SHAREEUROPE

On 9 May 1950, Robert Schuman published the Schuman Declaration, which was to change Europe’s destiny. It stated that “World peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which threaten it.” 75 years later, are our creative efforts proportionate to the challenges of our times?

They better be, and I believe that European philanthropy too must generate the most creative efforts by sharing purpose and resources.
Europe is living through truly challenging times. There are wars in Europe’s neighbourhood, rising social, demographic and regional inequalities, mainstreaming of political populism, the real threat of human extinction from climate change and a digital challenge to humanity that ought to be an opportunity.

Politically, economically and culturally, Europe has grown strong institutions and infrastructure: the European Union, the European Central Bank, the Erasmus Programme, and even, Eurovision and the Champions League. Private money for the public good plays a significant role as foundation budgets in Europe amount to more than €55 billion annually.

However, philanthropy with an explicit European purpose remains unchartered territory. There are many national and regional foundations but their financial engagement in European matters is very limited. There are very few foundations with a clear European mandate, and those that exist have limited funds. There are some pooled funds such as Civitates and Culture of Solidarity but with inadequate resources. Again, are our creative efforts proportionate to the big European challenges we face?

European philanthropy should contribute to a united, peaceful, just and cooperative Europe, to a Europe that provides solutions to its citizens, rather than a Europe paralysed by challenges and populism.
We do not want to leave the future of Europe solely in the hands of the EU and the increasingly polarised and competing European states. There is an urgent need for a substantial European philanthropic initiative that empowers civil society, promotes hope, visions, and practical solutions.

An initiative that advocates the European common good, that stimulates positive change, that strengthens essential social and democratic achievements, an initiative that confronts the re-nationalization of Europe and opposes the potential destruction of humanity. An initiative which invests in the belonging and solidarity among Europeans, an initiative which invests in concrete action which improve people’s daily lives, an initiative which imagines a better Europe for all.

The goal of the initiative is threefold:

• First, to mobilise resources through aligning, pooling and sharing resources.
• Second, to empower civil society organisations that advocate for the European common good, focusing on social and democratic achievements.
• Third, to invest in projects that foster a sense of belonging and solidarity among Europeans, enhancing the social fabric of the continent.

Such initiative will substantially increase the European philanthropy ecosystem and create a European mechanism to address the fundamental European challenges collectively, leveraging resources and influence of the participating foundations and the EU. This initiative aims to foster a new philanthropic culture of impact, sharing and cooperation on a pan-European level. This Initiative needs to have social and financial weight. It must have a European vision while being firmly rooted in local realities.

The good news is that this Share Europe initiative is in the making. Just as the Schuman Plan created a better Europe through sharing political goals and economic resources, so does the Share Europe Initiative aim to build a better Europe through sharing philanthropic purpose and resources.

The Share Europe Initiative will draw from successful and failed philanthropic practices. It will create a new type of shared philanthropy platform with strong local presence through its members. It will have a cooperative governance structure that enables practical sharing and nimble cooperation rather than bureaucratic administration.

The Share Europe Initiative will be funded through shared, aligned and pooled funds, combining philanthropic and public funds. We imagine an institutional partnership of philanthropy and the EU.
Participating foundations pledge to invest a minimum of 1% of their annual budget to the Share Europe Initiative through shared, aligned and/or pooled funding.

The Share Europe Initiative considers itself complementary of existing pooled funds such as Civitates, AI Fund and Culture of Solidarity Fund and aims scale funding and impact of those frontrunners of shared European philanthropy.
We believe that the EU should provide structural matching funding. We aim to get this concept into the EU's next 7-year financial framework and financial regulation. The foundation funds will be a catalyst to raise more money through leverage.
The Share Europe Initiative aims to develop structural own resources to provide matching funding for local European initiatives.

This is more than a funding initiative; it is an invitation to write European history. Join us in building a resilient, prosperous Europe that stands as a beacon of hope and cooperation. Your support can transform the landscape of European philanthropy, creating a better Europe for Today and tomorrow.

André Wilkens, Director of the European Cultural Foundation