2-3 December, 2021

University College Dublin / Virtual

As the new century comes of age – at 21 – this conference will addressed the contribution of philanthropy in Europe to bridge existing and new divides in society. Covid-19 has put tremendous strains on the way we were used to organize our societies. What role for philanthropy to bridge the gaps caused by covid-19? What effects does covid-19 has on philanthropy itself? And to what extent can philanthropy overcome populism, polarization and rising levels of inequality and immigration to keep communities together by connecting religious groups, native and immigrant groups, the rich and poor and address the Sustainable Development Goals? As philanthropy is increasingly viewed from a critical perspective, participants were invited to explore its responsibility to reduce inequality and what consequences this may have in the future.

Now is the time to bridge the gap between theory and practice in the philanthropic space and we should address the question on how to best organize this. To what extent are the concepts of charitable giving and philanthropic giving intertwined or diverging roads? How will we navigate the tensions that exist between government funding  and private philanthropic giving?  Participants considered how  philanthropy  (including venture philanthropy, social impact investment and social innovation) shaped the landscape of giving in the twenty-first century in the aftermath of covid-19.

Hosted by the Sutherland School of Law at University College Dublin, in partnership with, Trinity College Dublin and Philanthropy Ireland, the conference welcomed  scholars from all disciplines and practitioners of philanthropy who share a motivation to discuss the purpose and practice of philanthropy in the present day, and to generate new questions about how philanthropy might develop in the future. The conference also offered participants the opportunity to learn about the developments in philanthropic practice in Europe.

Scholars and philanthropy professionals were invited to speak to these conference themes and also to the following related areas:

• Altruism and generosity
• Bequests and intergenerational transfers
• Cross-border giving
• Comparative cross-country studies of philanthropy
• Corporate philanthropy and CSR
• COVID-19 and philanthropy
• Cross-sector collaboration with for profit organizations and government
• Diaspora and community philanthropy
• Donor motivations, concerns and advisory needs
• Economics of philanthropy
• Efficacy, efficiency and performance evaluation
• Emerging philanthropy (philanthropies)
• European philanthropy (or philanthropies)
• Family philanthropy
• Fundraising strategies and practices
• Foundation roles and strategies
• Governance of foundations
• High net worth philanthropy
• Impact, outcomes and outputs of philanthropy
• Inclusion and philanthropy
• Legal, fiscal and regulatory issues in philanthropy
• Methodology for philanthropy research
• Morality and ethics of giving
• New frontiers and innovation in philanthropy
• Philanthropy and democracy
• Private and public foundations
• SDGs and philanthropy
• Social innovation, crowdfunding and philanthropy
• Strategies for philanthropy
• Theories of giving and volunteering
• Venture philanthropy, social investment
• Volunteering, giving time
• Other philanthropy related topics