Uniting philanthropy to support civic engagement July 2023, Montana, USA What can funders do to strengthen democratic institutions and civil society to better prepare and respond to the challenges for the decade ahead? Context In partnership with the Headwaters Foundation, and with support from several Montana based funders, SIX brought together local, national and international ... Uniting philanthropy to support civic engagement
2011 Amsterdam Co-creating democracy: citizen participation in the 21st century 2011 was a year of huge geo-political shift. The eruption of civil unrest in North Africa, along with several other countries, meant that the nature of citizenship was changing. All over the world, ‘regular people’ were claiming a voice as activists, journalists, educators, producers, social ... 2011 Amsterdam
Social cohesion and the role of philanthropy September 2019, Wasan Island, Muskoka Lake, Canada Whether it’s political polarisation or widening inequality globally; society can feel more divided than ever. So, what is the role of philanthropy in helping bridge some of these divisions? Context Whether it is the black liberation organising taking place in the ... Social cohesion and the role of philanthropy
Risk, legitimacy and philanthropy September 2019, Wasan Island, Muskoka Lake, Canada In an era where the legitimacy and authenticity of foundations is being questioned, how can we encourage the philanthropic sector to take more risks? Context Foundations all over the world are grappling with their role in the emerging field of data and artificial i Many ... Risk, legitimacy and philanthropy
Philanthropy and the private sector June 2019, Wasan Island, Muskoka Lake, Canada The philanthropic and private sectors are indelibly linked as wealth accrual through business is the source of many private and corporate endowments. Today, these sectors have roles both exacerbating and redressing pressing social and environmental problems. So, as businesses engage with more purpose-led ... Philanthropy and the private sector
2016 Bogota We partnered with Somos Mas to co-host the SIX Summer School 2016 – ‘Innovation in polarised societies’ in Bogota. The theme and context Across the world, there is a growing sense that our societies are becoming more divisive. Whether it’s the widening gap between the rich and the poor, or the critical narrative ... 2016 Bogota
2015 Mumbai The theme and context Across the world, everything is changing – the way we live, traditional roles in society, and the way we connect to one another. Recognising this, governments and policy makers are starting to design services with, and not for, people. Increasingly, ordinary citizens are beginning to see themselves as active ... 2015 Mumbai
When we held the SIX Summer School, the concept of social innovation was still very unfamiliar to many people in Korea. The SIX Summer School in Seoul provided a platform for social innovators in Korea to come together, inspire each other and collaborate to initiate more innovation thinking in more diverse fields. It served as ... 2013 Seoul
2012 Adelaide In 2012, SIX went down under to host the 5th annual gathering in Adelaide, Australia, partnering with The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI). What we mean by ‘growing pains’? The first cluster of issues centred around what we called ‘growing pains for our organisations’. At the time of the Adelaide summer school, ... 2012 Adelaide
2011 Gdynia What will social innovation look like in 2015? SIX partnered with City of Gdynia for the 2011 SIX Winter School. 3 years on from the initial SIX summer school in 2008, the picture of social innovation looked somewhat different. Across borders and across continents, hundreds of innovators were generating solutions to society’s most entrenched problems ... 2011 Gdynia
2010 Singapore The summer school was hosted by the Lien Centre for Social Innovation from 15 – 17 September 2010, and brought together many of the leading social innovation practitioners from all parts of the world, from business, government and the non-profit sector. The theme was ‘SIX and the city’ looking in particular at how cities ... 2010 Singapore
Using data to address complex challenges September 2018, Wasan Island, Muskoka Lake, Canada Foundations all over the world are grappling with their role in the emerging field of data and artificial intelligence but despite the potential of using data for social good, philanthropy isn’t engaging in this field fast enough, and is well behind other ... Using data to address complex challenges
Strategic foresight August 2018, Wasan Island,Muskoka Lake, Canada In the face of new and increasingly complex challenges and emergent trends, how can foundations become future-responsive rather than past-driven? Context The practice of strategic foresight has been a tool mainly used by corporations, enabling them to steady themselves for the future and protect business concerns against ... Strategic foresight
Funding Systems Change September 2016, Wasan Island, Muskoka Lake, Canada Creating real and lasting change takes more than just grants and endowments, so what can funders do to embrace systems change? We brought 22 global philanthropy leaders together to explore this. Context Many foundations across the world are increasingly interested in systems change. They understand ... Funding systems change
Risk and systems change Adelaide, AustraliaSeptember, 2018 How can funders take, enable and manage risks to achieve greater systemic impact? At our first retreat in Australia, we Brough 10 global funders to meet 10 funders from Australia and New Zealand to find explore this. Context Funding systems change initiatives and innovations as a new approach ... Risk and systems change
2009 Lisbon In 2009 SIX partnered with TESE, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Young Foundation to host its second annual SIX summer school in Lisbon from 15-17 July. The 2009 annual gathering focused on ‘Recovery through social innovation’. Set against the backdrop of the global financial crisis, participants explored how social innovation might contribute to recovery, sharing ideas ... 2009 Lisbon
2008 San Sebastian SIX, The Young Foundation and Mondragon Innovation & Knowledge (MIK), held SIX’s first summer school in 2008 bringing together the community of people and organisations involved in practical social innovation to share skills, methods and insights. The aim of the summer school was to help build the growing field of social innovation ... 2008 San Sebastian
The original SIX event that grew the social innovation community - 9 Cities, 9 Summer Schools
Aligning for Impact August 2017, Wasan Island, Muskoka Lake, Canada Today’s challenges are growing in scale and complexity, so how can philanthropy better align its efforts to increase its impact? About the retreat The challenges our societies face are growing in scale and complexity. No single organisation is able to solve these challenges alone. Not ... Aligning for impact
SIX Retreats Our small, carefully curated, retreats help unpack some of the big strategic questions facing trusts and foundations all over the world. They provide the necessary space for deeper future facing work. SIX retreats draw on the latest global thinking and practice and provide opportunities for peers to support each other. We invite a ... Retreats
Driving philanthropy forward by working more effectively and authentically.
Navigating the field of social innovation, visioning the future and connecting global peers.
Navigating the field of social innovation, visioning the future and connecting global peers.
Bringing together unlikely connections for social change — interweaving people, places and stories.
Navigating the field of social innovation, visioning the future and connecting global peers.
2014 Vancouver The SIX 2014 Summer school was held in Vancouver, as part of a full week of social innovation activities and events happening across Canada which included Vancouver Ideas Festival and Social Frontier Research Symposium. We created a forum where, over two and a half days, policy makers, grass roots activists and social innovation ... 2014 Vancouver