Dalberg Catalyst

It is an honor to host and steward the Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP) with all our fantastic partners. Over the past year, CSFEP has helped convene small business owners, forestry representatives, and government officials in East Africa and across the continent, to re-imagine and cultivate forest product economies that support resilient African forests and thriving local economies. Together with our partners, we've come to deeply appreciate how forests and the built environment, typically siloed and disconnected industries, must embrace a different way of thinking and working together, whereby they ask: “What needs to change across the system to enable us to achieve our shared objectives and cut across silos?” and “How can we work together as a collective to achieve these objectives?” A critical ingredient this year has been the space CSFEP has held for local organizations and individuals to come together as a coalition, develop a shared vision and agenda, exchange learnings, and align approaches and roles ahead of upcoming critical moments. To learn more about CSFEP's work and recent progress, join their newsletter (link in the comments). #foresteconomies #communities #coalitions #sustainability #biobasedconstruction Charlotte Baylis Robyn van den Heuvel Katie Baldassar Bongiwe Shongwe Tena Petrovic George McLoughlin

The concept of “systems change" is abuzz and abounding. But what does it really mean and how can we shift the world’s dangerous course? On the cutting edge of systems change are our friends and collaborators at Dalberg Catalyst where they are challenging traditional philanthropic approaches and putting forward a new path for “collectively owned strategies.” Co-strategies are necessary to accelerate systemic, coordinated responses to existential challenges that are outpacing traditional, incremental approaches. In this piece just out from the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Jordan Fabyanske, Sonila Cook and Mariah Levin outline what it takes to build alignment, cohesion and agility.   That’s the systems-change approach we’re taking at Circle of Blue as we enter a year of accelerating existential threats for water and all that it touches. DM me to learn more how we can — and must — design water’s future together. 💫💧 https://lnkd.in/gXa3r8F7 #thevalueweb #climate #water #climatewater #systemsdesign #systemschange #costrategies #socialinnovation Lee Howell Emma Benameur, MBA Sera Young Jessica Sweidan

⭐ SSIR’s New Issue (online now): Collectively Owned Strategies • Doing Community Development Right • The Solidarity Practices of Informal Economies 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eBBPUep9 The Winter ’25 Issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review features: “Collectively Owned Strategies” | In their cover story, Jordan Fabyanske, Sonila Cook, and Mariah Levin from Dalberg Catalyst and The DO School Fellowships argue for a reconfiguration of philanthropic power through strategies that are collectively owned. “New Blueprint for Financing Community Development” | David Fukuzawa, Nancy O. Andrews, and Rebecca Steinitz propose a new paradigm for community development that prioritizes impact over scale, emphasizes flexible and creative financing strategies, and empowers community voice. “Strengthening Africa’s Urban Informal Economies” | Joel Bothello and Tim Weiss argue that development professionals should take an assets-based approach to strengthening Africa’s urban informal economies. Plus: Book reviews of Terrible Beauty by Auden Schendler and Kindred Creation by Aida Mariam Davis (Aida D.). 📚   Subscribe now to SSIR to read these reviews and more: https://lnkd.in/eTRxhPWe 🐟 A fascinating case study on how Kenyan fishing villages are using mangrove conservation to fund local development 🎓 An argument for reforming public health education ❤️🩹 A timely profile of Ukraine’s wartime lifesavers 💬 Research on how to fight polarization with personal stories And don’t miss two special supplements from the Skoll Foundation (Social Innovation and the Journey to Transformation) and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) (Practices for Transitions in a Time Between Worlds), available to all readers! Explore the full issue now! https://lnkd.in/eBBPUep9

Very excited to share our perspective on "Collectively Owned Strategies", featured on the cover of Stanford Social Innovation Review.    Sonila Cook, Mariah Levin and I examine the limitations of individual strategies—especially those owned exclusively by funders—and how co-ownership is necessary for systemic change.   From our experience at Dalberg Catalyst, as well as recent live experiments and several case examples, we argue that global and systemic challenges can be addressed more effectively with strategies that are collectively owned. Our case is a pragmatic one--and it also happens to be a more just and inclusive way to think about social change.   In the article, we are honored to elevate the work driven by members of two fantastic coalitions: Preventing Pandemics at the Source, and the GroundBreak Coalition. As fellow travelers, we offer our perspectives in hopes of sparking conversation and continued co-learning. We invite your comments, including what this sparks for you.   Many thanks to the team at SSIR and to all those who helped inform and sharpen these ideas for public good.   The article is available in SSIR's Winter 2025 issue.   Sonila Cook, Mariah Levin, Marcie Bianco, Dan Tuttle, Cynthia Rayner, Oliver Babson, Jeffrey Walker, Erin Imon Gavin, Ed.D., Neil Vora, MD, Robyn van den Heuvel, McKnight Foundation, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Dominic Hofstetter, Isis Krause

Cheering on our many Sharing Strategies network partners who are in Baku (#COP29) and Rio de Janeiro (#G20Summit) right now, pushing to jumpstart progress on our global #climate and #sustainabledevelopment goals. Some brief reflections on what makes this network so powerful – and more necessary than ever: Nearly 200 partners in the Sharing Strategies network – senior leaders from across the climate and development worlds, Global South and North, ranging from activists to funders to government officials – regularly gather virtually to swap intel and strategize for upcoming global moments like these. They share a dogged optimism in the face of today’s fierce political headwinds. With founder Jamie Drummond's facilitative leadership, network members have a strong sense of co-ownership and ensure momentum through cross-sharing. A few lessons we’ve learned as this network has grown: 🧠 𝟏. 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 – partners say that Sharing Strategies’ monthly plenary calls provide a rare forum in which they can both step outside their sector silos and feel comfortable disclosing insider insights and planned tactics. ➕ 𝟐. 𝐍𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 “𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭-𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲” – anchor partners role-model openness and mutual support by sharing resources, amplifying each other’s work, acknowledging vulnerabilities, and celebrating collective wins. They refrain from self-promotion and posturing for funders. A culture of generosity breeds further generous behavior. 🤝 𝟑. 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨-𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 – the rubber hits the road in the myriad of smaller-scale partner interactions between monthly plenaries. The network has helped spawn a host of “catalytic action clusters,” independent, agile, and action-oriented working groups that coordinate joint advocacy and policy reform efforts on specific sub-issues. We have an enormous task ahead of us, made all the more daunting by the US election result. But recent political shifts have only reinforced the need for spaces like the Sharing Strategies network where partners can re-group, coalesce around a shared path forward, and magnify the impact of each others’ efforts. Dalberg Catalyst is honored to accompany Sharing Strategies’ partners as we work to extend our collective impact. Learn more about the Sharing Strategies network, visit our website (https://lnkd.in/dzyyrGRe), where you can learn about partners’ work, subscribe to our newsletter, and join in. Sandy Majola Dorothy Masara Sonila Cook Jordan Fabyanske #GlobalGoals #SDGs #ClimateAction #ClimateAdvocacy #GreenTransition #RioG20 #Baku2024

Stay tuned! 👇

We are thrilled that parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), who met earlier this month in Cali, approved a Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health to help curb the emergence of zoonotic diseases and promote sustainable ecosystems. Taking a holistic “One Health” approach, the plan recognizes the interconnectedness of ecosystems, animals, and humans. Through Preventing Pandemics at the Source (PPATS), visionary representatives from health and conservation have been collaborating over the last 4 years to ensure awareness of, and action on, viral spillover. The spillover of viruses from animals to humans  –  driven by deforestation, commercial wildlife trade, and livestock production without adequate safeguards – has been the cause of most, if not all, viral pandemics since 1918. PPATS co-hosts the Commission on Prevention of Viral Spillover alongside renowned medical journal The Lancet. Co-chaired by Neil Vora, MD, Raina Plowright, and Latiffah Hassan, the Commission brings together 27 leading scientists from around the world. The aim is to mobilize transdisciplinary action to limit viral spillovers through research, policy, law, and practice — thereby reducing the risk of future pandemics while promoting a healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable future. Dalberg Catalyst is honored to be co-creator and steward of PPATS.  For more on this important topic, check out PPATS Executive Director Neil Vora’s TED talk on pandemic prevention. Jordan Fabyanske, Robyn van den Heuvel, Charlotte Baylis, Nigel Sizer

"Leadership is about the capacity of the whole system to sense and actualize the future that wants to emerge." (Otto Scharmer)   The Adaptive Cities team is gearing up for return to Santiago, Chile, next week, where we are excited to advance our collaborations with Chilean partners working at the nexus of extreme heat, freshwater challenges and their implications for health and social justice.   Our pilot-scale efforts in Santiago are part of the global Adaptive Cities initiative, which we are honored to co-create and steward. The origins of Adaptive Cities trace back to great minds gathered at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center and our engagement in the Brookings-Rockefeller 17 Rooms process in 2023.   Adaptive Cities seeks to empower urban communities with AI-enabled, data-driven insights and collective intelligence to address tomorrow's challenges today. Fragmented data and siloed systems hinder collaborative, proactive planning, impeding the emergence of resilient, sustainable cities capable of adapting to rapid change.   At the core is the groundbreaking idea of OpenTwin -- a digital twin platform designed to help democratize and better inform urban planning and governance. More and more cities are experimenting with digital twin technology, and we see a tremendous opportunity for digital twins to serve as intelligent public infrastructure and to interlink these digital twins through a global network for shared learning and collaboration.   If collective sensemaking is what leadership is about, then Adaptive Cities is building deep leadership capacity – by enabling urban communities to jointly make sense of the challenges ahead and shape locally-led and essential adaptation investments to address them. To learn more, visit www.adaptivecities.org, or email adaptivecities @ dalbergcatalyst .org .   Robert Kirkpatrick, Harvey Rubin, PhD, MD, Laura Lee, Saleem H. Ali, Nicolas Azocar 宁友, Kari Aina Eik, William Hoffman, San Rahi, Evelyn Garrido, Robert Fabricant, Cristina Huidobro, Patricia Andrea Pastén Valdés, Roberto Moris

A huge thank you to beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship for inviting us to co-host the launch of your North America Fellowship during #ClimateWeekNYC! It was truly inspiring to witness the incredible innovations emerging from this impactful program. We were also energized by the opportunity to connect with over 200 representatives from business, government, and the social impact sectors who joined us for the event. As we confront the urgent environmental challenges ahead, collaboration across sectors is more critical than ever. It’s through initiatives with ambitions like this—anchored in holistic systems, with stable funding and shared accountability—that we can drive meaningful, lasting change. We are excited to see how these bold solutions evolve in the coming years and remain committed to working together for a sustainable future. Many thanks to The DO School Fellowships, Leaders' Quest, Count Us In, The Forum of Young Global Leaders, Global Shapers Community, The Rockefeller Foundation, Village Capital, World Economic Forum, and beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship.

✨ Dalberg Catalyst is thrilled to announce we are co-hosting a special New York Climate Week event focused on environmental innovation and leadership, with beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship and The DO School Fellowships. Other co-hosts include: The Rockefeller Foundation, Leaders' Quest, Count Us In, Village Capital, The Forum of Young Global Leaders, Global Shapers Community, and 1t.org. The event will include: 🎤 Panel discussions around seeding and cultivating meaningful, longer-term environmental innovation 🌱 Celebrating and engaging with young eco-innovators leading the way to a more sustainable future This event is invite-only, so please message us directly if you are interested. Please note that invites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Don’t miss the chance to join us on September 24 at Radio Park Rockefeller Center! #ClimateAction #EnvironmentalLeadership #ClimateWeekNY