The Global Philanthropy Forum

Name

The Global Philanthropy Forum

Legal name

The Global Philanthropy Forum

Website

https://philanthropyforum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Digital Membership: Application-based annual membership providing access to the GPF digital community, exclusive programs, events including UNGA and Climate Week, early Summit applications, curated networking, knowledge sharing, and impact visibility.
2. Annual Summit Registration: Revenue from the annual Leaders Summit conference held in San Francisco, with 300+ attendees from foundations, family offices, and philanthropy organizations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Global Philanthropy Forum convenes senior philanthropic leaders through an application-based digital membership community and an annual flagship Leaders Summit conference in San Francisco. The organization provides year-round curated networking, exclusive programs during UNGA and Climate Week, regional convenings in Brazil and Africa, and a knowledge-sharing platform hosted on Mighty Networks. Its membership represents approximately $481 billion in charitable assets and serves foundation executives, family offices, social investors, and donor networks globally.

Product overview

The Global Philanthropy Forum is a membership-based organization offering a unified portfolio of programs centered on its annual Leaders Summit conference. The core offering consists of the flagship Global Philanthropy Leaders Summit, supplemented by a year-round Digital Membership Community hosted on Mighty Networks. Regional affiliates—Brazilian Philanthropy Forum and African Philanthropy Forum—extend the platform across Latin America and Africa, while UNGA and Climate Week programs provide additional convening opportunities. The organization functions as a convener and thought leadership hub rather than a software product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Global Philanthropy Leaders Summit Annual flagship conference held in San Francisco bringing together 300+ senior executives from major foundations, family foundations, social investors, private and corporate foundations, and donor networks from across the US and the world. The 2026 Summit (March 18-20) attracted 300 leaders from 45 countries and focused on 'Architecting the Future: Operating Systems for a New Era of Philanthropy.'
• Digital Membership Community Year-round digital platform hosted on Mighty Networks providing curated 1:1 connections with global philanthropy leaders, exclusive programs, early access to Summit applications, impact spotlights, a peer resource library, and knowledge sharing resources for senior philanthropy leaders.
• Brazilian Philanthropy Forum Regional forum established in 2012 in partnership with IDIS, connecting Brazilian philanthropists and social investors with peers and experts to enable strategic cross-border giving, peer learning, and influence across Latin America. Held in August in Brazil and online.
• African Philanthropy Forum Regional forum enabling African philanthropists and donors to collaborate on sustainable development across the continent. APF has been an independent African-managed entity since 2017 and maintains GPF affiliation.
• UNGA and Climate Week Programs Exclusive annual programs held in New York during UN General Assembly and Climate Week, providing members with access to high-level convenings and early application opportunities for the Leaders Summit.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300 leaders from 45 countries attended 2026 Summit
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and key.

• African Philanthropy ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe African Philanthropy Forum (APF) was created as a project of World Affairs to expand philanthropists who give on the Continent where they made their wealth. The goal was for APF to be Africa managed, governed, and funded. APF has been an independent African entity since 2017 and continues its GPF affiliation. Highlighted in BMGF's CEO Mark Suzman's 2024 annual letter as an example of growth and evolution of global philanthropy.
• Brazilian Philanthropy ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished in 2012 as a joint initiative with Instituto para o Desenvolvimento do Investimento Social (IDIS). BPF connects Brazilian philanthropists and social investors to build a learning community and enable strategic giving. Promotes peer learning among donors in Brazil with increasing influence in Latin America.
• Commonwealth Club World AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGPF is now a project of Commonwealth Club World Affairs (CCWA), a newly merged organization of the World Affairs Council of Northern California (est. 1947) and Commonwealth Club of California (est. 1903). Both organizations promote civic engagement and serve as platforms for thought leaders and policymakers.
• World Bank GroupkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerGPF Steering Committee member from the World Bank Group. Past speakers include Jorge Familiar from World Bank. Cross-sector collaboration with multilaterals for ecosystem coordination.
• African Development BankkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerHervé Neffo Pekam from African Development Bank serves on GPF Steering Committee, representing multilateral development finance perspective.
• IDIS (Instituto para o Desenvolvimento do Investimento Social)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian partner for the Brazilian Philanthropy Forum joint initiative. Paula Fabiani from IDIS serves on GPF Steering Committee.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Milken Institute: Large, established convening organization hosting the Global Conference and sector-specific summits (including philanthropy and impact investing). Directly comparable as a high-profile, application- or invitation-driven convener serving senior leaders across finance, philanthropy, and policy.
• Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors: Philanthropic advisory and grantmaking services firm serving HNW donors, family offices, and foundations globally. Comparable as an infrastructure provider for high-net-worth philanthropic capital deployment.
• Skoll Foundation: Major foundation and ecosystem-builder supporting social entrepreneurs globally, including the Skoll World Forum. Comparable as a high-profile convener and grantmaker bridging philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, and multilateral actors.

Direct peers

• Council on Foundations: Membership association for US foundations and corporate giving programs, offering events, networking, and policy advocacy. Most directly comparable peer as a membership-based community serving foundation CEOs and philanthropic institutions.
• Co-Impact: Global philanthropic collaborative pooling funds from HNW donors and foundations for systems-change grants in the Global South. Comparable audience of major funders and similar cross-border, pooled-capital framing.
• Philanthropy Roundtable: Membership association for individual donors and foundations focused on traditional philanthropy. Comparable membership-driven community model serving philanthropic leaders with events and resources.
• Aspen Philanthropy Group (Aspen Institute): Convening initiative within the Aspen Institute that brings together foundation leaders for peer learning. Closely comparable model: curated, off-the-record convenings for senior philanthropic decision-makers.
• Synergos: Global nonprofit bridging philanthropy and local actors, with offices in multiple regions. Comparable mission of building philanthropic partnerships across borders, particularly in emerging markets.

Regional players

• African Philanthropy Forum: Independent regional affiliate of GPF focused on African philanthropists and sustainable development. Directly comparable operating model (regional forum + convening), serving African geography where GPF does not run programs independently.
• IDIS (Instituto para o Desenvolvimento do Investimento Social): Brazilian partner organization behind the Brazilian Philanthropy Forum. Comparable as a convening/philanthropy-infrastructure organization, focused on Latin America with similar learning-community framing for philanthropists.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GlobalPhilanthropy12
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-philanthropy-forum
• Xx.com/gpforg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Global Philanthropy Forum