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Fear, honesty and hope: reflecting on Philea Forum 2025

Published: 30 October 2025 
Author: Holly Donagh 

Earlier this year, Philea – the Philanthropy Europe Association – held a gathering of funders from across Europe. Our Director, Strategic Learning, Insight and Influence, Holly Donagh, reflects on the main themes from the event. 

Responding to the changing global context 

The conference was titled Power and equality: a balancing act and the debate was supported by a new framework from Philea to enable philanthropy (regardless of geography, thematic focus, vision) to engage directly and explicitly in work towards greater equity. As the opening speaker Àngel Font from La Caixa said, ​“rights are central to human flourishing,” which is the shared project of philanthropy. 

Across Europe, Russia’s aggression and the rise of far-right political actors in the region dominate the conversation, as well as the impact of cuts to USAID. Attacks on civil society are rising and by extension those funding these causes are under more scrutiny. In some cases, funders’ operational independence and tax status is being threatened.

Areas which were once understood as largely politically uncontroversial – such as children’s right or the UN sustainable development goals – are now being contested. For funding colleagues who had never had to consider their work in this way, there was a sense of confusion and fear. However, as multiple speakers stressed, philanthropy’s role isn’t to have all the answers. As Françoise Moudouthe, CEO of the African Women’s Development Fund, put it: ​“if you don’t know how – know who.” 

Working collectively towards more hopeful futures 

Despite the challenging context, the breadth and diversity of European philanthropy offers solidarity and a sense that we do not individually have to be responsible for solving every problem. Audre Lorde said, ​“each of us must find our work and do it.” Not everyone needs to do the same work, we can find the work that speaks to our individual strengths and purpose, and with all shoulders to the wheel we will be more effective and stronger. 

In this context, here are some ideas that emerged from the conference on how philanthropy needs to act now. 

  • Find the words, don’t freeze. Fear of inviting controversy, fear of misspeaking, and fear of complexity can mean a retreat from engaging with the most pressing issues of our time. Larry Kramer, the legal scholar, also spoke about needing to engage with the mass of people who don’t have fiercely held views and who feel increasingly marginalised from public debates to help achieve progress. 

  • Talk about wealth. Effective work to tackle inequality starts with an honest appraisal of the history and impact of wealth accrual. Philea’s framework can help with this. 

  • Climate action has work for everyone. One of the most practical sessions I attended focused on the centrality of education to the climate project. Inclusive, creative, and lifelong education are all necessary to prepare our countries for climate transition. This is also true of social justice and rights issues, where enabling people to have faith in the decision-making systems of their countries and believing in necessary shared values are essential prerequisites for action.

  • Trust isn’t abstract, it’s built. At its core is civic work – standing up for truth, backing institutions that deliver, and fighting corruption. This work is happening all around us: libraries hosting community action, arts centres sparking new ways of thinking, local newsrooms surfacing stories that matter, grassroots leaders holding the line. The need is for long-term, consistent funding.

  • Don’t give up the future. Don’t forget the past. Philanthropy has a rare ability to look beyond short-term political cycles and invest in long-term change. That discipline is hard to hold in moments of crisis, but it’s precisely when it’s most needed. Looking back can also be a strategy, to connect to struggles and solutions throughout history and draw on the collective wisdom available. As one attendee said: ​‘don’t comply in advance’, by accepting that which should never be normalised. 

  • Collaboration as the norm. Hebe Foster from Telescope quoted Myron’s maxim, ​“the process you use to get to the future is the future you get.” By working in collaboration, and being creative and resilient in times of threat, philanthropy can set the tone for a more hopeful future. 

Holly Donagh
Director, Strategic Learning, Insight and Influence