Governance renewal as a call for reflection, coherence, and internal strengthening
In April, we experienced a key milestone in our governance: the renewal of our Steering Committee — a strategic body that is the guardian of the network’s political coherence, ensuring that decisions remain rooted in the collective principles guiding our work.
Alianza is the result of ideas nurtured over decades in the hearts and practices of those who, from the Global South, challenge dominant funding models and propose alternatives centered on justice, autonomy, and territorial connection. It emerged as a collective affirmation: we are here, we exist, we know what we’re doing — and we do it with wisdom.
The election of the first Steering Committee — composed of Casa Socio-Environmental Fund (Brazil), Fondo Emerger (Colombia), and Fundo Tindzila (Mozambique) — took place during our first in-person members’ meeting in Bogotá in 2023, marking an important step toward institutionalizing that vision.
As the network grows, the Steering Committee has expanded to include five member funds, elected by a General Assembly with all the 16 funds present: Fondo Emerger — continuing its role, Samdhana Institute (Southeast Asia), Environmental Justice Fund (South Africa), Fondo Acción Solidaria (FASOL – Mexico), and Institute Society, Population and Nature (ISPN)/Ecos Fund (Brazil).
More than a formal procedure, this renewal reflects how Alianza understands and practices governance: committed to diversity and the collective construction of a more just, rooted philanthropy that is closely aligned with local realities.
Alianza is more than an institutional structure; it is a living organism, constantly evolving, learning, and reinventing itself. Recalling the principles that gave rise to Alianza is not about nostalgia — it is an ethical compass for the paths ahead. At the same time, how we understand our own work is evolving — both among ourselves and in the eyes of those observing from the outside.
Inwards and Outwards
The Steering Committee renewal was more than a governance checkpoint. It was a call for depth. We are a political voice, an ecosystem and a web of relationships at the same time. We bring together diverse experiences from across the Global South — with different languages, contexts, and histories — united by a shared commitment to transform the logic of international philanthropy from within. And that also means a pledge to internal strengthening since there can be no strong political voice without a living community. The work of building relationships, peer exchange, and recognizing the diverse capacities within each organization is essential to making Alianza possible.
In a philanthropic landscape increasingly dominated by metrics and market logic, Alianza offers another way. How do we evaluate what we do if our impacts don’t fit into traditional indicators? Most conventional metrics do not reflect the social, cultural, or spiritual effects of the initiatives we support. We need to develop our own metrics — grounded in stories, subjective and collective transformations, and networks woven and strengthened over time.
It’s no longer enough to speak of sustainability. The global crises we face demand another language: regeneration. Within this shift, it becomes even clearer that what we fund are not just projects but processes. We are not here to support isolated actions but to strengthen leadership, communities, ways of life, and the networks that sustain life — networks that already exist and need support and recognition.
More than measurable results, we seek meaning. More than impact, we cultivate transformation.
