Giving in Europe

The Center for Philanthropic Studies aims to contribute to the understanding of philanthropy in Europe.

In order to advance, coordinate and promote excellence in philanthropic research in Europe, the Center is co-founder of the European Network on Philanthropy (ERNOP). ERNOP is established in January 2008. Currently, the network has around 250 members from 25 European countries and organizes an academic conference every other year. 

Our researchers have been involved in different European research projects. The Center coordinated the EUFORI Study, a cross-national study on philanthropic contributions to research and innovation. Members of the Center were part of the consortium that carried out the ITSSOIN study, which examined the impact of the third sector on social innovations.

We aim to map the magnitude of giving by different sources (households, foundations, corporations, lotteries) across Europe. In 2017, a unique pioneering study was published: Giving in Europe. Future work should establish datasets that allow for even better international comparisons on philanthropy in Europe.