By Louise Driver, Executive Director, IPASA
If 2025 signalled that the ground beneath us was shifting, the opening months of 2026 have confirmed it. Just a quarter into the year, the turbulence across political, economic, technological, and social spheres shows little to no sign of easing. For those working in and alongside philanthropy, there is a growing recognition that this is not a temporary disruption, but a new and more complex operating reality.
In South Africa and globally, the early months of 2026 have felt like an uneasy continuation of the instability that defined the previous year: unpredictable, fast-moving, and often disorienting. Yet, within this context, the year carries particular significance for IPASA. 2026 marks a decade of working towards advancing systemic change and collective impact in South Africa. It has been 10 years of working with private philanthropic funders as well as key philanthropy stakeholders to ask more difficult questions, build more intentional relationships, and invest in forms of change that may not always be visible, but expand what is possible.
A decade is long enough to know that this work is not linear, and short enough to remain humbled by how much still needs to shift. As we concretise our strategic priorities for 2026, we do so with renewed determination because the moment we find ourselves in demands nothing less. For those of us working in and alongside philanthropy, this current moment is sharpened by a provocation we cannot afford to ignore:
“The next crisis is not a hypothetical. It will travel through energy markets, shipping routes, insurance systems, and equity portfolios before arriving at the doorstep of philanthropy. The question is whether philanthropy will still be operating for a world that no longer exists, or whether it will begin, at last, to design for the one that does.” – Alliance Magazine
It is a challenge that cuts to the core of what this decade of work has taught us and what the next must demand of us. Consequently, it calls for something more than agility. It demands a fundamental rethinking of how we position ourselves, how we design our strategies, and ultimately, how we understand our role in a world that is ever changing.
This edition of our newsletter arrives at precisely such a moment of reckoning with the featured articles speaking directly to that challenge. Across the articles, a common thread emerges – philanthropy must evolve from fragmented, programme focused approaches toward more systemic, collaborative, and intersectional approaches. Our newsletter contributors argue that meaningful change requires investing in entire ecosystems rather than isolated initiatives, embracing digital transformation to build trust and relevance, and addressing complex societal challenges through inclusive, community-led and youth centred approaches.
This shift also demands a willingness to rethink leadership, governance, and accountability in ways that enable genuine collaboration and long-term impact. Collectively, the articles do not simply describe the challenges facing philanthropy, but rather point toward what it could look like, in practice, to design for the world that is, rather than the world that was.
At IPASA, we are sitting with these reflections with both honesty and intrinsic motivation as we enter our second decade. We are committed to engaging our members and partners in developing the kind of strategic clarity that does not pretend uncertainty away, but instead designs for it through building in flexibility, nurturing relationships of genuine trust, and investing in the resilience of the philanthropy ecosystem itself.
Our work for 2026 remains unambiguously grounded in our mission: to support, strengthen and transform independent philanthropy in South Africa. While this mission has not changed, the conditions in which we pursue it have and we intend to meet those conditions with the strategic boldness and collective accountability they demand.