Looking to Our New Future: Funding Systems Change Effectively

We are living through an unprecedented, generation-defining moment, full of uncertainty. Naturally, all of us are asking ourselves what we can do today to meet an urgent need.

When this crisis passes – and it will – we must confront a new world. Our lives – work, childcare, communities, health and education systems – will have shifted significantly. The novel coronavirus pandemic also underscores the failures of systems – from healthcare to social welfare to wage inequality and food insecurity – that exacerbate the crisis.

Today, we must care for our communities. But soon, we must look to the future. As we rebuild, we must ask ourselves how we will support those seeking to address the root causes of these failures. We must not revert to a philanthropic mindset of treating symptoms.

In this interactive webinar, we will grapple with the messy, non-linear nature of systems change – and what it takes to fund it well. The webinar builds on Ashoka’s unique collaboration with McKinsey, The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, the Skoll Foundation and other colleagues. Based on interviews with more than 130 social entrepreneurs and funders, it underlines the imperative for a new culture and practice of philanthropy. Read more here. Please join this conversation and share with us: How are you working in partnership with social entrepreneurs to align funding, grant practices, and relationships to transform systems?

Speakers

• Manmeet Mehta, Director of Program Operations and Impact, Ashoka
• Michael Zakaras, Director of Strategy & Partnerships, Ashoka
• Nichole Hoeflich, Director of Programs, GEO (moderator)