What becomes possible when the people who give and the people doing the work share the same table?

Americans gave an estimated $617.2 billion to charity in 2025, the highest total recorded in current dollars and a 5.7 per cent increase on the previous year, according to Giving USA. Giving has never been easier, or offered more ways to participate. A donation can be made in seconds, its progress followed through a dashboard and an annual report downloaded in a single click.

Yet a paradox remains. Most philanthropy happens at a distance, through cheques, galas, annual reports. Donors support ground-breaking work around the world, yet often remain far from the people carrying it forward. The transaction is immediate; the human relationship behind it may never begin.

That distance is what Elkemist was created to close.

A Gathering Built on Proximity

Hosted by Satopia, Elkemist is not another philanthropic conference or fundraising event. This intimate annual gathering, built around proximity, conversation and lasting relationships brings our community of travellers with the extraordinary people and foundations we have met, and remain connected to, who are engaging in crucial work around the world.

For five days in June 2027, the people who give and the people doing the work will share the same table and build long-term relationships rather than one-off transactions in an enchanting, southern French setting.

Les Domaines de Chabran

The gathering takes place across Les Domaines de Chabran, a collection of private Provençal homes centred around an eighteenth-century estate. Here, tucked between the Alpilles and the olive groves of Maussane-les-Alpilles, days unfold with meaning beneath centuries-old olive trees and among landscaped gardens fragranced with jasmine and roses. Mornings begin over unhurried breakfasts while afternoons move through thoughtful conversations and moments of quiet reflection. Evenings linger beneath the Provençal sky, with shared meals continuing long after the final course has been cleared.

“We created Elkemist to bring our community closer to the remarkable people and foundations we have encountered through our travels,” says Satopia co-founder Emma Ponsonby. “It gives everyone time to listen, build relationships and understand where their contribution can be most useful.”

It’s a place where conversations replace presentations and collaborations replace small talk. Every detail creates room for genuine dialogue and connection, allowing everyone to focus on the essential: being fully present with the people and ideas around them.

The guest community is shaped with equal care, bringing together thoughtful people from different worlds who share a desire to give well, learn from one another and consider what they might make possible in good company.

The 2027 Foundation Partners

The 2027 Elkemist gathering is centered on one theme: the empowerment of women and girls through education and social justice. Each of the four Foundation Partners is represented by a leader whose work Satopia’s founders know first-hand.

They include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad, whose survivor-led organisation, Nadia’s Initiative, helps communities recover from crisis and advocates for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. Alongside her is Bijoux Shrestha, who has spent more than two decades developing a model of quality education at Springdale School in Nepal, grounded in the belief that every child deserves knowledge, care and opportunity. In Kenya, Rosemary Nenini represents Twala Tenebo Manyatta, a collective of more than 200 Maasai women sustaining livelihoods through enterprise while supporting education for girls in their women-only cooperative village and cultural centre. In South Africa, Rosemary Nalden’s Buskaid Trust provides exceptional musical training to young people in Soweto, with graduates now performing in leading orchestras around the world.

Foundation Circles

Throughout the week, intimate sessions, called Foundation Circles, become the heart of the gathering, inviting together founders and leaders to share the personal stories behind the work of their organisation. Here, there are no keynote speeches or crowded auditoriums, only small sessions and space designed for participation and connection. Further moments will be held at other venues across the region, near Avignon and Aix-en-Provence.

Around the Table

Shared meals give the conversations time to deepen. From Sous les Étoiles, the welcome dinner beneath the stars, to Lumière du Futur, a dinner of light celebrating the voices illuminating the future, Fête dans le Jardin, the garden party, and Le Dîner de la Promesse, the closing dinner of promise, as with every Satopia experience, the table is a space to foster connections.

The Impact Fund

Giving is quietly woven into the experience itself. Each Elkemist gathering has its own annual Impact Fund, supporting the Foundation Partners participating in that edition. Every guest makes a contribution, with 100% of donations distributed equally among the four partners. The 2027 Fund will continue supporting their work beyond the gathering, before a new fund is created for the foundations joining the following Elkemist edition.

Elkemist is built on a simple belief: giving becomes more meaningful when it begins with understanding and grows through lasting human relationships.

Applications for the June 2027 gathering are limited to just 40 guests. Those interested in joining may register for the Elkemist guestlist, with early access to details ahead of the wider launch.