At a broad level, a philanthropic collaborative is “a model in which funders (and sometimes other participants) join forces to work together towards a common goal” (Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors). Through this research project, we aim to better understand how funders and philanthropic organizations, including philanthropy serving organizations, come together and/or bring philanthropic organizations together, to do together what they perhaps can't do separately.
Council on Foundations (COF) provides a generally comprehensive list of the philanthropic ecosystem of philanthropy serving organizations (PSOs), many of which are collaboratives themselves or host their own collaboratives and networks for grantmakers. We have used COF’s list to help us categorize the various types and models of collaboratives we found through our research. COF’s list, also includes the following types of PSOs (the descriptions immediately below are from Council on Foundations, unless otherwise noted):
- National Philanthropy Organizations - Provide a variety of services that help support and strengthen the philanthropic infrastructure across the United States and in some cases, around the world.
- Regional Philanthropy Networks (we also refer to these as “Location-based” networks in our research) - Bring together grantmaking organizations within specific geographic areas across the United States.
- Topical Funder Networks - Organizations founded by grantmakers who have common interests around funding specific topics.
- Identity-Based Networks - Connect and support philanthropic leaders with shared identities.
- Identity Funds (or focus funds) - “Grantmaking organizations created by people who are connected not just by location, but by shared experience and culture, such as race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation” (United Philanthropy Forum).
- Foundation-Type Networks - Create spaces and develop resources to support and connect certain types of foundations.
- Global Philanthropy Networks - Bring together foundations and donors working on international issues. Notably, most regions and many countries of the world have local philanthropy networks.
Upon conducting research on the various types of collaboration in the field, thus far, we find that this list can be expanded and made more robust, including the following:
One approach to collaboration is described by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors as a Pooled Fund Collaborative as a space in which “participants contribute financial resources toward a common ‘pot’ from which funds are distributed” (2021). United Philanthropy Forum uses the term Funder Collaborative, in a similar fashion, to only consider those funders who pool funding and actively make grants together (United Philanthropy Forum). In this sense, a funder collaborative may be considered a formal arrangement that helps foundations and donors align grantmaking strategies (M1 Finance). These may include Giving Circles as well. However, a funder collaborative may also be described to include collaboration beyond joint grantmaking. As Milken Institute notes, “Individuals or institutions typically form joint-learning or funding collaboratives to align their philanthropic giving based on shared long-term goals, geographic areas of interest, beneficiary populations, or some other commonality.”
A complementary, but distinct approach centers on the term “network.” According to GEO, a Network consists of “people connected by relationships, which can take on a variety of forms, both formal and informal.” There are two types of networks that appear popular among PSOs: Learning Networks and Strategic Alignment Networks.
- Learning Networks, overall, are less formal than collaboratives and have lower barriers to entry as they have fewer expectations, requirements, and accountability to join and remain a part of. A learning network may consist of a group of funders who are connected and share information, best practices, and learnings whether, for example, around issues or current events in the field of philanthropy or to explore grant strategies (Exponent Philanthropy; M1 Finance). Members of these networks may be brought together by PSOs and/or find their own opportunities to connect and align. Similarly, Milken Institute describes learning networks as tools to “create a platform for donors to exchange information and come together to explore a particular issue or problem, learn from each other’s experiences, and explore best practices. This collaborative has the lowest activation barrier since each member benefits from shared insights while retaining their complete independence in philanthropic decision making” (Milken Institute, 2020).
- Strategic Alignment Networks are spaces through which funders can respond to common issues, though they ultimately respond as individual donors or individual organizations. Through a strategic alignment network, for example, “funders make grants independently but work toward a shared and coordinated mission and strategy to obtain publicity, traction, and impact” (Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, 2021). Coordination is key among this type of network as members, who may include funders and other stakeholders involved in a given issue area, “can work together to develop complementary strategies or align their grantmaking activities to maximize their collective impact on the issue in focus. [Further] participating in a strategic alignment network can minimize the risk of duplicating efforts” (Milken Institute, 2020).
Coalitions are “organizations whose members commit to an agreed-on purpose and shared decision making to influence an external institution or target, while each member organization maintains its own autonomy” (GEO).
Finally, we use the term “Sub-collaborative," a term we devised, to capture and describe collaboratives, peer groups or networks, affinity groups, and working groups, etc. that are held or hosted within or by a given PSO or other philanthropic organization.