#GivingTuesday 2016 Featured Partner
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Foundation Center is an innovative nonprofit that gathers and analyzes data, shares it worldwide, and empowers people like you to understand and increase philanthropy’s ability to improve the world |
One of CAF America’s featured partners for #GivingTuesday 2016, Foundation Center’s superlative work in the philanthropic sphere is one of the focuses of our campaign in the lead up to #GivingTuesday 2016. We will highlight their work around the world in creating strategic partnerships between the public and private sectors to help solve important social issues.
Featured Stories 2016
You can Connect the Dots for Global Philanthropy, Lauren Bradford, Director of Global Partnerships, Foundation Center
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Data is something we all want. Data, though, is not something we can all have…well, not right now at least. In order for data to be collected, processed, analyzed, and eventually shared—all while taking into account individual country contexts around the world—the data has to exist in the first place. This may seem obvious, but it is often a fundamental oversight globally. For example, we simply don’t know the impact that foundations in Kenya are having on a sector like health, or what funds they are directing to various issues, and how that compares to the impact and spending by government programs or international aid. As a result, we have no way of knowing if philanthropy is making a difference or if there’s a way that these dollars could be used more effectively. This is not just the case for Kenya, but in countries across the global North and South. The reason we do not have a complete picture of the philanthropy sector’s contribution, and its role within the development ecosystem is because there is a lack of data culture and data skills. It’s not just a small gap, but a pretty big one. Unfortunately, data is not seen as sexy, yet it is a necessity for any grantmaking or operating foundation to do its job effectively. |
