Our Work > Strengthening Ecosystems
Every strong field has a support
system behind it. Philanthropy
is no exception
Networks that connect organisations. Research and knowledge platforms that generate evidence and insight. Capacity builders who strengthen practice and leadership. Advocacy organisations that help create the conditions for resources, partnerships, and philanthropy to thrive.
Together, these make up the philanthropy support ecosystem, the connective infrastructure behind giving.
WINGS works to strengthen and connect these ecosystems across regions and types of philanthropy.
Why philanthropy support ecosystems matter
The philanthropy support ecosystem is the network of organisations that help philanthropy grow, adapt, and achieve greater impact. They support how resources are mobilised and distributed, how decisions are made, how learning is shared, and how collective action is coordinated.
These organisations include philanthropy support organisations, networks and associations, community funds, research and academic institutions, learning platforms, advocacy organisations, advisers, and other ecosystem builders working to strengthen philanthropy.
Despite the critical role they play, philanthropy support ecosystems are often under-recognised and underfunded. Yet investment in these ecosystems has a multiplying effect: strengthening collaboration, unlocking resources, and helping philanthropy respond more effectively to today’s growing social and environmental challenges.
When philanthropy support ecosystems are strong, philanthropy is better connected, more collaborative, and more responsive to local contexts. When they are weak, opportunities for learning, coordination, innovation, and resource mobilisation are lost.
How we strengthen the ecosystem
We map the field.
Through participatory mapping and engagement, we help philanthropy support organisations understand how ecosystems function, where connections are strong, and where opportunities exist to strengthen coordination and investment.
We build shared language and frameworks.
WINGS helps make philanthropy support ecosystems more visible and better understood through shared frameworks, mapping, case studies, and practical tools that strengthen collaboration and inform investment.
We lead long-term collaborative change.
Through multi-year initiatives, shared learning, and experimentation, WINGS supports the organisations that help philanthropy adapt, evolve, and respond to changing challenges.
We connect the ecosystem.
Strong ecosystems depend on strong relationships. WINGS creates spaces where philanthropy support organisations collaborate, share learning, build partnerships, and strengthen collective action across regions and contexts.
In practice
Mapping national, regional, and thematic ecosystems to help the field identify support gaps, strengthen coordination, and better understand how to unlock philanthropy across different contexts.
Convening regional groups, communities of practice, and peer learning spaces that strengthen collaboration across philanthropy support ecosystems.
Identifying, supporting, and elevating ecosystem innovations through initiatives such as the Lift Up Philanthropy Fund, ecosystem case studies, and the WINGS Ecosystem Builder Awards.