Monica Stryker: Philanthropy and the war in Ukraine

Rhodri Davies (0:12)

You're listening to the Philanthropisms podcast with Rhodri Davies.

Hello, you're listening to the Philanthropisms podcast. This is the podcast where we try to put philanthropy in context. I'm your host, Rhodri Davies. And this week, we have a conversation with Monica Stryker from Foundations for Ukraine. Now, I sat down with Monica. Well, literally, I've just come off a call with Monica, so I thought I'd record this intro straight away afterwards because I'm going to be traveling next week, so a little peek behind the curtain. But yeah, we sat down to talk about her work with Foundations for Ukraine. And as I explained in the interview, this came about because I saw Monica speak at the Philaean Conference earlier this year in Copenhagen. And I was really struck by what she said when she was in a panel session. I thought it was really interesting. I was very keen to get her on the podcast to talk about this topic of Ukraine and philanthropy and what philanthropy is doing in relation to the war in Ukraine. So yeah, we talked a bit about how Foundations for Ukraine came about, what the network is, what it's trying to do. We also gave a little bit of historical context. Monica really helpfully explained what civil society in Ukraine looked like post the Soviet era, but before we get into the current situation, which I think was really interesting and really helpful. Then we talked a lot about obviously the situation since 2022 with the war and the Russian invasion. We talked about that initial surge of donations that came in and what that looked like and where some of that came from. Then that donor fatigue that seems to have set in and why that was and what challenges that's posed. We talked about, from the point of view of Foundations, how they had fit funding for Ukraine into their existing missions and programs, and the different ways in which they explain that and understand it, which I think was really interesting. We talked about where the money goes, so how much of it is going to international NGOs operating in Ukraine versus how much is going to Ukrainian NGOs and grassroots organizations, and how much of it is bypassing all together and going to informal groups and even individuals. We talked about how civil society organizations in Ukraine have harnessed technology to do really interesting things around fundraising and making donations possible. We also talked about the way in which the lines around philanthropy had become a bit blurred in the context of Ukraine, where often the need that is being highlighted is one for military support, or equipment or ammunition in order to fight the war and to defend themselves. Whether funding for that, the so-called lethal aid idea that's arisen, whether that should be seen as philanthropy and how it sits alongside more traditional philanthropic humanitarian causes. We talked a bit about some of the challenges that organizations funding in Ukraine have found. Then we talked about what can be learned from what's happening in Ukraine and the way in which civil society and philanthropy has responded to those challenges and what can be learned by organizations working or funding elsewhere.

Without further ado, let's go into the conversation. I think you'll probably hear, I found this absolutely fascinating. I thought it was really, really interesting. There's some really insightful things that Monica said made me really think as we were going along. I hope you really enjoy this one. I will be back at the end for a little bit of housekeeping.

Thanks for listening to the Philanthropisms Podcast with Rhodri Davies.

Okay, great. Well, I'm here with Monica Stryker from Foundations for Ukraine. Hi there, Monica.

Monica Stryker (4:47)

Hi, Rhodri. Good to be here.

Rhodri Davies (4:49)

Yeah, well, great to have you on the podcast. And for people listening, I should say, I was really keen to do this one. It's a topic I've been wanting to cover ages, but then I saw you on the stage at a session at this year's Philae Forum in Copenhagen. I thought what you're saying was really powerful and interesting, so I was very keen to have a chance to chat a bit more.

Maybe the best place to start is for people just to tell everybody listening what Foundations for Ukraine actually is and how that network came about.

Monica Stryker (5:16)

Yeah, I actually am a fan of your podcast, so I listened to it quite a bit and I was always searching for topics on Ukraine. I'm happy we're doing this today and ready to jump into it.

Foundations for Ukraine is a network of philanthropic organizations that are engaged in Ukraine.