In years past and present, the Global Philanthropy Fellowship has supported an academic fellow in fostering international dialogue and exchange by emphasizing global philanthropy research, with the generous support of the Giving USA Foundation. In 2023, I had the honor of joining the research team at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy as the second Global Philanthropy Fellow. This fellowship has resonated with me on professional and personal levels.
After about 15 years of practicing law, including representing nonprofit entities, I pivoted toward policy-driven research to understand broader philanthropic and civil society trends, foster social discussion, and enable changes for the public good. Professionally, this fellowship has offered a vital venue to connect and learn alongside colleagues and communities about why and how philanthropy is practiced worldwide and engage in policy-level discussions about how to foster an enabling environment for philanthropy. As our world becomes increasingly global, such thriving spaces for exchange are paramount.
On a personal note, embracing global traditions of generosity and philanthropy has been part of my upbringing and adult life. I am part of a mixed-culture family from around the world, including Pakistan, Thailand, Haiti, Iran, Mexico, Palestine, and Afghanistan. Through this lifelong immersion in a cross-cultural family, I have experienced various ways of individual generosity, often associated with overflowing hospitality, food, and encouragement. Thus, the opportunity to connect the research and practice of philanthropy more deeply through this fellowship is one for which I am very grateful.
As part of my fellowship experience, I have had the pleasure of leading a global research team to undertake research and develop partnerships for the 2025 Global Philanthropy Environment Index (GPEI), for which data collection is underway. The GPEI gathers over 100 experts from more than 90 countries and economies worldwide to provide an updated mapping and in-depth coverage of the factors that enable or restrict philanthropy. The GPEI offers national, regional, and global analyses and recommendations for maximizing philanthropy.
To better reflect the global nature of the project and bring in diverse ways of thinking and understanding philanthropy, we began by recruiting a diverse internal team. Our core team brings rich perspectives from cultures and countries around the world including Brazil, China, Guinea, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Serbia, and the United States. Our team also reflects linguistic diversity, including Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. We have also hosted and learned from in-person visitors from China, Hong Kong, Romania, Sweden, and Türkiye. Overall, we have used this opportunity to listen to and learn with one another while deepening our engagement with external partners.
Addressing research gaps on global philanthropy facilitates dialogue and policy solutions on philanthropy at a global scale. First, reliable data is necessary to inform conversations and provide data-driven solutions for practitioners and policymakers. In many partner discussions, the lack of data in their country or region has impeded further development of philanthropy and policy solutions for an improved enabling environment. Without reliable data, partners have also noted how it is easier to fall back on political persuasion and more challenging to make informed decisions and measure progress. Research such as the GPEI builds a baseline of reliable data for understanding the current state and future direction of philanthropy, from which additional research and informed decisions can be made.
Second, undertaking global research needs language access throughout research design and dissemination. Thanks to our linguistically diverse core team and ongoing conversations with partners, we learned more about the practical limitations of reaching relevant audiences with English-only research. Language access can facilitate broader use and engagement with global philanthropy research such as the GPEI, which can, in turn, inform dialogue and solutions for enabling philanthropy at a deeper level. In the upcoming GPEI, we are recruiting partners to help promote language access in disseminating research.
Finally, a global movement to enable philanthropy needs a global community. While the GPEI has traditionally brought people together to understand the research in a broader context, we are actively building ways to facilitate community through virtual and in-person convenings at the global level. We are excited about the foundation we are laying for the years ahead.
Research and reliable data are foundational to advancing policy in a meaningful and solution-oriented way, and this fellowship addresses a noted gap in global philanthropy. Looking ahead, the Global Philanthropy Fellowship can continue to benefit from an emphasis on research, which continues to be needed globally. It can also benefit from post-fellow convenings and exchanges in a fellow’s home country and region, advancing the global movement for enabling global philanthropy. Ultimately, I am grateful for this immersive research experience and remain eager to apply what I have learned from this fellowship to advance research, policy, and conversations on global philanthropy.
About the author
Afshan Paarlberg is a Global Philanthropy Fellow and assistant research scholar with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She also serves as the project director for the Global Philanthropy Indices, engaging in policy-driven research about the enabling environment for philanthropy across 91+ countries and economies. She has a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center and a B.B.A. and B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin; she is currently a Ph.D. candidate with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She has over fifteen years of legal experience in nonprofit and immigration matters. She currently serves on the boards of The Appellate Project and the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding.
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