Currently, migration is heavily focused on securitization, often isolated from other societal issues. Consultation rather than co-creation remains the norm. Repetitive conversations and performative speeches are common, and spaces are often designed to reinforce binaries, such as viewing civil society and policymakers or funders and non-funders as opposing sides.

EPIM—the European Philanthropic Initiative for Migration—aims to do things differently. The ambition is to bring together diverse actors from across the ecosystem in a safe and brave space to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the issues the migration ecosystem faces and to create shared visions and solutions. The Forum thus serves to shape EPIM’s future directions and builds on the belief that, through a series of ripple effects, Forum members will amplify the joint visions, learnings, and approaches that emerge, spreading them throughout the ecosystem.

In the coming years, EPIM seeks to foster meaningful conversations, purpose-driven collaborations, and a shared understanding of key issues to enhance the ecosystem’s capabilities and tactics for positive change. Ultimately, it aspires to instill hope and nurture renewed visions for migration, democracy, and belonging.

This commitment to host the EPIM Forum offers a rare opportunity for a small part of the migration ecosystem to press pause, make sense, and learn amidst urgency. Feedback from the first Forum indicated that many conversations remained somewhat comfortable and at the surface level, as participants were still getting acquainted. The ecosystem’s siloed nature was evident, with deep disconnects in terminology, working cultures, and interests. While challenging, openly discussing these issues and bringing these conversations and ideas into other related ecosystems and subsystems should be seen as positive disruptions—steps toward more open and transformative conversations.

What’s your perspective and professional experience of the migration ecosystem?

Janina: I perceive a dilemma as there is the idea and will to collaborate cross-sectorally and to coordinate across disciplines. Nevertheless, there is a lack of resources and therefore competition among actors for funding and ideas. It almost feels like there is one system for policymakers and another one for civil society and grassroots organizations, with very different understandings of what migration and displacement mean, what ways there are to address them, and what good visions for the future would be. There is a will for better cooperation, but we still live in a system that often inspires competition instead of cross-sector partnerships.

Raphaela: We also need to acknowledge that there is a lot of ‘othering’ within our professional space. For example, civil society often doesn’t put itself into the shoes of the dilemmas policymakers are facing—and vice versa. It’s not only a lack of trust but also a lack of shared spaces and conversations that we need to address to bring these experiences together.

How do you see the potential of the EPIM Forum to offer a different direction from what you described as challenges within the migration ecosystem?

Janina: I liked that there were no stars at the Forum. That might sound strange but quite often when you’re in workshops or meetings—whether in policy, research, or civil society—there are “stars,” participants who do a lot of the talking and get a lot of the attention. But this didn’t happen. It had a strong focus on creating practical ways to drive positive change in the migration ecosystem without ignoring ongoing negative dynamics. But it made a big difference that these discussions did not shift into othering and questioning whose fault it is—which still happens way too often across the system, as Raphaela said. I believe the Forum can play an important role in breaking these dynamics beyond its boundaries.

Audrey: However large or narrow we understand the scale of the Forum to be, I think there is value in purposively engaging in the process and going with it. I don’t necessarily have a clear vision about how the EPIM Forum will evolve—I don’t have the recipe or the road map—but we’re definitely on the road to somewhere. There is value in engaging earnestly and fully with the process, knowing that we agree that the foundations of it are what needs to change to enable different approaches.

Raphaela: To me, two things stand out as different. One is a systemic view on the migration ecosystem. We had many conversations that were moving us almost out of what migration is, because migration, immigration, and diversity are everywhere. So, how do you look at a system that is not a stand-alone system by itself? The second point is being able to have difficult conversations and think about things from a different angle. That’s the goal: To strategically gather people who are actively engaged in their spheres of influence, and to create a space to talk differently, think differently, and to create new visions and ways of working.

Janina: If we take an approach that addresses an entire eco-system seriously, there has to be room for experimentation as well as for failure. If we dare to think beyond our own walls and to build new and unexpected partnerships, there are going to be so many effects that we can’t even predict now—that is the power behind this collective engagement.

Building on that and keeping the intention at heart: what are signals you look for to shape and lead this process forward with all the dynamics you already shared?

Audrey: It’s about bringing in those who are not currently in a comfort zone. That ability to sit with the discomfort and to acknowledge that this is what we can achieve is, for me, an indicator that we are doing the right thing. On a warmer note, I was very encouraged by the fact that everybody was much more positive and much more solution-driven than I was initially coming into the meeting. And that says something.

Janina: One of these signals would be a shift from the dynamic of competition towards a dynamic of looking out for each other. Another signal could be found in the way researchers, civil society, and policy-makers interact. At the moment, this isn’t working very well, there are a lot of misunderstandings, and on all sides there are people who feel like the others are not listening or do not understand what is at stake. In short, it would be a move from advocacy that is more of a one-way street towards joint learning and joint development of ideas. And then a third signal would be about narratives. We often talk about narratives and how to shape them but often we are not sure how to do that. Getting a better grasp on how to deal with narratives would also be an indicator that something is happening.

Raphaela: The beauty of EPIM is that it’s not only the Forum. It’s the ecosystem, it’s the action that comes with the thematic clusters, it’s the pooled resources that we can invest to address core challenges that are jointly being identified. This includes some very tricky political questions. Moving from EPIM as an investor in civil society across Europe to an investor in the ecosystem and its core challenges is a big and important step.

Which role do you hope to play in the future and what do you think you still need to learn for that? Likewise, how does the migration ecosystem need to shift for you to be able to play that role?

Raphaela: For me, it’s about being able to have conversations with actors who have very different opinions of how the system should look like or what strategies to apply. It’s about being a platform in this space where such conversations can be held in a constructive way. And it’s about being able to test ideas and to radically think about how we move such an ecosystem forward.

Audrey: I hope to show up in earnest, both as a Porticus person and as a person within the migration ecosystem. I also hope to be brave in the way I show up and engage, especially with the more difficult conversations. I also want to use the diversity of views, ideas, and conversations that we are bound to have as part of the Forum to inform what I’m doing when I go back to my own organization.

Raphaela: We always talk about multi-sector alliances and so on. But we are still bad at building these. We all need to experiment, to learn, and also to go bigger on some of the things that start as tiny pilots. It’s great, and it’s nice, and everybody likes each other at the end of the day. But how do we go big? These are very political questions. Having the Forum as a nucleus for these conversations and exchanges would be really valuable.

Participants

Audrey Guichon (Portfolio Manager, Porticus)

Audrey has led Porticus work focused on people on the move for the past 4 years. Before that she worked with the Freedom Fund and has spent most of her career working at the intersection of migration, exploitation, and gender.

Janina Stürner-Siovitz (Researcher)

Janina is a consultant, researcher, and founder of the Equal Partnerships Project. With 9 years of experience in diverse migration settings her work focuses on creating multi-stakeholder partnerships and strengthening bottom-up migration governance in Europe, Africa, and at the global level.

Raphaela Schweiger (Director, Robert Bosch Stiftung)

Raphaela is a Director at the Robert Bosch Stiftung, leading the work on migration and immigration society. For more than a decade, Raphaela has helped build multi-stakeholder partnerships on migration and beyond. From 2021 to 2025 Raphaela was the Chair of EPIM and was an integral part of EPIM’s transition into its new phase.

About EPIM and the collaboration with iac Berlin

EPIM, the European Philanthropic Initiative for Migration, is Europe’s largest and longest-standing philanthropic collaborative acting at the intersection between migration, democracy and belonging. EPIM funds and nurtures alliances and partnerships, curates the migration ecosystem, and cultivates a shared narrative for belonging and democratic resilience. In 2024, EPIM and iac Berlin embarked on a collaborative journey to co-design and co-curate the EPIM Forum for the next 5 years. This partnership aims to foster mutual learning and innovation through this unique experiment.

Our work is made possible thanks to the support and collaboration of so many colleagues and partners. It is a privilege to be connected to all of you through our shared ambitions and initiatives.

If we piqued your curiosity and you would like to find out more, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us!

This interview has been taken from our Activity Report 2024. You can download the entire publication here: