Felipe Bogotá Rodríguez, TerritoriA (Colombia)
Hosting the 2023 #ShiftThePower Global Summit in Bogotá was a privilege for TerritoriA, but it also came with a great responsibility: to commit ourselves to a new paradigm for financing that responds to the needs of territories and the global community of actors.
Since December 2023, we have embarked on a determined journey, working alongside other actors to change the rules of the game in philanthropy. This has allowed us to bring research, dialogue, regenerative financing mechanisms, and multi-stakeholder partnerships to the heart of conversations within traditional philanthropy in Colombia and Latin America. This is with the aim of advancing a philanthropy rooted in trust, respect for autonomy and relationship-building.
Building on this last point, as a support organization for community foundations in Colombia, we celebrate the fact that Possible Now seeks to highlight the importance of this mycelial network of relationships, drawing on the ideas of Sam Rye. Over these past three years, we have become convinced that, as the world we live in becomes increasingly turbulent and unpredictable, the best response we can offer is to build community and local resilience capable of adapting to the unexpected and the unknown. Philanthropy must continue to step forward, with courage and determination, to address the pressing challenges we face: human dignity, the weakening of democracy, violence and care for our planet.
Finally, I am excited about the opportunity to engage in conversations, debates, reflections, questioning and collective dreaming with colleagues from around the world around these questions:
How can community philanthropy contribute to building resilient, cohesive civic and territorial infrastructures?
Who should our allies and key audiences be as we build coalitions that make us stronger?
How can we continue to strengthen our narratives and find better ways to demonstrate the collective impact we know is already happening within communities?
How can we demonstrate that community philanthropy offers a relevant, clear and concrete response to the challenges we face as societies and as a planet?
I look forward with great excitement to coming together with colleagues from around the world in Nepal to build something collectively.
See you soon!
