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FNTG's varied activities work to promote ongoing dialogue among
grantmakers, and between grantmakers and the broader community
Our core services are convening funders, developing and sharing
information, and networking among funders and civil society actors
engaged in trade and globalization issues.
Highlights and Status of Key Activities
in 2002
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Workshops attended by 50 or more funders each were organized
at the Global Philanthropy Forum at Stamford, and at the Council
on Foundations annual meeting in Chicago. Over 60 funders
attended the World Social Forum briefing organized by FNTG
in collaboration with Veatch and Ford in New York.
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US Trade Policy Group: Members of FNTG’s SC commissioned
a study on US trade reform efforts, and organized a retreat
at Pocantico in April bringing together a half dozen funders
and 20 or so trade activists and academics to discuss the
report and develop future strategies. FNTG has engaged in
some preliminary work to help continue and broaden this effort.
A proposal for a late Fall strategy meeting in DC with a broader
grouping of 35 or so trade-focused NGOs is being finalized.
As this will likely be an ongoing or recurring set of strategy
sessions for both NGOs and funders, it could eventually develop
on the funder side into a US trade policy working group within
FNTG.
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Enron Group: The Coordinator has worked closely with a group
of funders engaged in supporting the work of about 30 NGO
activists focused on Enron and corporate accountability scandals.
Emerging out of conversations between funder delegates and
NGOs in Porto Alegre, this group organized a strategic conference
in Baltimore in April, and launched a major campaign for concerted
media, research, education and mobilizing efforts by newly
forming coalition of organizations working on energy and corporate
accountability issues. A proposal entitled: “Capitalizing
on the ‘Enron Moment’-Building a Movement for Comprehensive
Corporate Reform” has been developed and circulated to
funders.
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Local/Global Video Project: Support was provided to a group
of funders and NGOs to help produce a video documentary entitled
“Another World is Possible: North American Voices at
the World Social Forum.” This video is being used by
US community organizations for outreach and educational purposes,
and by funders to help draw attention to the importance of
linking local and global strategies
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Local/Global Working Group: The formal launch in June of
this working group will help domestic funders incorporate
a globalization frame in their analysis and funding, help
international funders develop their understanding of the impacts
of globalization on communities in the US, and develop mutual
support and collaboration between the two. It is anticipated
that this group could draw significant interest among domestic
funders increasingly aware of globalization issues, and bring
new funding into the field of globalization, defined broadly.
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Social Movements: FNTG helped organize a convening of funders
on social movements & regional economic policy in the
Americas during the time of the World Bank/IMF April meetings
in Washington DC. This meeting was organized by the Center
for Economic Justice (CEJ), which has a deep working relationship
with social movements throughout the hemisphere. The discussions
with representatives of nine different organizations representing
five social movements (Jubilee South, Hemispheric Social Alliance,
Forum on Alternatives to the Plan Puebla Panama, Via Compesina,
and COMPA) were very rich and rewarding however, and a companion
report commissioned by the Global Inclusion program of the
Rockefeller Foundation from Beverly Bell of the CEJ was distributed
very widely to funders.
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World Social Forum Funder Conference: FNTG initiated and
has been helping to organize and co-host (with Ford and Veatch)
a funder conference in New York on June 12 at the Ford Foundation.
The convening, which brought together over 60 funders from
NY and beyond, highlighted the work of the WSF, but also encouraged
funders to support the participation of relevant US and non-US
grantees at this annual forum, and the development of alternative
strategies for equitable and sustainable development in the
US and around the world.
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World Social Forum Delegation: Thirty-six funders joined
FNTG’s delegation to the World Social Forum in Porto
Alegre. In addition to participating in the panels, workshops,
marches, cultural events and informal discussions that made
up the forum, FNTG delegates were able to attend orientation
sessions on civil society and local/regional political economy
and alternatives, a site visit to an MST camp, morning briefings,
and dinners with Brazilian NGO representatives working on
the WSF, and on trade; human rights; and social ecology. Members
of the Local-Global working group have begun organizing a
WSF delegation for the end of January 2003.
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WSSD: Although some preliminary work was done to organize
a funder delegation to the World Summit on Sustainable Development
in Johannesburg in August, FNTG aborted its plans. In spite
substantial outreach efforts by Lynn Lohr (CGBD), Catherine
Porter, and Kathy Sessions (HEFN) as well as FNTG, there was
insufficient funder interest in a WSSD delegation to make
it worthwhile.
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IMF/World Bank Fall Meetings: A funder convening will be
held in Washington, DC on September 26 and 27. The convening
will focus on the ways in which corporate/private sector interests
combine with global public institutions to affect economic
policies, by promoting understanding of the ways in which
private sector initiatives, particularly in energy and provision
of services, are publicly financed by international financial
institutions such as the World Bank and the International
Monetary Fund, developing awareness of the linkage of international
financial programs to the implementation of trade agreements,
like the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas and the
U.S.-Central American Free Trade Area; and exploring other
links between the World Bank, the IMF, the WTO and corporate
globalization.
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FNTG’s web site currently contains profiles of over
150 civil society organizations and 60 proposal summaries.
FNTG/Update provides a one-paragraph hyperlinked description
of newly posted profiles and proposals to 600+ funders twice
a month.
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More informally, the Coordinator continues to forward relevant
proposals and information that come to his attention to the
SC and other funders who may be interested.
Archived Reports
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