Every month Alliance regional representatives provide a report on the latest happenings in philanthropy from their region. Below is roundup for April 2024 Successful demonstration test of world’s first zero-emission ship in Japan By Fan Li, East Asia Regional Representative The Nippon Foundation Zero Emission Ships Project expected to promote carbon neutrality in shipping sector. A zero-emission ship demonstration test was successfully conducted in Japan from March 26 to April 4, 2024. Using the hydrogen fuel-cell-powered …

My first advice to a would-be philanthropist would be to remember that everyone will tell you they love you. It’s the curse of the wealthy. Those of us who run Foundations forget it at our peril. It means we all have to dig deeply to find out how to improve. No-one walks away. No-one tells us our funding approach is counterproductive, our reporting is onerous, or we tie them in knots. One small organisation we …

An education relief fund for Palestinian students has been launched by the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation (AGF), an Emirati philanthropic organisation.   The fund will provide grants to cover tuition fees, living expenses, and other essential costs for students at university. Both Gazan and West Bank students in their final year of study or training, who are studying abroad, are eligible for the fund.  Some 900 students have already been supported by the programme.  ‘The …

The last decade has seen a raft of big new ideas about innovating financing models for social enterprises. Philanthropic organisations and program investors have been overwhelmed with gurus promising smart new thinking about how to extract more impact and influence from their grant, loan, and blended finance dollars. A decade ago, Anthony Bugg-Levine and his collaborators told us that, ‘Financial engineering, then, can be a powerful force for change.’ A report for ZBW and the …