Building bridges for local good

On the occasion of the European Conference for Community Foundations in Cardiff 2017 the European Community Foundation Initiative (ECFI) is presenting this report in order to give an idea of the diversity which characterizes the about 670 community foundations in Europe. In 27 European countries, citizens are actively committed at a local level to improving their community. When Simona Serban (Cluj Community Foundation, Romania) says, „We have a key role in building a base for local philanthropy in post-communist society“ (page 37), this is in agreement with the experiences of Jan Despiegelaere (West Flanders Community Foundations, Belgium): „We are able to try things that have an impact on the community.“ (page 9) The differences in the general political, economic and sociocultural conditions become secondary; what connects people is their common goal.