Charlotte Smith

Thrive Philanthropy Grants 2026 Funding: $10,000 – $30,000 per project Opportunity Overview The Thrive Philanthropy Grants Programme 2026 is now open for applications from non-profit organizations operating outside the United States that are working to transform global food systems. This programme supports initiatives that advance sustainable, plant-rich food systems, reduce dependence on industrial animal agriculture, and promote healthier and climate-resilient dietary alternatives. 💰 Funding Details Grants range from $10,000 to $30,000 per project. Funding supports initiatives focused on: * Advocacy and policy engagement * Public awareness and behavior change * Programmatic interventions promoting plant-based food systems 🌱 Priority Areas * Transition toward sustainable, plant-rich food systems * Reduction of industrial animal agriculture dependency * Improved access to nutritious plant-based diets * Public awareness and education initiatives * Development of ethical and climate-friendly food systems ✅ Eligibility Criteria Applications are open to non-profit organizations based outside the United States. Eligible applicants should: * Be mid-sized or established organizations * Demonstrate a proven track record of implementation and impact * Show strong alignment with sustainable food systems transformation 🌍 Geographic Scope Global eligibility (excluding organizations registered in the United States) 📅 Application Deadlines Applications are reviewed three times per year: * 1 June * 1 September * 1 December 🔗 Apply for Thrive Philanthropy Grants 2026 Official Application Portal: https://lnkd.in/dxhCMzFg

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The quiet power of collaborative development: lessons from the Lewisham Black Voluntary Sector Network(LBVN). Collaboration gets talked about a lot in our sector, but real collaborative development is rare. It is what happens when people decide to build something together that none of them could create alone. The Lewisham Black Voluntary Sector Network is one of the clearest examples of this in action. Two years ago, LBVN was a loose group of Black social entrepreneurs trying to navigate the same barriers many of us know too well. Limited access to funding. Under-recognised leadership. Brilliant community work held together by grit rather than sustainable structures. Then the shift happened. People like Mottie Omideyi of Joined Up Thinking CIC and Susan Rowe stepped forward, co-chaired the emerging network and put in the kind of personal time and sacrifice that rarely gets acknowledged. The steering group did the same. This was collaborative development built on trust, not hierarchy. Lewisham Local played its part by incubating, resourcing and supporting the network through the Black Infrastructure Support Project. Lewisham Council and the ICB invested early. Members kept showing up. And the network grew from a mutual interest group into a fully incorporated organisation with capacity-building leads, fundraising support, micro-grants and practical tools that Black-led organisations simply didn’t have before. The impact has been real. CICs are becoming grant-ready. Leaders are getting mentoring. Funding applications are landing. The BLACHIR recommendations are being acted on through community-led leadership. And money is circulating more locally, strengthening the Black social economy in Lewisham. LBVN shows that collaborative development is not a buzzword. It is a power-building strategy. When institutions back community leadership with respect, resources and patience, the whole ecosystem gets stronger. Lewisham is better for it. And the lesson is simple. Start with people. Build together. Then let collaboration drive local power.

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Excelllent piece by Jack McCarthy, Founder of Appletree early learning schools, on what we need now from philanthropy. The best approach is often scaling and implementing what we know works. That can be the best and highest use of philanthropic dollars - instead of searching for a better mousetrap (I.e., innovation)!

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"Scale down before you scale up" In today’s development ecosystem, scaling up has become the ultimate badge of success. Donors, INGOs, impact investors, and governments want multi-geography programmes, quick results, and visible impact. But an uncomfortable truth often gets ignored: 👉 Very little time, energy, or funding is invested in establishing a solid proof of concept. Scaling without a robust PoC is not ambition—it is risk disguised as confidence. A proof of concept is where ideas meet reality: • Does it actually work on the ground? • For whom does it work—and who does it exclude? • Under what conditions does it fail or succeed? Yet pilots today are expected to be “scale-ready” from day one, leaving little room for experimentation, learning, and adaptation. Scaling down is not thinking small. It is thinking deep. It allows us to test assumptions, listen to communities, understand institutional barriers, and identify what cannot be standardised. Here lies the paradox: Everyone wants to fund proven ideas, but very few want to fund the work required to prove them. Strong PoCs demand intensive investment—time, facilitation, learning cycles, and honest engagement with failure. Ignoring this only shifts the risk to the scale stage. Maybe it’s time we reframe success in development. Not by how fast or how wide we scale, but by how well we learn before scaling. The real question is not: “How fast can we scale?” It is: “What do we truly know works—and why?” #DevelopmentPractice #ProofOfConcept #ScalingImpact #AdaptiveManagement #SystemsThinking #SocialInnovation

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Every April, the social sector faces the same reality: too much reporting pressure, too little time. NGO leaders and programme teams are expected to turn raw project data, case stories, and outcomes into polished CSR impact reports under tight donor deadlines. In some organisations, that means producing dozens of reports in just a few weeks. That is exactly why I started building AI workflows for the social sector. Recently, I created a custom Space to generate the first draft of CSR Annual Impact Reports using raw project data. Not the final report. Not a shortcut to authentic storytelling. But a strong first draft built from existing data, structure, and recurring reporting needs. And that changes everything. Because the hardest part of reporting is often not editing. It is starting. Customized GPTs, Gems, and Spaces can help teams generate strong first drafts for recurring tasks like annual reports, donor updates, and programme summaries, newsletters and social media posts. In the social sector, AI is not just a productivity tool. It is a capacity-building tool. #NonProfitLeadership #AIForGood #CSR #DevelopmentSector #ImpactReporting #NGOLeadership #SocialImpact #FutureOfWork

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The latest Power to Praxis newsletter is out. This piece reflects on what the current “reset” in the aid and community development sector feels like in practice. Not as a headline, but in the everyday realities of shorter contracts, tighter programs, and shifting expectations. It explores positionality as practice, how our location within systems shapes what we see, what we question, and how we advocate. It also draws on recent Power to Praxis workshops and practice circles, where practitioners are sitting with uncertainty, naming the limits of current systems, and continuing to find ways to practise with intention. If you are working in GEDSI, community development, or social impact spaces, and navigating similar tensions, this may resonate. https://lnkd.in/gvADpRHD

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The innovation gap isn't about technology - it's about speed. "Impatient capital" means recognizing that the greatest risk isn't investing too early - it's moving too slowly when solutions already exist. We couldn’t agree more with Christiana Figueres and Climate Lead - we need "impatient capital" to unlock the solutions sitting in America's research labs and universities. #ImpatientCapital #ClimateInnovation #TechTransfer #ClimatePhilanthropy #Philanthropy

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Across global philanthropy, there’s a pattern that keeps resurfacing: funding designed for “local impact” rarely ends up with the people who actually live and work in those communities. OECD DAC data shows that 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟵𝟬% of civil society support from major donors goes to organizations based in donor countries. Less than 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝟭𝟬% reaches local CSOs directly. That gap isn’t just a moral dilemma. It’s an efficiency leak. Anyone who spends time with youth-led or community-rooted groups knows the reality: when the resources are unstable, progress slows down, no matter how much energy or goodwill people bring. One climate philanthropy review found that 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵-𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟬.𝟳𝟲% of major climate funder support - despite being the ones who actually move public sentiment and mobilize action. In the Western Balkans, the dynamics are similar. Youth unemployment and inactivity remain among the highest in Europe, and many local organizations working with young people are still trapped in short funding cycles that don’t match the long timelines needed for real change. For family offices and foundations thinking about how to build deeper, more durable global impact, this isn’t a dead end - it’s an opening. Working with 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 reduces context risk, sharpens due diligence, and creates outcomes that don’t evaporate when a project ends. These organizations sit closest to young people, schools, municipalities and community groups. They translate donor intent into something that makes sense locally - whether it’s leadership programs, employability pathways, community engagement, or supporting newcomers. They’re the connective tissue that keeps initiatives alive long after a pilot report is filed. Working in this ecosystem in Serbia has made one thing very clear: 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁, 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹-𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 don’t just create “projects.” They create communities of young people who can actually sustain momentum and build something of their own. That’s the landscape we operate in - and the direction many thoughtful funders are beginning to move toward as they look for long-term, trusted partners. https://lnkd.in/dcMcrwt8 #LocallyLedDevelopment #YouthEmpowerment #WesternBalkans

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2026 will reward NGOs that evolve fast. All my recent conversations with grantmakers point towards 3 words: Innovation. Trust. Sustainability. If you want to secure high-level Grant Funding next year, build around these pillars. Here’s your roadmap to align with what top funders expect in 2026 👇 1️⃣ Lead With Innovation + Measurable Impact Fresh ideas win. But only when backed by real-world results and clear metrics. 📌 Show what's new and prove it works. 2️⃣ Build Collaborative Partnerships Funders love alliances. Gov agencies. NGOs. Local leaders. 📌 Highlight partnerships that scale impact and stretch resources. 3️⃣ Prioritize Transparency + Storytelling Data builds trust. Stories build emotion. 📌 Report clearly. Share human-impact wins. Create connection. 4️⃣ Create Sustainable Revenue Streams Monthly donors. Diversified income. Long-term funding plans. 📌 Show you're built to last, not just survive grant cycles. 5️⃣ Use Tech + AI Ethically AI for efficiency. Human approach for impact. 📌 Demonstrate ethical tech use + data integrity. 6️⃣ Embed DEI Thoughtfully Mission-aligned. Strategic. Respectful of context. 📌 Show genuine inclusion, not performative language. 7️⃣ Be Flexible + Build Funder Relationships Funding trends shift. Relationships don’t. 📌 Engage year-round. Adapt as priorities evolve. Funders have evolved. NGOs that do the same will win, sustainably and strategically. Which trend will your organization prioritize first? 👇 ♻️ If you found this helpful, please repost so others can benefit too 🔔 Follow me for more resources and grant writing advice #grantsconsultant #nonprofitfunding #grantwriting #donordevelopment #fundraisingstrategy #communityimpact

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A new Devex piece from the Global Philanthropy Forum captures a tension many people feel about the gap between the sector’s language and its operating model. - Philanthropy talks more and more about trust, systems change, and shifting power. - But many funders still struggle to move from conversation to practice. Two practical examples stood out: - EdelGive Foundation brought together 37 funders to provide $12 million in unrestricted support to 100 grassroots organizations in India. More than half later raised significant additional funding. - The #HalfMyDAF campaign used $2 million in matching funds to help spur $24 million in giving from donor-advised funds. Will philanthropy move away from capital preservation and toward capital deployment? https://lnkd.in/ec-dv6pv #Philanthropy #ImpactInvesting #SocialImpact #DevelopmentFinance

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A question that Jigisha’s post made me reflect on: Are our systems really helping us understand impact… or are they simply helping us report it better? In many organisations today, enormous effort goes into improving dashboards, indicators, and performance metrics. Reporting becomes sharper. Data becomes richer. But the deeper system driving outcomes often remains unchanged. Interestingly, a similar pattern appears in how many people evaluate their own lives and careers. We become very good at tracking visible indicators of success: Titles Milestones Productivity Achievements On paper, everything can look perfectly aligned. Yet internally, many people feel a quiet sense of misalignment they cannot easily explain. One idea explored in The Slack Doctrine is that meaningful insight rarely emerges in environments that are constantly optimising for output. It emerges when there is enough space to observe patterns beneath the surface. Tools like the Birkman Signature Report are interesting in this context because they point toward motivations, needs, and stress behaviours that often remain invisible in everyday performance metrics. In other words, they help us look below the dashboard of our lives. Just as organisations can become trapped in measuring impact, individuals can become trapped in externally defined measures of success. Real change often begins not with pushing harder, but with understanding the deeper patterns shaping our decisions. And that kind of understanding requires something many modern systems rarely allow: Slack. So I’m curious: Have you ever experienced a moment when everything looked successful from the outside — but internally you realised something needed to change? Those moments often become the start of a very different journey.

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Time for a re-introduction. I haven’t always got it right when it comes to impact measurement and evaluation. Short-term, compliance-led evaluation rarely supports learning or better decisions – particularly in health, social care and financial inclusion, where outcomes unfold over time and uncertainty is unavoidable. That’s why the work I now focus on is longer-term impact and learning partnerships. 👉 In practice, that means doubling down on: Designing evaluation so evidence captures what matters and informs decisions. Working alongside teams as programmes evolve. Supporting honest sense-making rather than tidy narratives. Helping organisations use evidence responsibly, without over-claiming. This approach isn’t always the quickest or the easiest. But it is the one that best supports credibility, learning, adaptation and long-term impact – while centring lived experience and addressing inequality. If you’re navigating these questions in your own work, and want to explore what a learning partnership might look like, I’m always open to conversations about what helps – and what doesn’t – when learning from complex change.

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“Evaluation should be a practice of learning and liberation – not control.” This quote from Kamna Muralidharan, at the CHEW Festival of Impact and Evaluation really struck a chord. I’ll link the full article in the comments, it’s well worth a read. At Insley Consulting, we’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to shift power in evaluation – not just in theory, but in how we actually work with charities. For us, that’s looked like moving away from one-off, chunky reports and towards more meaningful, real-time ways of learning: • Dashboards that help teams see and use their data as they go • Simple learning logs to reflect on what’s working (and what’s not) • Regular calls to make sense of findings and adapt in real time We’re finding this approach helps organisations feel more confident using their data – not just for funders, but for themselves. We have availability for new work from November onwards, and we know budgets can be tight until the new financial year - so we’re happy to talk about monthly or quarterly payment options to help with cash flow. If you’re rethinking how your charity measures and learns from its impact, I’d love to hear from you. #Evaluation #Impact #LearningCulture #CharityLeadership #MonitoringAndEvaluation #CHEW

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This piece by Clare Nolan really resonated with the current challenges faced by nonprofit boards and foundations in particular- a definite game changer!

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Empact is proud be part of AVPN’s efforts to practice Trust Based Philanthropy (TBP), providing capacity building support for grantees like Azad Foundation India & Enrich HK over multiple years. Our capacity building support for AVPN grantees included:  • Needs assessment to assist individual grantees in identifying specific organisational challenges such that they are able to receive more tailored support • Masterclasses to level up knowledge of grantees for areas of common needs  • Peer learning sessions to leverage on the relative strengths of grantees - enabling them to learn from others’ experiences whilst cultivating a supportive community • One-to-one clinics to provide personalised guidance to each grantee by delving deeper into each grantee’s unique challenges We believe that the Trust Based Philanthropy (TBP) model practiced by AVPN could truly enable sustainable impact as it endeavours to elevate the capacity of grantees such that they are able to deliver meaningful impact whilst operating in a more effective and efficient manner. #trustbasedphilanthropy #capacitybuilding #peerlearning #masterclasses #onetooneclinics

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Strengthening Fund Development Strategy: Why It Matters for Nonprofit Sustainability Strong nonprofit organizations do not grow by accident. They grow when fundraising strategy, financial design, and stakeholder alignment are treated as a single system rather than separate activities. AtlaceImpact is reflecting on what strengthens national and federated organizations as they scale impact across regions, partners, and communities. Several key areas consistently determine whether organizations move from fragmented fundraising to long-term sustainability: • Fundraising strategy that is intentionally diversified, not dependent on one revenue stream • Financial and funding model analysis that clearly connects mission delivery to sustainable revenue structures • National systems thinking that ensures alignment between headquarters, regional entities, and program delivery • Stakeholder engagement across federated networks that builds trust, shared priorities, and coordinated action • Donor ecosystem development that integrates major gifts, corporate partnerships, and philanthropic investment into one coherent approach • Internal capacity alignment so strategy is matched with staffing, tools, and governance clarity In federated organizations, especially, misalignment between national and regional fundraising efforts can limit growth more than a lack of opportunity. When funding models are unclear or disconnected, even strong programs struggle to scale sustainably. AtlaceImpact continues to help organizations strengthen these foundations so fundraising isn't reactive, but strategically designed to support long-term mission impact and organizational resilience. #NonprofitLeadership #FundDevelopment #FundraisingStrategy #Philanthropy #FinancialSustainability #FundingModel #FederatedOrganizations #StrategicPlanning #NonprofitGrowth #CapacityBuilding #SocialImpact #AtlaceImpact

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Impact: a true story A couple of years ago I was having a conversation with this person who is widely regarded as a 'guru' in Impact space. The kind of person who puts ‘strategic philanthropy’ and ‘impact investing’ in their own bio (or was it impact philanthropy and strategic investment - i can never remember). They were extremely passionate about an impact project conceptualised and funded by them- the impact story was so powerful that I remember actually apologising to the person for not being familiar with their project. A couple of months later I had an opportunity to do a deep dive into the project. I saw that ~90% of planned beneficiaries had NOT even been enrolled- and some of the enrolled were complete misfits (very strong vibes of Sarpanch ki Bahu being added in a free sewing machine distribution list). None of the planned activities had been done - Zero- Zilch! Infact many were not even possible as the minimum required number for the activity was not available. And this apparently was not new or unique to this cohort. The past cohort had even mutinied against the executing team. But what was at 💯 % was the impact story. Full credit to the story telling ability of the team and leadership. And the billing to the donor- also at 💯 %. Literally a Hava Mahal- and like its namesake, a beautiful facade with very little behind it. (And also literally, a lot of hava!) And in multiple other assessments I have looked at, the devil has always been at activity execution level. ALWAYS. And I have seen instances where strong execution has papered over the cracks in TOC and failed assumptions. But I have never seen a model where a perfect TOC has covered up for crappy execution. And that brings me to my belief- you can bullshit impact stories, but you can't bullshit activities - real onground actions. And if there is no activity on the ground, there can never be an impact. And the beauty is - activities can be observed in real time. One doesn't have to wait for time to pass to observe ‘impact’. Corrections can also happen in real time. So can fraud detection. Activity execution is tough. But to paraphrase Rajiv Bajaj, activities eat impact for breakfast.

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What’s New in the 2026 Foundation Operations & Management Report (FOMR)? New benchmarking data shows how foundations with few or no staff are evolving: 📊 39% say Catalytic Leadership in Philanthropy (CLIP) is largely or completely aligned with their approach 📊 71% of family foundations formally engage next-generation members 📊 55% receive applications through an online grants portal (24% via email; 18% paper; 14% no written application) 📊 80% award grants locally, with an average of 74% of grant dollars staying in their communities 📊 Mission-investing foundations reported average returns of 10%, compared to 11% among those not mission investing The 2026 FOMR offers a clear snapshot of trends shaping leadership, governance, grantmaking, and investments among lean funders. ➡️ Read the full blog post & get your copy >>https://lnkd.in/eibe7WHs #Philanthropy #LeanFunders #FoundationLeadership #BenchmarkingData

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