Our Work > Advocacy & Policy
Strong policies and effective
partnerships help philanthropy
achieve more
Laws determine who can give and how. Policies decide what counts as charitable. International frameworks influence how money and resources move across borders.
These conditions, what we call the enabling environment, can give philanthropy room to grow, collaborate, build partnerships, and respond. Or they can restrict its ability to act, limiting how resources flow and how organisations respond in moments of need.
WINGS works to strengthen them.
What “enabling environment” means
The enabling environment is the set of legal, regulatory, financial and policy conditions that shape how philanthropy operates, affecting how resources are mobilised within and between countries, how organisations function, and how quickly they can respond.
It covers:
- The laws that govern giving
- The rules that shape cross-border philanthropy
- The tax treatment of philanthropic activity
- The space the social sector has to function
Where the enabling environment is strong, philanthropy can grow, collaborate and adapt. Where it is weak or restrictive, organisations lose the ability to respond when it matters most, delaying action and limiting the flow of resources to communities.
How we shape it
We bring the field into global policy spaces. WINGS convenes and coordinates perspectives from across the network, bringing the diversity of philanthropy into the G20, B20, UNGA, and other multilateral forums to help the recognition of philanthropy as a strategic partner that requires good conditions to play its unique role.
We build the tools and frameworks policymakers need. Resources like the Enabling Environment Guide and Playbook of Practices provide policymakers, funders, and practitioners with shared language and practical approaches, so they can strengthen the conditions that enable philanthropy and giving to grow and act effectively.
We support change where it is needed most. Working with partners across regions, WINGS helps strengthen the capacity, connections, and visibility of organisations working to improve the conditions for philanthropy. Through peer learning, practical tools, funding opportunities (such as the Lift Up Philanthropy Fund), and platforms for shared advocacy, we support members and partners to lead change in their own contexts and bring their experiences into regional and global conversations.
In practice
Coordinating network-informed engagement into global platforms such as the G20, B20, FATF and UN.
Supporting governments, policymakers, and philanthropy organisations to strengthen enabling environments through practical guidance, technical assistance, and resources such as the Enabling and Partnering with
Philanthropy Guide.
Convening the Enabling Environment Working Group to develop shared approaches and tools.
Partnering on country- and region-specific advocacy where the enabling environment is under pressure or restrictive.