How can we build a better future for all? What might a preferred future of society look like? How can philanthropy play a role in achieving this future? These are the types of questions foresight and futures thinking aim to address. Futures thinking and foresight have the potential to provide great value for philanthropy, yet the majority of its applications have been housed in the private sector. For this reason, Philanthropy Europe Association (Philea) developed the Futures Philanthropy initiative which aims to explore how European philanthropies can harness futures to build better future societies. 

On May 2, 2024 Philea hosted a webinar to launch a new report by the Futures Philanthropy Initiative and the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies entitled “Futures Philanthropy: Anticipation for the Common Good.” The webinar included a series of discussions with European philanthropies, interactive futures activities, and a presentation highlighting key aspects of the report. 

The webinar discussions focused on how philanthropies can leverage futures and foresight as well as the role of philanthropy in shaping the future of Europe. As noted during these discussions, philanthropies have the ability to go beyond short-term thinking and incorporate long-term visions of the future in their agenda setting processes. Speakers emphasized that when thinking about long-term futures, we cannot just think about future events. We also must consider roles, responsibilities, and influence towards public problems. In other words, 20th century change makers may play a different role in respect to 21st century problems. 

The report introduces the concept of “Futures Philanthropy” and provides a series of approaches on how philanthropies of all sizes can accelerate their anticipatory capacity. A few key takeaways from the report:

• Futures Philanthropy is about leveraging futures thinking and its associated methods and tools within philanthropic processes in order to achieve a more positive long-term future. Embracing Futures Philanthropy first requires cultivating a “futures mindset.” The report provides a series of tools that can be leveraged towards that end. 

• The report includes the findings from its survey, “Exploring 21st Century Philanthropy,” including respondents from 140 European and 65 global philanthropies. These include:

• Digital technologies was seen as one of the main factors that has impacted the philanthropic sector to-date. 

• Respondents noted that they are interested in exploring topics such as “systemic approaches; trust-based philanthropy; focus on breakthrough innovation; integrating futures thinking and foresight; and collaborating with governments, businesses, and communities.” 

• “AI and Automation” and a “network economy” were listed as two of the fourteen large-scale drivers of change that could impact philanthropy in the future. 

• Many of the respondents ranked digital education, the impacts of AI, and blockchain as areas in need of less philanthropic attention than issues such as climate change, mental health, and inequality. 

• Several philanthropies across Europe are already implementing future focused practices such as funding the development of new innovations and quantum computing.

• The team provides four principles to accelerate Futures Philanthropy across the European sector. These include: address root causes, empower communities, focus on discovery, and cultivate long view. The principles are accompanied by several examples of how philanthropies can adopt them in the context of their work. 

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Read the full report here. 

Interested in learning more about how foresight and forecasting can be combined within grant making processes? Read the DATA4Philanthropy Data Innovation Primer on Futures Studies here.