Swiss Philanthropy Foundation organized a breakfast on the theme of collaboration in philanthropy at the Impact Hub Geneva on 21 March 2017. A highly topical subject, as impact and collaboration are recurring topics in all conversations. This debate, animated in a vivid and pertinent way by Tibère Adler, Avenir Suisse’s Director for French-speaking Switzerland, presented a practical example of collaboration between four family foundations, including the Oak foundation in Geneva and the MAVA foundation in Gland. Innovative in its form, this collaboration between four key players in philanthropy called Partners for a New Economy (P4NE) is sheltered by Swiss Philanthropy Foundation.
Indeed, the model of the hosting foundation and its solution of a collaborative fund bring a real advantage in the organization of the P4NE Fund. Sabrina Grassi, Administration Manager of Swiss Philanthropy Foundation, stressed the advantage of pooling resources and mutualizing costs, thus making the collaborative fund an advantageous solution that allows to achieve broader objectives while making economies of scale. Leslie Harroun, Director of the P4NE Fund, was also present to share her experience of running such a fund. She explained her way of ensuring the selection of projects around four guiding principles: risk taking, innovation, networking and inspiration of results. In addition, the fund strives to support projects aimed at transforming the economy while enhancing ecological integrity and human well-being. From her point of view, working with a hosting foundation allows her to focus on the impact of the Fund’s goal.
For example, P4NE supports the Council on Economic Policies (CEP), a think tank focused on the implementation of an international economic policy including sustainable tax and monetary measures. Alexander Barkawi, Founder and Director of CEP, was also invited to present his views as a beneficiary. He recalled that the project proposed to the Fund was in partnership with the New Economics Foundation in London. He also recognized the challenge of CEP’s mission and the importance of working closely with donors who support CEP’s activity.
For more information:
– About P4NE and the projects it supports : p4ne.org
– About Avenir Suisse’s report on Swiss foundations : avenir-suisse.ch
– About the activities of the Council on Economic Policies : cepweb.org
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