Ignite Philanthropy

In a 2023 survey of Ignite Philanthropy’s current and prospective partners, respondents reported that Ignite Philanthropy needs to be clearer of its positioning on issues, the connections between violence against children and its advocacy, and how its work is philanthropic. Respondents also criticized Ignite Philanthropy for not entirely “covering” the concept of intersectionality in its advocacy. ³

Background

Ignite Philanthropy is a fiscally sponsored project of New Venture Fund managed by Arabella Advisors and reports being founded by Human Dignity Foundation, Oak Foundation, and Wellspring Philanthropic Fund. It serves as a philanthropic fund for donors seeking to address violence against children. ¹

Ignite Philanthropy provides research into addressing violence against children. It claims that poverty, discrimination, inequality, and patriarchy increase violence against children. Ignite Philanthropy uses violence against children to fundraise and support its advocacy on social and economic issues. ⁴

Advocacy

Ignite Philanthropy advocates for using the identity politics concept of intersectionality to address issues related to violence against children. It also advocates for the funding of so-called “equitable distribution of resources” to countries based on the income of the country and the distribution of resources to organizations that it determines are under-funded. ²

Under the umbrella of intersectionality, Ignite Philanthropy advocates for blanket support of left-of-center issues under the guise of addressing violence against children. As result, it advocates for redistributionist initiatives. Also due to its support for intersectionality, it blames patriarchy, all forms of discrimination, colonialism, and normalizing heterosexuality as the root causes violence against children and states that it uses this perspective to inform its advocacy. ⁵

Ignite Philanthropy states that it supports its advocacy through its “Thrive Together” grantmaking program, which ended in 2023. The only requirement for organizations seeking a Thrive Together grant was that they are led by individuals who were victims of childhood violence. ²

Ignite Philanthropy’s “Strategic Network” program supports the group’s advocacy by partnering with organizations to discuss how they can address the issue of childhood sexual violence. The program states it prioritizes so-called “anti-oppression” advocacy with its network partners to address childhood sexual violence. Its 2024 to 2025 “Implementation Plan” states that it has 10 long-term grants to partner organizations and will last throughout 2024 to fund its networking efforts. ²

Criticisms From Partner Organizations

In 2023, Ignite Philanthropy conducted a survey with current and prospective partners to obtain feedback on its work. Participants responded that Ignite Philanthropy needed to be transparent about how it is philanthropic approach, its positioning on issues, and its areas of work connect to violence against children. Additional feedback included a lack of focus on strategies to prevent violence against children and communication plans for its advocacy. ³

Grantmaking

In 2023, Ignite Philanthropy launched a grant program called “Thrive Together” that gave out 14 grants up to $20,000 each to organizations globally. The grants went to groups led by victims of childhood violence and advocated on behalf of the issue. ⁶

Leadership

Maha Anter is the head of operations and program support for Ignite Philanthropy. Previously, Anter worked for the United Kingdom-based Stars Foundation and With and For Girls Fund, where she oversaw grantmaking. ⁷