Foreword: The invisible architecture of change
In the philanthropic sector, we often celebrate the visible: the grants awarded, the buildings erected, the direct beneficiaries served. Yet, beneath this perceptible activity lies an intricate web of connections that makes transformative change possible - what we might call the invisible architecture of our field.
This very first Philea publication on PIOs - philanthropy infrastructure organisations - challenges us to look beyond individual trees to see the forest ecosystem that sustains them. This compelling analysis reveals how national associations, donor forums and philanthropy networks connect our sector, functioning as the mycorrhizal networks of philanthropy, creating the conditions where genuine systems change can take root and flourish.
The timing of this work could not be more critical. As we face an unprecedented "polycrisis" - climate transformation, democratic backsliding, rising inequalities - the limitations of isolated, project-by-project, siloed approaches and individual attribution have never been clearer. The scale and interconnected nature of today's challenges demand a fundamentally different response: one grounded in collective intelligence, adaptive collaboration and systems thinking.
Yet, PIOs remain chronically undervalued, trapped by metrics that measure what is easily counted rather than what truly matters. This paradox of invisibility - where the most essential connective tissue of our sector receives the least recognition and resources - represents not just an oversight but a strategic blindness that undermines our collective potential.
The forest metaphor illuminates what we've been missing. Just as an ancient forest's resilience depends on the health of its soil and the intricate fungal networks that connect individual trees, our sector's capacity for transformative impact relies on the strength of our infrastructure organisations. They translate between different actors, foster trust and reciprocity, accelerate learning across boundaries, and create the relational foundation upon which all meaningful collaboration depends.
This is much more than a call for better funding - it's an invitation to fundamentally reimagine how we understand impact itself. The journey requires courage from both infrastructure organisations and their members, partners and funders to challenge conventional metrics, embrace complexity, and invest in the patient work of building transformative relationships and enabling systemic processes.
Philea was born out of this unedited ecosystem vision - one never seen before in our sector - granting equal standing to the FPOs (foundations and philanthropic organisations) and PIOs in its membership. The creation of Philea stands as a call to embrace our interdependence and unlock our collective genius to be able to address the challenges of our time.
By Carola Carazzone, Vice-President of Philea & Secretary-General of Assifero
