European Venture Philanthropy Association

European Venture Philanthropy Association
Name	European Venture Philanthropy Association
Abbreviation	EVPA
Formation	2004
Type	Non-profit network
Headquarters	Brussels
Region served	Europe
Membership	Venture philanthropists, social investors

European Venture Philanthropy Association is a Brussels-based network founded to advance venture philanthropy and social investment across Europe. The association connects practitioners from cities such as Brussels, London, Paris, Berlin, and Madrid while engaging with institutions including European Commission, European Investment Bank, OECD, United Nations, and World Bank. It promotes models influenced by actors like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Skoll Foundation, and Ashoka.

History

EVPA was established in 2004 amid discussions involving leaders from European Commission, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Robert Bosch Stiftung, Charities Aid Foundation, and advisers linked to European Investment Fund. Early conferences featured speakers from Barclays, Prudential, JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and McKinsey & Company and drew comparisons with initiatives like Social Finance UK and New Philanthropy Capital. Expansion in the 2010s saw collaboration with networks such as EVPA Global, European Social Fund, Erasmus+, Council of Europe, and World Economic Forum.

Mission and Objectives

The association's mission emphasizes scaling social impact through methods used by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, and European Commission policy frameworks. Objectives include promoting practices derived from venture capital models adapted by Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, and Index Ventures for social purpose organizations, supporting measurement approaches linked to Social Return on Investment, IRIS+, Global Impact Investing Network, Impact Reporting and Investment Standards, and aligning with standards from International Finance Corporation.

Structure and Governance

Governance combines a board influenced by governance norms from European Foundation Centre, Charities Aid Foundation, and European Corporate Governance Institute with an executive team operating in Brussels alongside country leads in hubs such as Amsterdam, Rome, Stockholm, and Lisbon. Advisory inputs have come from figures associated with Harvard Business School, London School of Economics, INSEAD, IESE Business School, and Bocconi University. Legal and compliance frameworks reflect guidance from Belgian law, European Union law, General Data Protection Regulation, and consultancy traditions from Deloitte, PwC, and KPMG.

Activities and Programs

EVPA organizes learning programs inspired by curricula at Harvard Kennedy School, Saïd Business School, Said Business School, and Stanford Graduate School of Business and runs practical instruments such as impact investing workshops, blended finance briefings, and capacity-building for social enterprises similar to incubators like Seedcamp and accelerators like Techstars. It publishes research reports and toolkits modeled on outputs from McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, OECD, UNDP, and European Investment Bank and convenes annual summits that attract delegations from European Commission, Parliament of the European Union, Council of the European Union, and foundations like Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

Membership

Members include venture philanthropy organisations, corporate foundations, impact investors, and social intermediaries with profiles comparable to Big Society Capital, Triodos Bank, BlueOrchard, European Investment Fund, and Civitas Social Housing. Institutional members have ranged from family foundations associated with names like Schmidt Family Foundation and Ford Foundation affiliates to corporate CSR units at Unilever, Google, IKEA Foundation, and Santander Foundation. Membership categories mirror tiers used by networks such as European Foundation Centre, Philanthropy Europe Association, and Association of Charitable Foundations.

Impact and Evaluation

Impact frameworks promoted by EVPA draw on methodologies from Global Impact Investing Network, Social Value International, IRIS+, and Impact Management Project while referencing evaluative studies by RAND Corporation, Nesta, Brookings Institution, European Court of Auditors, and United Nations Development Programme. Case studies presented include scaling examples akin to Grameen Bank, Ashoka, Teach For All, Impact Hub, and Social Finance projects, and monitoring systems echo practices from Bloomberg, S&P Global, and Moody's sustainability research.

Partnerships and Advocacy

EVPA partners with policy actors and platforms like European Commission, European Investment Bank, OECD, United Nations, World Bank, World Economic Forum, Social Economy Intergroup, and NGOs such as Amnesty International and Oxfam for advocacy. Collaborations with academic institutions including London Business School, IE Business School, ESADE, Columbia University, and Yale University support research, while alliances with networks like Philanthropy Europe Association, European Venture Capital Association, Social Enterprise UK, and European Network of Social Authorities drive regulatory dialogue and public campaigns influenced by initiatives such as Sustainable Development Goals and European Green Deal.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Belgium