Philanthropy report published by IU will make its international debut in Berlin
By Bethany Nolan
May 23, 2017
With the help of Indiana University’s Global Gateway Network, representatives of the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in Indianapolis will introduce the school’s widely consulted Global Philanthropy Environment Index overseas in June.
The index is the world’s most comprehensive initiative to equip policymakers, philanthropic and nonprofit leaders, the business community, and the public with a clear understanding of the environment for global philanthropy.
“To be able to publicly launch this report in Berlin, thanks to the help of the university’s Global Gateway Network and presidential research funding, is a wonderful opportunity to further share our findings on a global scale,” said Una Osili, professor of economics and associate dean for research and international programs at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. “This is the only report of its kind to capture the factors that enable philanthropy to thrive or not, and we must share that information in a way that can be useful and informative to global leaders who can, ultimately, help channel resources to meet the world’s most pressing problems.”
The European launch event, funded by a President’s International Research Award, will begin at 4 p.m. Central European Time (10 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time) June 1 at the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt in Berlin, Germany. The event is supported by IU’s Europe Gateway, one of four such offices in the university’s Global Gateway Network that connect IU faculty, students, staff, and alumni with resources to help further their academic and professional interests around the globe. Students in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy’s study abroad program, “Philanthropy and Public Policy: the German Context,” will participate in the launch event, offering them an additional, meaningful educational experience.
“We always appreciate the chance to work closely with one of IU’s gateway offices, whose support has been invaluable in helping us launch this report internationally,” said Amir Pasic, the Eugene R. Tempel Dean of the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. “The world's ability to maximize the impact of philanthropy in response to immediate crises and long-term challenges requires that we understand how laws, policies, and cultural attitudes shape success or failure. This report helps get detailed, useful information to those who need to hear it.”
Osili will present the report’s findings in a talk titled “The Changing Landscape of Global Philanthropy,” facilitated by Max Von Abendroth with the Donors and Foundations Networks Europe in Brussels, and panel members:
- Michael Alberg-Seberich, Beyond Philanthropy in Berlin.
- Helmut Anheier, Hertie School of Governance in Berlin.
- Alessia Gianoncelli, European Venture Philanthropy Association in Brussels.
- Charles Sellen, Agence Française de Développement in Paris.
While in Berlin, representatives of the school will also convene a workshop of European experts who contributed to the report, giving them the opportunity to meet face to face to review the report’s methodology and discuss trends in Europe.
“The Europe events connect the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy research and international programs team with scholars and experts working in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Serbia, and Spain, some of whom are leading the field in their home countries,” said Cathie Carrigan, managing director of international programs with the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. “Their presence will facilitate a deeper understanding of the opportunities in specific countries to help create a more enabling environment for philanthropy.”
The five factors measured in the 2018 Global Philanthropy Environment Index are regulations about the formation and operation of philanthropic organizations; laws governing the giving and receiving of donations domestically; laws governing donations made across borders; the political and governance environment; and the sociocultural environment. This is the first year that the report has included a review of the political and sociocultural environments in the analysis.
For more than a decade, the Hudson Institute provided in-depth research on philanthropy around the world with its Index of Global Philanthropy and Remittances, as well as research on the incentives and barriers to global giving through its Index of Philanthropic Freedom beginning in 2013.
In 2017, these indices were formally transferred to the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, which is taking the initiative to the next level and will continue to publish them under new titles: the Global Philanthropy Resource Flows Index and the Global Philanthropy Environment Index.
These two global indices are jointly funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, International Development Research Centre, the Indiana University Office of the President, the Office of the Vice President for International Programs, and the Office of the Vice President for Research at Indiana University, as well as the IU Indianapolis Office of International Affairs.
Carrigan said the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy will continue to work with experts from European countries as it develops the forthcoming Global Philanthropy Resource Flows Index, which measures total aid from developed and emerging countries to developing countries, while also highlighting the collaborative partnerships and infrastructure that support philanthropic efforts across the globe.
In addition, she said, the school plans to work with the university’s other three Global Gateway offices in Mexico, India and China to introduce its philanthropy research to other parts of the globe.
