Partnering with Government - Early Lessons for Philanthropy

The Atlantic Philanthropies (Atlantic) is a limited life foundation which has ended its grant making after 23 years in Northern Ireland. To sustain aspects of work previously funded in the areas of children’s services, dementia care and shared education, Atlantic entered into a £62m partnership with the Northern Ireland government.  

SCI oversees the government partnership grants awarded by Atlantic. Recognising the importance of documenting and sharing strategies for social change, SCI has reflected on the partnership experience between Northern Ireland government departments and Atlantic Philanthropies, as an independent funder, to identify learning applicable to broader social change efforts. These reflective articles on the Atlantic experience offer insights to other philanthropies and grant-making bodies who are considering partnering with government.