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PROGRAMS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Memberships

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Our Approach

We are active members of numerous international networks to strengthen global collaboration in philanthropy, increase experience sharing, and develop joint solutions. This enables us to showcase successful practices from Turkey at the global level, closely follow international developments, and make our foundation’s work more effective.
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Philanthrophy Europe Association (Philea)

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Philea is Europe’s philanthropy network, representing more than 11,000 foundations and donors across over 30 countries. It brings the sector together, strengthens collaboration, and actively advocates for positive social change in Europe and beyond. Established in December 2021 through the merger of Dafne and the European Foundation Centre (EFC), Philea has created a strong and unified voice for European philanthropy.

Founded in Brussels in 1989, the EFC aimed to foster a supportive legal and financial environment for foundations in Europe, strengthen the infrastructure of the third sector, and promote cooperation and partnerships among foundations and other actors in the field. Sabancı Foundation has been a member of the EFC since 1991 and was elected to its Board of Directors for three consecutive three-year terms in 2011, 2014, and 2020.

Since 2021, Sabancı Foundation has actively contributed to the work carried out under its Philea membership. The Foundation regularly participates in annual meetings and conferences, takes part as a speaker in panel discussions, and plays an active role in the thematic networks on Disability and on Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion coordinated under Philea.
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Sabancı Foundation is a founding member of Philea’s Disability Thematic Network, previously known as the European Consortium of Foundations on Human Rights and Disability. Established in 2009, the Network aims to strengthen collaboration among donor foundations and stakeholders and to support the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). Sabancı Foundation is the only founding member invited from Türkiye, alongside foundations from Spain, France, Portugal, and Ireland.

The Network promotes the effective adoption of the UN CRPD across Europe by enabling members to share knowledge, experience, resources, and good practices.

In 2020, Sabancı Foundation contributed to the report “How Do They Do It? EFC Members Share Good Practice on Organising Accessible Events” by sharing the accessibility standards applied in its Philanthropy Seminars.
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Sabancı Foundation is a founding member of the Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Thematic Network of the European Philanthropy Association, established in 2014. As an invited founding member from Türkiye, Sabancı Foundation is part of the Network alongside leading organisations such as the “la Caixa” Foundation, Aydın Doğan Foundation, Calala Women’s Fund, Chanel Foundation, King Baudouin Foundation and Laudes Foundation.

The Network aims to foster mutual learning and deepen understanding in the field of gender equality, while encouraging the integration of a gender perspective into the work of foundations. Through its reports and publications, it also seeks to bring a gender equality lens to the agendas of other philanthropy-focused organisations.
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The Council on Foundations (COF) is a U.S.-based nonprofit membership association that supports philanthropies in advancing the common good. With a 75-year legacy, the Council serves over 900 member organizations across the United States and around the world—helping to build trust in philanthropy, broaden pathways to giving, embrace diverse perspectives, and co-create solutions for a better future.

The Sabancı Foundation has been a member of COF since 1987.
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Sabancı Foundation is the first and the only organization from Türkiye to be included in the Foundations 20 Platform (F20), which is a network of more than 60 foundations and philanthropic organizations from different parts of the world, mainly from G20 countries.

Established after the G20 Summit in 2017, the platform aims to establish a bridge between civil society, private sector, think tanks and politicians in sustainable development, climate change and renewable energy issues, and to enable experience sharing and cooperation. F20 Platform also works on the implementation of the 2030 agenda, Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. Members of the platform include important foundations such as the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Mercator Foundation, WWF, Robert Bosch Foundation, and the European Climate Foundation.
The Global Philanthropists Circle (GPC) was founded in 2001 by Synergos Founder Peggy Dulany and her late father, David Rockefeller Sr., as a global community for leading philanthropic individuals and families to collaborate, learn from one another, and reimagine solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.

GPC members exchange ideas, explore poverty-related issues, and share both the successes and challenges of their philanthropic journeys. Rooted in Synergos’ commitment to building a more just, equitable, peaceful, and regenerative world, the GPC fosters trust and reflection—creating a brave space where members can grow alongside the evolving role of philanthropy.

Since 2010, Ms. Güler Sabancı, Chair of the Sabancı Foundation, has been a member of this vibrant community, which now includes over 400 philanthropists and social investors from more than 30 countries.
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