A lot has happened on our Patreon since we launched the OTT Membership Programme. Here's what's already waiting for you:
→ The first reading list — curated sector trends and news with commentary to get you thinking
→ A 4-module Starter Pack — key insights and frameworks for think tank professionals, ready to work through at your own pace
→ Resources and videos on fundraising and policy impact
→ A community of 85+ thinktankers from around the world
And next week, the first live masterclass, exclusively for Essential members:
🎙️ The Think Tank Business Model With Enrique Mendizabal
🗓️ 13 May 2026
Join now: patreon.com/onthinktanks
#ThinkTanks #PolicyResearch #ProfessionalDevelopment #PeerLearning #OTTMembership
Join the OTT Membership Programme!
The Essential tier combines structured learning, practical tools, and a peer community — month after month.
Here's what's included:
→ Monthly masterclasses — live, facilitated sessions on the challenges think tanks actually face, led by practitioners who know the sector
→ Practical tools and resources — briefs, curated readings, and materials you can put to use immediately
→ A community space — ongoing exchange and discussion with think tank professionals from across the globe
→ A curated monthly newsletter — key readings with commentary, delivered to your inbox
A comparable one-off course would cost you more than a year of Essential membership. This is structured, practitioner-led professional development — at a fraction of what it should cost.
Founding member rate: $16/month until end of April. $32/month after that.
👉 patreon.com/onthinktanks
#ThinkTanks #Patreon #Membership #ThinkTankCommunity
Something we've been building for a long time is finally here!
Today, On Think Tanks launches its Membership Programme — and we're opening the doors to the first cohort of think tank professionals who want more than the sector has typically offered them.
Think tank work is specific. The pressures, the questions, the kind of collegial support that actually helps — they're hard to find in generic professional development spaces. OTT Membership was built to fill that gap.
We invite our network to join as founding members — shaping the community, exchanging learnings, and belonging from day one.
Swipe through the carousel for more information, and start your membership journey today. Visit onthinktanks.org/membership
#ThinkTanks #Patreon #Membership #ThinkTankCommunity
Think tanks do better work when they learn from each other across regions. That's exactly what the #OTTConference is built for.
Luciana Servo, President of the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea), brought a Latin American perspective to the #OTTConference2025 stage through her keynote speech — and her message went beyond representation.
Who gets to shape the ideas that matter? And who is trusted to apply them? That's the conversation we're taking to Rabat at the #OTTConference2026.
You can still register your interest to attend. Limited spots remaining! Click the link in our bio to fill in the form.
🗓️ 19–21 May 2026 | 📍 @policycenter.ns , Rabat, #Morocco
Dr. Denis Foretia, Executive Chairman of the Nkafu Policy Institute, has been part of the OTT Conference community since nearly the beginning. This May, he returns to Rabat for his sixth #OTTConference — this time as a keynote speaker, bringing his rare vantage point as both a surgeon-academic and a think tank leader shaping policy in Cameroon and beyond.
But first, hear what kept bringing him back.
Join him and more global think tank leaders & policy experts at the #OTTConference2026 — limited spots remaining! Click the link in our bio to register.
🗓️ 19–21 May 2026 | 📍 @policycenter.ns , Rabat, Morocco
#ThinkTanks #Philanthropy #OTTConference #ThinkTanksandTrust
When funders and think tanks share a room, the conversations look different.
May Aguiar from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation was at the 2025 OTT Conference — and her presence reflects something we care about deeply: bringing the people who support think tanks into the same space as the people who run them.
Watch what she took away from the experience.
Register your interest in attending the #OTTConference2026 — limited spots remaining! Click the link in our bio to sign up.
🗓️ 19–21 May 2026 | 📍 @policycenter.ns , Rabat, Morocco
#ThinkTanks #Philanthropy #OTTConference #ThinkTanksandTrust
🚨 Last 2 weeks left!
The State of the Sector survey informs the only annual, global snapshot of how think tanks are operating, funded, and adapting to change.
The resulting State of the Sector report is used throughout the year by think tanks, funders, and partners to understand the field beyond assumptions.
If you work in a think tank, this is your opportunity to ensure your context and experience shape that picture in 2026.
👉 Take the survey now: click the link in our bio!
#SOS2026 #StateoftheSectorSurvey #StateoftheSector2026 #OpenThinkTankDirectory #ThinkTanks
The State of the Sector 2026 survey is underway — and the early signals are showing us how the think tank sector is holding its ground, even as the ground keeps shifting.
With the first 100 responses in, here's a glimpse of what's emerging:
🔹 Funding is a mixed bag — and structural fragility hasn't gone away
🔹 Optimism about sector growth has fallen sharply since last year
🔹 Despite that, impact confidence remains strong
🔹 Political polarisation may be stabilising after last year's spike
🔹 AI adoption keeps climbing — faster than many expected
This is just a snapshot. The full picture depends on who else responds. Your organisation's experience matters!
👉 Take the survey before 31 March and help shape what the sector looks like in 2026: click the link in our bio!
#SOS2026 #StateoftheSectorSurvey #StateoftheSector2026 #OpenThinkTankDirectory #ThinkTanks
The Think Tanks State of the Sector survey takes just 25 minutes to complete. (Yes, we've tested it!)
But the insights it generates inform discussions across the think tank community all year long—from funding strategies and research priorities to collaboration, positioning, and peer benchmarking.
The resulting State of the Sector report is referenced by think tanks, funders, and policy experts to understand how organisations are operating, adapting, and navigating change.
If you’re a think tank leader, this is one of the simplest ways to ensure your organisation’s context influences those conversations in 2026.
👉 Take the survey now: click the link in our bio!
#SOS2026 #StateoftheSectorSurvey #StateoftheSector2026 #OpenThinkTankDirectory #ThinkTanks
Less than three months to go!
The 10th edition of the OTT Conference is coming together — and if you haven't registered yet, now is the time.
From 19–21 May 2026, think tank leaders, researchers, and practitioners from across the globe will gather in Rabat, Morocco, to tackle one of the most pressing questions facing our community: how do think tanks build and sustain trust — with policymakers, funders, and the public — in an increasingly complex world?
Hosted in partnership with the Policy Center for the New South, this milestone edition promises sharp conversations, diverse perspectives, and the kind of exchange that only happens when the right people are in the room.
👉 Register now: onthinktanks.org/conference (link in bio)
📍 Rabat, Morocco
📅 19–21 May 2026
#OTTConference2026 #ThinkTanks #Trust #PolicyCommunity
Before we land in Morocco, we're taking a moment to look back!
Last year, the #OTTConference brought together some of the sharpest minds in the think tank world in Johannesburg — and the conversations that unfolded were exactly why this community keeps showing up.
We were joined by remarkable keynote speakers: Dr. Luciana Mendes Santos Servo (Ipea), Damien King (CAPRI), Sara Pantuliano (ODI), and Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi (ACET) — each bringing perspectives that challenged, grounded, and energised the room.
The Conference featured policy researchers, think tank leaders, and funders from organisations like GIZ, IDRC, and the World Bank — a reminder of the calibre of people this community attracts.
And how could we forget our hosts, the New South Institute and SAIIA, for making Joburg such a memorable home for the Conference!
Now, we're counting down to the milestone 10th edition of the Conference, 19–21 May 2026 in Morocco, at the @policycenter.ns 🇲🇦
The link to register is in our bio!
#OTTConference #Throwback #ThinkTanks #PolicyCommunity #Trust
We’re pleased to announce the line-up of keynote speakers for the #OTTConference2026, taking place 19–21 May in Rabat, Morocco, at the Policy Center for the New South.
🌟 Denis Foretia, MD.MPH.MBA, Co-Chair, Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation, and Executive Chairman, Nkafu Policy Institute
🌟 Erica Schoder, Executive Director, R Street Institute
🌟 Hector Cardenas, Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales (COMEXI)
🌟 Rosa Balfour, Director, Carnegie Europe
🌟 Opening address by Karim El Aynaoui, Executive President of the Policy Center for the New South
They will join us to explore this year’s theme, Think tanks and trust, with more speakers to be announced in the coming weeks.
With just a few months to go, now is the time to secure your place.
👉 Register your interest to attend - head to the link in our bio!
#OTTConference2026 #ThinkTanks #PolicyCommunity #Trust
