The Catalan Coordinator of Foundations (CCF) organizes the first meeting with 22 foundations

The Coordinadora Catalana de Fundaciones (CCF) , an organization that represents more than 700 foundations in the country, has organized the first meeting in Lleida 'Let's network, create opportunities! The meeting of the cultural foundations of the Terres de Lleida ', an event that brought together 22 foundations from various areas of the cultural sector.

The event, organized by the Culture Commission of the CCF at the facilities of the Fundació Orfeó Lleidatà , has had the participation of representatives of cultural foundations from many different fields, such as music, literature, social sphere, the conservation of the environment or the theatre, among others. Attendees had the opportunity to meet other entities in the sector, be inspired by the projects presented and explore possible ways of collaboration.

Mercè Balcells, member of the Board of the Catalan Coordinator of Foundations and director of the Fundació Universitat de Lleida; Xavier Quinquillà , executive director of the Orfeó Lleidatà Foundation, Òscar Enrech , managing director of the Orfeó Lleidatà Foundation, and Marta Esteve , director of the Carulla Foundation and member of the CCF Board of Directors, were the people in charge of welcoming and to energize presentations and work tables.

After a short presentation of all the foundations in attendance, six foundations shared inspiring projects and the keys that enabled them to drive them forward and achieve their goals:

• Fundació Orfeó Lleidatà , in charge of Xavier Quinquillà, executive director.
• Alba Foundation , in charge of Míriam Arnaz, cultural manager.
• Ilersis Foundation , in charge of Jaume Bello, coordinator of the Màxima-FP Performing Arts Project.
• Guillem Viladot Foundation - The Sparrow , by Pau Minguet.
• Pirineus Zoo Foundation, in charge of Stania Kuspertova, executive director.
• Free Theater Foundation, by Valeri Viladrich, director.

The second part of the day focused on the work tables 'Challenges, barriers and proposed solutions' , a format that encouraged teamwork and the exchange of knowledge with the aim of the foundations sharing initiatives and resources , while exploring possible solutions to help them face their challenges.

With this aim, the attendees worked in four thematic tables from which a series of conclusions, powerful ideas and proposals for action were drawn, which were shared with all the attendees in the final block of the day. Below is a brief summary of what was presented:

• Patronage and fundraising: this table highlighted several difficulties or barriers, such as the precariousness of having professionals dedicated to fundraising and the lack of awareness of governing bodies about the need to bet -there Some of the proposed lines of action have been to have specialized professionals dedicated to attracting and retaining loyalty, raising awareness among the board of trustees and having a favorable fiscal framework that promotes philanthropy and patronage.
• Communication and social complicity: this table highlights the challenges of communicating what foundations contribute to society, as well as the intangible value of culture. Emphasis has also been placed on the importance of finding the balance between communicating well and taking action effectively and making communication accessible to everyone. And the need to have resources to invest in communication has been highlighted, and that these are not considered an expense, but an investment.

• Sustainability: the foundations that formed this working table saw the need to promote initiatives that facilitate networking in order to share resources and experiences in the field of sustainability and facilitate training in the field for foundations. On the other hand, the lack of stable and long-term resources to help foundations implement sustainability action plans has been highlighted.
• Alliances and networking: the foundations highlighted the challenge of overcoming the distance between the different agents when it comes to establishing alliances and having instruments and spaces to enhance relationships. Proposals have emerged regarding the need to promote public-private cooperation, which is considered to be neither structured nor have ad hoc resources, as well as the possibility of organizing semi-annual meetings.

The event also had the participation of Antoni Soliva , president of the Fundació Orfeó Lleidatà, who emphasized that "it is necessary to value the concept of the foundation in the cultural field and to give visibility to its contribution to society" ; and Pilar Bosch , Councilor for Culture and Promotion of the City of Paeria de Lleida, who highlighted "the great work of cultural foundations when working for social cohesion and as a key economic engine".

For her part, Sara Pérez , manager of the CCF, evaluates very positively this first meeting of the cultural foundations of the province of Lleida and emphasizes that "it strengthens us in our goal of promoting collaboration between foundations of "this area and in the purpose of positioning culture as a basic element for the development of people".