Philanthropists and foundations
The challenge
In a context which governments are unable or unwilling to fullfil their duties, philanthropy is increasingly the only life-line for those in need and the only remaining actor that catalyse action to address the polycrisis affecting people and the planet. Faced with such wicked external challenges, newly established family foundations or foundations reorienting their portfolios face common obstacles:
Defining a clear mission, vision and strategy which reflects values, systemic ambition
Building a diverse, impactful, adaptative and realistic portfolio of projects in line with the size of a foundation’s endowment, best practices in terms of learning&collaboration, within a constantly shifting external environment
Aligning governance, teams, systems, and partnerships to the strategy to minimize costs and maximize impact
Contribute to build a healthier philanthropic ecosystem
Our Services
Our services include:
Visioning & strategy: support in defining mission, vision, and long-term strategies
Strategic foresight: scenario building and anticipation of emerging challenges
Portfolio development: design and diversification of grantmaking portfolios
Governance & structures: guidance on governance models and operational set-up
Due diligence & project design: identifying promising initiatives and shaping impactful interventions
Partnership-building: connecting with civil society, policy actors, and peers to leverage collective power
Impact frameworks: building theory of change, developing tailored evaluation methods, and embedding learning
We collaborate with philanthropists and foundations to co-create strategies and practices that maximise their contribution to systemic transformation.
Our Added Value
We bring together an international network of consultant practitioners who combine expertise with agility.
Practitioners of change: experienced in shaping and implementing successful transformative strategies
Diverse thematic knowledge: across environment, development, peace and democracy
Multi-level experience: from grassroots to EU and international policy arenas
Tailored approach: solutions adapted to the donor’s context, values, and ambitions
Efficient & agile: more relevant, rapid, and cost-effective – with a view to reduce overheads of managed philanthropic portfolios
Together, we help funders move beyond transactional grantmaking towards catalytic philanthropy – shaping innovative, inclusive frameworks and building meaningful partnerships for lasting systemic change.
Quotes from our Past Partnerships
Open Society Foundations, Brussels
Mrs Karim Harris
Open Society Foundations, Brussels 2020-2025
Europe in the World Programme (Acting Director 2024-2025)
Climate Geopolitics Advisor (2020-2023)
"Working with Pro(to)topia durung a period of change within OSF was challenging, to have an outside consultant work on an evolving, shifting landscape. But they brought a rare maturity and patience with a combination of intellectual rigor and practical clarity to guide us through. They didn’t just help refine OSF’s thinking on systems change and foresight — they challenged it, strengthened it, and made it genuinely actionable. During my time at OSF I worked with them on two occasions. Firstly to refine our climate work for a new programmatic period, post Green Deal and beyond. This was both a mix of evaluation and strategic foresight to refine our future funding in this area.
The second occasion was to define and direct the programme beyond climate. We needed true systems change thinking and Pro(to)topia was able to come in and work among teams and delivered an impressive body of work and final product. Which was essential for our thinking at that time. The team Celine leads is a lovely mix of expertise, and objective perspective. Pro(to)topia brought depth, curiosity, and a refreshing ability to connect long-term foresight with real-world decisions. The collaboration genuinely elevated our report."
