Strategies for foundations - When, why and how to use venture philanthropy
There is a wide spectrum of engagement models for foundations: a single foundation may employ various strategies to fit their individual needs and goals. This publication investigates foundations’ practices, and how those relate to venture philanthropy.
Doing so, we have identified six strategies. We explain them through case studies of the following foundations based in four European countries:
- King Baudouin Foundation (KBF) in Belgium
- Fondazione CRT (FCRT) in Italy
- Esmée Fairbairn Foundation (EFF) in the UK
- d.o.b Foundation (d.o.b) in the Netherlands
Our cases illustrate the diversity of the foundation sector and the wealth of creativity, passion and ambition that characterise the world of philanthropy today. We find that, to most foundations, VP serves as a complement to existing practices and only in one case in this paper as an alternative. Overall, we demonstrate how venture philanthropy (VP) is becoming an integral part of the foundation toolbox.