How can pooling resources help philanthropists more effectively address the world’s most pervasive challenges? Regardless of the stature of an individual funder’s contributions, partnerships often offer funders a better chance at solving complex challenges.

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) Vice President Heather Grady recently moderated a panel on Financing Change: Collaborative Approaches to Philanthropy at the Skoll World Forum in Oxford, England. Focused on the potential for collaborative funding to solve widespread social or environmental problems, the panel featured leaders working on this issue including Olivia Leland, Founder and CEO of Co-Impact; Neera Nundy, Founder and Partner of Dasra; Rukmini Banerji, CEO of Pratham; and Rebecca Onie, Co-Founder and CEO Emerita of Health Leads.

Drawing on the panelists’ expertise and RPA’s Scaling Solutions report, the discussion addressed topics including:

• The role of funders in systems change
• What standards and practices contribute to strong collaboration between funders and grantees
• How philanthropy can drive impact through partnerships

The opportunities of collaboration include starting from a place of trust, not distrust; funders learning from those working directly on challenges about how they view the drivers of systemic change; and operating with an understanding that collaboration takes extra time and effort, and isn’t always easy – but is essential to make sustained impact on any complex challenges.

Watch the full video on the Skoll World Forum website.

Learn more about RPA’s Scaling Solutions initiative.

Back to News