This article is a short version of a blogpost by collaboratio helvetica. It is also available in German and French.

Both practice and a growing body of research show that the complex challenges we are facing, such as climate change and inequality, will not successfully be addressed with current thinking. Indeed, no single organisation nor sector can hope to reach one of the goals set in the Agenda 2030 alone. Given the urgency, there is also an increased focus on how to achieve system change – a large scale change that will affect everyone – as opposed to single actions of direct help. This, again, requires cross-sector collaborations and innovation processes that shift the focus from fighting the symptoms to addressing the root causes.

This discussion has also arrived in the field of foundations in Switzerland. Nora Wilhelm, Co-Founder and Catalyst, of collaboratio helvetica, was invited to contribute to a workshop called “societal challenges need cross-sector solutions” at Swiss Foundations’ 2020 Stiftungsgespräch on the topic “Foundation for Future”. In his opening speech, Dr. Lukas von Orelli, President of Swiss Foundations, said, “if we dare to push the boundaries of what we thought possible together, we can foster systemic change”.

When it comes to realising change towards social and environmental goals that are not currently addressed by market structures or government actions, foundations play a key role. Indeed, foundations have contributed and enabled many key advancements across all kinds of social and environmental topics in Switzerland.

And they continuously reflect on how to play their role in a better way. This is exemplified by the multiple initiatives run by coalitions of foundations on key topics, such as:

• Funding Organisational Development: a smart investment to multiply impact, published in 2020 by Laudes Foundation, MAVA, PeaceNexus Foundation, Stiftung Mercator Schweiz and the Oak Foundation
• Doing Better, More Efficiently: measuring and enhancing the philanthropic vitality in the lemanic region, published in 2019 by Lombard Odier Foundation, Stiftung Mercator Schweiz, Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Gerbert Rüf Stiftung
• Embracing Complexity: towards a shared understanding of funding systems change, published in 2020 by Co-Impact, the Schwab Foundation, the Skoll Foundation and other actors

Dr. Thomas Zwiefelhofer, President of VLGST, the association of Liechtenstein Charitable Foundations and Trusts, recently stated that “Charitable commitment and entrepreneurship are not mutually exclusive”. He makes the point that foundations are able to support projects in a more targeted and long-term manner than other stakeholders might. “Foundations have the opportunity to push controversial issues that are not (yet) societally accepted and thus contribute to change in place and society.”

Advancing system change work on issues contained in the Agenda 2030 is one such situation. At the “Foundation for Future” Stiftungsgespräch 2020, the topic was naturally part of the discussions. When Nora Wilhelm asked the panel how they are adapting their funding mechanisms and strategies to foster systemic change, Manuela Balett, Geschäftsführerin Leopold Bachmann Stiftung, replied “how to fund systemic change is a difficult questions that preoccupies us and I would wish that as foundations we would address it together, do the needed reflection work, starting with ourselves and with our partners”.

This is what the “Funding Systemic Change” team, a working group that had originated from collaboratio helvetica’s Nova Helvetia process in 2020, set out to co-initiate. To better understand this challenge, they conducted a series of stakeholder interviews with individual foundations, their coordinating associations and academia in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

So, which challenges do foundations in Switzerland and Liechtenstein experience today when it comes to making a shift towards the aspired new way of collaborating and funding for systemic change? Based on their conversations, the “Funding Systemic Change” team clustered them into five thematic areas:

• A fair and efficient selection process to identify the right partners
• Agile governance structures with diverse and forward thinking board members
• Adapted and innovative funding mechanisms for systemic change projects
• Adequate impact and learning measurement strategies
• Ambitious collaborations amongst foundations

Based on these insights, together with different partners, they are now co-designing a series of in-depth workshops for foundations on several thematic strands identified in the process.

The next workshop is taking place on Monday, May 3 2021, register here.

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