Hanna Surmatz

This chapter seeks to answer whether corporate governance principles apply to public benefit foundations, taking into account the specific structure of philanthropic foundations as asset-based and purpose-driven organisations without owners and shareholders, and, if so, in which ways? In search of a response, the chapter reviews internal and external governance rules of public benefit foundations as tools to safeguard the will of the founder(s) and pursuit of the statutory public benefit purpose in a comparative perspective and places them in the context of recent policy. The chapter concludes that classical corporate governance theory, including principal–agent theory, is not suitable for public benefit foundations and more comprehensive principles should be further developed and tested. It also suggests that the interplay of hard law and soft law as well as internal and external governance elements seems necessary to provide appropriate governance approaches.

That study explores the operating environment for public-benefit foundations in the Western Balkans region. Examining the legal and tax framework for foundations in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia, it draws on data provided by local foundation law experts in each of the countries surveyed and presents a comparative analysis

You may have heard about "FATF" the global standard-setter in the fight against money laundering, and the financing of terrorism. But what does FATF's work have to do with institutional philanthropy? Learn more about the key issues at stake. Speakers: Hanna Surmatz, European Foundation Centre Natalie Ross, Council on Foundations Isabel Peñalosa, Spanish Association of Foundations Miguel de la Vega, consultant for NPOs Mexico. Presentation slides of the webinar on FATF hosted by WINGS and the EFC.

Closing civil society space is a growing trend, impacting civic actors in countries throughout the world. This paper examines how the trend effects development funders and actors, and how they are responding. Questions explored include: what are funders doing to engage around re-opening space for civil society? How are they adapting? What are the impacts of the development community's approach to civil society as a whole? The European Foundation Centre and the Funders' Initiative for Civil Society have come together to develop better insight into these questions and to increase awareness of the threats to civil society

This handbook provides practical guidance for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to advocate and litigate using EU law to protect their rights and civic space in the EU.It aims to be a user-friendly guide for CSOs who want to know::What EU law is and how it affects individuals and organisations;When and how CSOs can challenge national provisions or measures that impact their mission, activities and operations on the basis of EU law, including the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (CFR);Which legal avenues and resources are available for CSOs to defend their civic space within the EU law frameworkA list of resources as well as practical tools can be found in the last part the document

European philanthropy is as diverse as European societies. This latest research conducted by leading experts provides insights into the legal and social landscape of philanthropy across Europe. Each pro le contains information such as requirements for registration, reporting, economic activity, and governance, tax treatment as well as trends and developments. To date, we have released country reports for the 27 EU member states. Further 13 country reports will follow in the first half of 2021. These country reports would not have been possible without the contribution and rigorous analysis of the national experts to whom we are indebted. We would also like to acknowledge that these country profiles were first launched in 2002 by the EFC and have been updated every few years since. This fifth edition has been published under the Philanthropy Advocacy initiative, a joint Dafne and EFC project.

This chapter seeks to answer whether corporate governance principles apply to public benefit foundations, taking into account the specific structure of philanthropic foundations as asset-based and purpose-driven organisations without owners and shareholders, and, if so, in which ways? In search of a response, the chapter reviews internal and external governance rules of public benefit foundations as tools to safeguard the will of the founder(s) and pursuit of the statutory public benefit purpose in a comparative perspective and places them in the context of recent policy. The chapter concludes that classical corporate governance theory, including principal–agent theory, is not suitable for public benefit foundations and more comprehensive principles should be further developed and tested. It also suggests that the interplay of hard law and soft law as well as internal and external governance elements seems necessary to provide appropriate governance approaches.