ERNOP Online Series 2026-2027
Trust-Based Philanthropy as a Driver of Nonprofit Outcomes
November 24, 2026, 10-11 (CET)
Speaker: Silke Boenigk (University of Hamburg), Lena Michelle Höpken (University of Hamburg) & Eva Schneider (Wider Sense)
About this seminar:
This ERNOP webinar will explore trust-based philanthropy and its implications for funding relationships between nonprofit organisations and philanthropic foundations. Drawing on a research–practice collaboration, Silke Boenigk and Lena Höpken (University of Hamburg) and Eva Schneider (#TrustCreatesImpact / Wider Sense) present new empirical insights into how trust-based philanthropy shapes nonprofit outcomes.
The findings highlight how moving away from conventional, top-down funding approaches towards trustful, partnership-based grantmaking relationships — whereby foundations actively listen to the needs of their partner organisations and act as collaborators to realise their shared mission — can strengthen nonprofit capacities and improve both short- and long-term outcomes. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of grantee perspectives and outlines new directions for future work in this emerging research field.
The session addresses key questions: What challenges do nonprofit organisations experience in their grantmaking relationships? How does trust-based philanthropy reshape funding relationships between nonprofits and foundations? What responsibilities do grantmaking foundations carry in fostering more sustainable and equitable partnerships?
Designed to connect research and practice, the webinar invites reflection and exchange on the implications of these findings for philanthropy.
About Silke Boenigk
Silke Boenigk is a Professor of Business Administration at the University of Hamburg, Germany, with a focus on the management of nonprofit organizations. Her key research areas are nonprofit relationship management, fundraising, blood donor behavior, nonprofit leadership, and trust-based philanthropy. She also serves as program director of the Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Public and Nonprofit Studies (PUNO). She has published widely on nonprofit management topics and has developed sustainable cooperations with nonprofit practitioners such as a cooperation with the German Red Cross Blood Donation Service/Social Impact Research Lab as well as with Wider Sense on trust-based philanthropy. Silke Boenigk serves as an editorial board member for Nonprofit Management and Leadership and as a reviewer for NVSQ, Voluntas, and several other journals. The University of Hamburg’s Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences is an institutional ERNOP member.About Silke Boenigk
About Lena Höpken
Lena Höpken is a second-year PhD candidate within Silke Boenigk’s professorship at the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, University of Hamburg, Germany. Her research explores philanthropic relationships, with a particular focus on trust-based philanthropy as well as the mechanisms and effects of unrestricted funding.
About the Department of Socioeconomics, University of Hamburg
The Department of Socioeconomics explores the interactions between the economy and society from the perspective of various disciplines such as business administration, economics, sociology, and law. The department is interested in the question of how processes work and how they can be shaped to create a livable society.
About Eva Schneider
Eva Schneider is a senior consultant at Wider Sense GmbH and also works at the foundation-led initiative #TrustCreatesImpact. Her areas of expertise include participatory and European philanthropy, corporate citizenship, purpose-driven organizations, and social impact strategies.
About #TrustCreatesImpact
#TrustCreatesImpact is a network of approximately 40 philanthropic foundations from German-speaking regions which was initiated by Ise Bosch in 2019 as a campaign. The community of foundations shapes philanthropy together by advocating for participation, diversity, and transparency in philanthropic practice. It also critically scrutinizes existing philanthropic practices, develops new approaches and strategies, creates learning spaces, and initiates change.
About Ane Grub
Ane Grubb, PhD, is a senior adviser (Fondsrådgiver) in the Social Initiatives program at VELUX FONDEN, where she works with the development and assessment of philanthropic initiatives that enable social inclusion and the participation of citizens in vulnerable positions in civil society initiatives and communities. Based in, Denmark, she combines a background in sociology and research (within civil society studies) with experience in philanthropy and civil society development. Her work focuses on evaluating grant applications, strategic development, supporting organizational capacity building among civil society organizations, and fostering collaboration between research and practice in the field of civic action and voluntary social work.
About Velux Fonden
VELUX FONDEN is a Danish philanthropic foundation that seeks to contribute to a democratic and sustainable society. Through its grant-making activities, the foundation supports initiatives within social development, marine and environmental sustainability, humanities and social science research, culture, and ageing. The foundation’s Social Initiatives program works to rethink and strengthen projects that enable citizens in vulnerable positions to participate in society’s communities and civic life. Guided by its 2030 strategy, VELUX FONDEN supports projects that generate new knowledge, foster innovation, and address significant societal challenges.