The Stories for Change Online Festival.PHOTO Courtesy
The Stories for Change Online Festival will take place on 15 January 2026, bringing together a global audience to explore the transformative power of community philanthropy.
Organisers are inviting participants to mark their calendars for the digital event, which promises to showcase stories, films, and discussions highlighting the impact of locally led giving.
The festival is the culmination of the Giving for Change programme, which over the last five years has tested innovative approaches to supporting and growing community philanthropy in eight countries across Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.
Funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the programme concludes on 31 December 2025.
In its final act, the partners behind Giving for Change have launched the Stories for Change initiative, a global campaign that champions locally led giving as a vehicle for agency, empowerment, and social transformation.
“The time for community philanthropy is now,” organisers said, citing the urgent need for local action in a world experiencing rapid social, political, and environmental change.
The festival will feature the work of 11 partners involved in the Giving for Change programme, alongside contributions from allies in the wider #ShiftThePower movement, which advocates for more equitable global development and philanthropy.
Participants can expect two two-hour sessions comprising screenings of short films produced during the programme, panel discussions, live debates, poetry, music, and other creative formats.
The event seeks to respond to multiple contemporary challenges.
These include the shrinking of civic space under increasingly authoritarian regimes, cuts to development funding, and the growing impacts of climate change and extreme weather events.
Organisers argue that these converging pressures make community philanthropy more critical than ever, as locally driven initiatives are better positioned to respond to the needs of their communities with agility, creativity, and cultural understanding.
“Stories matter. They change minds, spread ideas and build movements,” the organisers emphasised, noting that the festival provides a platform for amplifying voices often absent from global development conversations.
Through storytelling, the festival aims to highlight how local actors exercise power, agency, and influence in addressing social, environmental, and humanitarian challenges.
By sharing experiences from diverse regions and contexts, the event seeks to inspire new approaches to giving, collaboration, and civic engagement, encouraging participants to reimagine the role of community philanthropy in the 21st century.
The online format allows for a global audience, ensuring that stakeholders from different continents can engage with the content in real time.
Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with programme partners, share insights, and discuss the implications of community-led funding for local development, resilience, and social justice.
Beyond showcasing past achievements, the festival aims to stimulate reflection and debate about the future of philanthropy and civic participation.
By connecting stories of action and impact with the broader #ShiftThePower movement, organisers hope to reinforce the notion that communities themselves are best placed to define their priorities and solutions.
Organisers encourage civil society leaders, philanthropists, researchers, policymakers, and general audiences to participate.
Registration can be accessed at Stories Of Change festival,
The festival will also serve as a model for how digital platforms can be leveraged to celebrate and strengthen local philanthropy globally, demonstrating that storytelling can be a powerful catalyst for social change.
As the world navigates increasingly complex challenges, the Stories for Change Online Festival offers a timely opportunity to recognize and elevate the contributions of community philanthropy, while fostering dialogue, learning, and collaboration across regions.
It promises to be a platform where voices from the Global South and beyond can share insights, inspire action, and build networks that support sustainable local development.
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