In case you missed it, here is a recording of the Catalyst 2030 session during the 2020 Virtual Skoll World Forum Week.
Session Description: As we stand on the threshold of an epochal decade, we are confronted with an urgent need to find, fund, and support transformative solutions. In recognition of this, Ashoka and McKinsey invited partners in the sector – Catalyst 2030, Co-Impact, Echoing Green, the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, the Skoll Foundation, and SystemIQ – to co-create a shared perspective on the question – how do we get better at funding and supporting systems change?
With the magnitude and urgency of our worst issues philanthropy is turning its attention yet again to systems change. However, for all its sudden popularity, this approach to addressing the root causes of complex problems is still poorly understood. Unsurprisingly then, the strategies to best fund systems change have yet to make it into mainstream practice.
The result of our unique collaboration is Embracing Complexity: Toward a shared understanding of funding systems change which is the first-ever global effort to bring together the voices of those seeking to fund systems change with those who are delivering it on the ground. Based on interviews with more than 130 recognised social entrepreneurs from the Catalyst 2030 network and funders, it underlines the imperative for a new culture and practice of philanthropy – from leading with trust and true collaboration, funding a shared vision and not project activities, and providing unrestricted funds that are more aligned to the long-term nature of systemic change.