Philanthropic foundations have quietly become major players in the field of development cooperation with some of the world’s poorest countries. They are now making significant contributions in areas like agriculture, family planning and health.

Independent of governments, private foundations have financed pioneering work on programmes that focus both on long-term impact and on innovative approaches to development aid.

How can EU and national aid-givers facilitate closer cooperation between foundations and other development actors? Should EU policymakers do more to coordinate and share project evaluation methods, and perhaps create a shared database of projects? What role can international institutions and organisations play in this growing field? And what should host governments in the developing world do to encourage foundations to engage in development assistance?