ATHENS – The 7th SNF Conference on Philanthropy takes place from June 21st to June 23rd, 2018 at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. Τhe conference is taking place as part of the Summer Nostos Festival, organized and exclusively funded by the SNF.

The 7th SNF Conference on Philanthropy will explore one of the most discussed and debated concepts of our times, that of Disruption.

The 21st Century is quickly evolving into an era defined by global disruption, as socio-economic changes and groundbreaking technological advancements are seemingly having a major impact and are turning upside down standard modes of operation, models and assumptions in every area of life, including the field of philanthropy.

The conference will examine, among others, the effects that pervasive inequality has in disrupting social cohesion both in economic terms as well as due to the unequal access to opportunities, education and those factors that facilitate social mobility.

On the other hand, the conference will present those who through their groundbreaking work attempt to disrupt this cycle of inequality and bring about change both on a local and global level. Drawing from the Foundation’s global network of partners, we are trying to team up with experts and leaders in their respective fields, to pose difficult questions, deconstruct and explore in depth the meaning and consequences of the ubiquitously used and often misunderstood notion of disruption.

Leading up to the SNF Conference on Philanthropy, on Wednesday, June 20th, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in collaboration with the SNF, will host a workshop entitled “Disrupting Polarization: The Work of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University.”

The workshop will examine how ideological division and partisanship are pulling at the fabric of democracy around the world.  Last summer, SNF and Johns Hopkins announced the joint conception of this new $150 million interdisciplinary institute, established to explore ways to reinvigorate civic engagement and civil discourse – the bulwarks of healthy democracy – in the 21st century. The workshop, “Disrupting Polarization” will introduce the type of work the Institute will be undertaking – from exploring the decline of modern dialogue and decision-making, to sharing lessons learned on promoting open discussion to proposing innovative reforms to reverse the corrosive deterioration of norms. The workshop will be held as part of the SNF’s monthly series, DIALOGUES. Through these free and open events, the SNF hopes to encourage discussion on key issues, create a platform for the exchange of ideas, feature people who inspire a new way of thinking and build bridges of collaboration between groups and individuals across the world.

To read the program, click here.

To see the previous SNF Conference on Philanthropy, click here.

The 7th SNF Conference on Philanthropy at SNFCC, in Athens, June 21, 2018. (Photo by TNH staff)

The 7th SNF Conference on Philanthropy at SNFCC, in Athens, June 21, 2018. (Photo by TNH staff)