGO), hosted a second conversation on the topic of succession planning, exploring the recent experience of the Agrigento and Trapani Community Foundation. The Foundation’s former Director, Giuseppe La Rocca, stepped down, passing the baton to Viviana Rizzuto. The purpose of the meeting was to shed light on key elements and principles of a succession leadership strategy in the context of community foundations.
Transformation in funding practice – listening, learning, and acting
In 2019, Community Foundation Wales initiated a community consultation process to better understand the needs of its grantees. The results were strikingly consistent: the main concern was short-term, project-related funding, which prevented them from focusing on and delivering their mission. The foundation responded swiftly by reviewing its funding strategy to include support for core costs and for multi-year funding. In this interview, Andrea Powell, Director of Programmes (and Deputy Chief Executive), shares the organisation’s journey, the challenges it has faced, and the opportunities ahead.
The Greater Manchester Take-aways
This report collates reflections from European delegates to the UKCF conference 2022 ‘Foundations for the Future: Acting now to shape tomorrow’ and associated study visit to the community foundation ‘Forever Manchester’.
