Caribbean Philanthropy in Action Week 2024: Day 1

Building A Strong Foundation for Caribbean Philanthropy

The first day of the Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance (CariPhilAlliance) event brought together 155 participants to discuss transformative approaches to regional philanthropy and climate action. The sessions highlighted the Caribbean’s unique vulnerability to climate change and emphasized the need to reshape philanthropy to better serve local needs introduced by Ms. Anthea McLaughlin, CEO, Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance and Ms. Rosalea Hamilton, CEO, LASCO Chin Foundation, Chair, Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance. Key speakers including Ms. Dana Francois, Program Officer for Family Economic Security Haiti, LAC, W. K. Kellogg Foundation and President, Haiti Biodiversity Fund, Part of Caribbean Biodiversity Fund Network, Ms.Susan Batten-Taylor, Vice-Chair, Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance & President and Chief Executive Officer of Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE) and Auro Fraser, Special Advisor, Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance & Caribbean Regional Coordinator/Program Manager Network Grants, Open Society Foundations advocated for moving beyond traditional project-based funding toward systemic change and community-led initiatives. 

The discussions centered on three main areas: 

1) strengthening regional philanthropic infrastructure; 

2) developing robust climate resilience strategies; and 

3) enhancing cross-sector collaboration across multiple sectors. 

Notable developments included recent  W.K. Kellogg, Pockets of Hope led by W.K. Kellogg Foundation & Partners, the launch of the CariPhilAlliance CLASP (Climate Philanthropy and Strategic Partnerships) initiative and plans for closer integration with the global #PhilanthropyForClimate movement led by WINGS network. Speakers also emphasized the critical need for improved data collection, transparent climate finance tracking, and mechanisms to address loss and damage from climate impacts. The event demonstrated a clear shift toward more locally-driven, collaborative approaches to philanthropy in the Caribbean, with a strong focus on building sustainable, climate-resilient communities through coordinated regional action.

Welcome & Plenary Summary 

Welcome & Join –  Ms. Anthea McLaughlin, CEO, Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance introduced Philanthropy Week, emphasized the urgency of building a strong foundation for Caribbean philanthropy to address challenges like climate change and regional resource allocation disparities. She highlighted CariPhilAlliance’s evolution since its founding in 2019 which currently positions itself as a hub for philanthropy, mobilizing resources, empowering stakeholders, championing equity, and fostering collaboration and leveraging Caribbean strengths.

She outlined four core strategies: 

1. convening global philanthropy 
2. advocating for equitable funding 
3. facilitating collaborative philanthropy 
4. building regional capacity to facilitate global development goals 

Key achievements were shared: mobilized philanthropy to support the planting of 1.5M trees planted across the Caribbean; launched women-led climate philanthropy initiatives; developed an interactive funder database platform to be refined and expanded through strategic partnerships for global and regional philanthropy, and civil society.

Setting the Context & Its Role in Strengthening Caribbean Philanthropy –   Ms. Dana Francois, Program Officer for Family Economic Security Haiti, LAC, W. K. Kellogg Foundation and President, Haiti Biodiversity Fund, Part of Caribbean Biodiversity Fund Network delivered a comprehensive vision for Caribbean philanthropy by 2050, calling for redefining philanthropy to better address the specific needs of the Caribbean region. This includes shifting from traditional grantmaking models to more flexible and evaluation approaches that measure the impact of philanthropic investments and using data to inform decision-making. She emphasized that the Caribbean is implementing models for global sharing such as the Bridgetown Initiative and Haiti Food System Alliance that supports 40,000 farmers and provides food to 750,000 families. Francois stressed the need for systems-focused approaches and blended finance mechanisms to address regional challenges. 

Dana Francois delivered a comprehensive vision for Caribbean philanthropy by 2050, emphasizing climate resilience and sustainable development. She highlighted Haiti Food System Alliance’s success in supporting 40,000 farmers and providing food to 750,000 families. Francois stressed the need for systems-focused approaches and blended finance mechanisms to address regional challenges.

CariPhilAlliance Role – Susan Taylor Batten discussed Philanthropy Serving Organizations’ (PSOs) role in strengthening regional philanthropy through peer networks, policy influence, and data collection. Auro Fraser presented Open Society Foundation’s work in the Caribbean, emphasizing grassroots funding and climate justice initiatives. He stressed the importance of meeting communities “where they are” and providing flexible, long-term support.

 Session 1 Summary

United for Climate Action – Featured presentations on #PhilanthropyForClimate movement, IAF’s community philanthropy approach, and climate finance data tracking. Key speakers included:

• Erika Miller (WINGS): Presented the 7-pillar framework for climate philanthropy
• Cecilia Babb: Discussed IAF’s grassroots development approach
• Sasha Jattansingh: Detailed loss and damage frameworks
• Malini Maharaj: Explained climate finance tracking mechanisms

The session concluded with calls for increased regional collaboration and data-driven climate action.

United for Climate Action featured presentations on #PhilanthropyForClimate movement, and IAF’s community philanthropy approach

Other key speakers included:

• Maria Eugenia Paez, LAC, WINGS, Senior Coordinator, representing WINGS (Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker support) –  presented WINGS global philanthropy ecosystem of over 220 members representing 60+ countries and expressed its membership  relationship, with the Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance and support to launch the CLASP – Climate Philanthropy & Strategic Partnerships regional initiative, and partnership to lead the International Philanthropy Commitment on Climate Change in the Caribbean & territories. She highlighted the development of a Latin American and Caribbean working group aimed at fostering stakeholder partnerships and influencing policy. Maria’s insights on promoting intersectional approaches to climate philanthropy set a powerful precedent for collaboration across borders.
• Erika Miller, Head of Climate, Montreal, Quebec, WINGS – Presented the 7-pillar framework for #philanthropyforclimate for scaling climate philanthropy-  Pillar 1: Education & Learning; Pillar 2: Commitment of Resources; Pillar 3: Integration; Pillar 4: Endowments & Assets; Pillar 5: Operations to Assess & Reduce Carbon Footprint; Pillar 6:Influence and Advocacy; Pillar 7: Transparency. She shared that the model—focuses on education, resource commitment, climate integration, responsible endowments, greening, advocacy, and transparency—offers a clear path for philanthropy to maximize and measure its impact across the Caribbean and Latin America.
• Cecilia Babb, Local Liaison, Eastern & Southern Caribbean, Inter-American Foundation – Discussed IAF’s grassroots development approach and emphasized the transformative power of community driven philanthropy and emphasized the grassroots ownership as central to sustainable development.
• Marie-Rose Romain Murphy, Co-Founder, Fondation Communautaite-Haitienne & Economic Stimulus Projects for Work and Action (ESPWA) – Shared the importance of building upon the assets of Haitian communities, leveraging community resilient solutions and called for long-term comprehensive approaches to social protection and economic advancement.
• Sasha Jattansingh, Loss & Damage Expert, Climate Diplomacy, Climate Analytics: Detailed the historical and current  context of loss and damage frameworks and expanded the view of loss and damage and urged philanthropy to support assessments that focus on the loss of  cultural identity and psychosocial impacts including inclusive climate adaptation strategies
• Malini Maharaj, Instructor, Department of Economics, UWI, St. Augustine: Explained the existing climate finance tracking mechanisms

The session concluded with calls for increased regional collaboration and data-driven climate action.

Key Themes:

Climate Action & Resilience

• Caribbean is disproportionately vulnerable to climate risks despite low emissions
• Need for locally-led climate solutions and finance
• Address loss and damage beyond physical impacts, and fund loss and damage assessment focused on emotional damage and impact of human loss
• Promote regional resilience through innovative financing models that pushes the traditional lense of financing for climate 

Philanthropy Approach

• Emphasis on reshaping philanthropy to meet Caribbean needs
• Moving from project-based to systemic change
• Integration of climate considerations across all philanthropic work
• Need for better data collection and transparency
• Platform the role of community philanthropy approaches and support community-level resilience initiatives 

Partnerships & Collaboration

• Call for increased coordination between local, regional, and global actors
• Multi-stakeholder partnerships including governments, private sector, civil society
• Focus on building regional networks and knowledge sharing

Notable Initiatives & Announcements:

Notable Climate – Related Initiatives & Announcements:

• Launch of CLASP (Climate Philanthropy and Strategic Partnerships) initiative
• Join WINGS hosted International Philanthropy Commitment on Climate Change – PhilanthropyForClimate movement & co-hosted by WINGS and  CariPhilAlliance
• Launch of CLASP (Climate Philanthropy and Strategic Partnerships) initiative

Speaker Highlights:

Key Recommendations:

1. Strengthen regional philanthropy infrastructure
2. Improve data collection and assessment frameworks
3. Increase climate finance access and tracking
4. Build capacity for community-led initiatives
5. Enhance cross-sector collaboration