Beyond the Usual

Charting the future of philanthropy will require thinking beyond the usual and getting holistic. We can no longer ignore the need for philanthropy and business to move in concert, nor the fact that a foundation’s impact comes not only from its philanthropic partnerships but also from its investment approaches and decisions. Beyond Grants calls for in-depth discussion, on strategic and operational levels, about the future of philanthropy and its core instruments.

Bridging philanthropy and impact investing

Philanthropic organisations have a great role to play when it comes to achieving and generating positive social change. Foundations can move along the continuum of capital, adopting diverse strategies and benefitting from an extensive toolbox of non-financial and financial resources from their programme activities and the investments of their endowments.
Our 2-year initiative (2025-26) aims to help actors from the philanthropic and impact investing ecosystems find synergies. For philanthropic organisations, it will enable well-informed exploration of impact investing. For impact investors, it’s about finding new partners throughout the continuum of capital. Both audiences get a more holistic view of the tools available for positive social and environmental change.

Aiding decision-making

We aim to create an enabling and transparent environment in Europe for philanthropic organisations to make informed decisions on the elements of impact investing that are suitable, practical and beneficial for their work.
The initiative addresses growing interest of philanthropic organisations about entering the impact investing space, accounting for a mixed level of experience and knowledge amongst philanthropic organisations.

A hub for events and resources

Get started on your organisation’s learning journey with convenings, papers, cases, data analysis and policy influence on impact investing for philanthropic organisations.

About the partnership
Impact Europe and Philea bring unique skills, knowledge and reach towards the goal of demystifying impact investing for philanthropic organisations. By working together, we seek to establish clear pathways for experienced, new and potential practitioners. The workplan is built by its practitioner community, guided by its needs and supported by a dedicated Advisory Board.