Cover photo by © European Union, 2019
“Leap 4 Dev: Elevating philanthropy as a key partner in localisation, development co-operation and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda”, an EU-funded partnership, will be launched by WINGS this year. Its goal is to leverage philanthropy’s engagement, funding, influence and added value to implement the 2030 Agenda and become a strategic partner in development co-operation, globally, and especially locally, in low- and middle-income countries. This is the first-ever Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA) to be signed between the EU, the biggest development funder in the world, and a philanthropy organisation. This highlights the importance of the philanthropy sector in achieving global development goals.
The partnership is the result of efforts initiated by WINGS to have philanthropy recognised as a key global development actor and represents an important milestone for WINGS as it will allow us to be closer to our members on the ground. It will also amplify local and regional voices internationally, and contribute to generating more domestic resources for civil society. With a budget of € 5,88 million, this partnership will run for four years, with 32 countries being prioritised.
Supporting local philanthropy where it is most needed is an essential part of the partnership, so €1,2 million will be directly distributed to WINGS members working in low- and middle-income countries to strengthen philanthropy ecosystems, support policy and advocacy actions at local and regional levels, and foster multi-stakeholder collaboration around the SDGs.
This partnership follows the two-year project “Unlocking Philanthropy’s Potential: Enhancing the Enabling Environment, Effectiveness and leveraging the contributions of Philanthropy actors” also funded by the European Union. In the past two years, we positioned philanthropy as a key player in international fora like the United Nations General Assembly, the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, and the Effective Development Co-operation Summit. We also created the first-ever WINGS Advocacy Strategy and published policy papers on key issues for philanthropy like localisation and cross-border giving (upcoming); and consolidated our position as #PhilanthropyForClimate advocates while encouraging all foundations, no matter their mission, to start their climate journey. The project also allowed us to create the WINGS Enabling Environment Fund which supported 11 projects in its first call and 5 in the second. The selected projects are mapping local conditions for philanthropy in different regions, advocating for better regulations for philanthropy and sharing and strengthening knowledge about local advocacy, the enabling environment and giving across borders. We have showcased philanthropy’s relevance at local and global levels, and its diversity, impact and possibilities for growth.
The Leap 4 Dev partnership is recognition of the importance of philanthropy as a sector and the role it can play in contributing to the 2030 Agenda. During these four years, we want to foster more effective, better-resourced and better-connected local and regional philanthropy support ecosystems, especially in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and Asia-Pacific. The partnership has a strong focus on participatory and collaborative research, creating more dialogue between philanthropy support organisations (PSOs), development funders and international agencies, facilitating horizontal knowledge sharing between players across low- to middle-income countries, providing coaching and capacity-building support to PSOs, and extending WINGS’ work in countries where we may not have a presence.
Our goal is to strengthen the enabling environment for philanthropy, build thriving philanthropy ecosystems, and influence the norms and practices of philanthropy toward greater impact, collaboration, and effectiveness. We want to see more favourable regulations for cross-border giving, easier access to financial services for philanthropic organisations, effective processes for data collection and monitoring and learning, and many more conditions indicative of a strong philanthropic environment.
In the face of multiple global crises, from climate change to growing inequality, it is time for philanthropy to rise up to the challenge and use its reach, flexibility, independence and resources to find, support, and accelerate locally-led solutions. This partnership is an important milestone not only for WINGS but for the entire field. We look forward to working with all of you to elevate philanthropy’s contribution to the 2030 Agenda in the next four years!