Strengthening Community Philanthropy

Through various engagements, EAPN ensures that communities are empowered to mobilize various resources; financial, civic, social, human, political, and intellectual. This is done in order to enable communities to address challenges or to improve their quality of life. This concept is rooted in creating capacity for local resource mobilization and encouraging giving back to the communities in which they have shared interests, values or geographic area, based on the specific needs. Civil society organizations are at the heart of institutional philanthropy based on community organizations undertaking philanthropy as non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, trusts, and foundations.   

To enhance the operating environment, EAPN generates knowledge through mapping community philanthropy actors, their programs and resources in the region. We also work with various organizations to carry out necessary research and documentation of best practices that promote community philanthropy. We are keen on creating an enabling environment by collaborating with other organizations in pushing for an enabling environment for community philanthropy in the region.  We encourage communities to share their stories, for learning as well as to inspire others to follow in the same path of local resource mobilization.  

We are building a network by bringing together institutions and support systems for community philanthropy in the region through a learning group on community philanthropy that will create a learning platform for all practitioners in the region. EAPN further engages various community philanthropy actors to strengthen the network of funders in this space and have a forum that will bring them together periodically.