Reflections from the Innovations in International Philanthropy Symposium
A conversation with Malala Yousafzai, 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, interviewed by Wendo Aszed, Founder and Executive Director, Dandelion Africa
I recently had the privilege of attending the Innovations in International Philanthropy Symposium, hosted by New England International Donors and The Philanthropic Initiative. The symposium was chock full of amazing leaders from across the globe, all working to forward the mission of globally minded philanthropy and to move funds in a just and equitable way. Speakers ranged from Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai to industry giants such as Solomé Lemma and topics ranged from impact investing to moving funds to individuals working on the frontlines who are directly impacted by the issues at hand.
The breakout sessions were particularly impactful, providing an opportunity to hear from leaders in the field and connect with peers around topics that we grapple with every day. One question asked the group for suggestions for donors who are uneasy or have anxiety around seeding funds directly to organizations on the ground. This particular topic of conversation piqued my interest as it is particularly relevant and common in Ktisis Capital’s work.. We discussed the distrust that donors often have in directing funds to individuals or organizations who do not have a robust application or reporting systems or staff with the capacity to adhere to funders’ reporting needs. Through robust conversation, we found that these questions often surfaced when funding in communities or countries outside of our own, when funding to groups that we and our peers have not worked with before, and almost always when funding directly to organizations and individuals on the frontlines of movement and cause-driven initiatives.
These questions and concerns can often feel overwhelming and intractable.There are many terms to navigate and organizations often use different terms to describe this type of philanthropy; it can be confusing to know how to focus on just one approach. The two terms that I most often see are trust-based philanthropy and grassroots philanthropy. Each term has its own nuance and differences, but cover the same basic principles – addressing power dynamics,breaking through traditional philanthropic practices of strict funder-centric application and reporting structures, and building systems that are based on developing relationships and mutual learning.
Those closest to an issue often have the best knowledge on how to fix that issue. However, traditional systems of funding often have accountability measures, goals, impact metrics, and reporting structures that are funder-led and mandated. In other words, in traditional systems funders dictate to grantees what their success should look like from outside of the problem and outside the actual work. This is the perfect example of uneven power dynamics where those with the power (in this instance, those holding the grant funds) are telling those without the power (those seeking the grant funds) what they should do to be successful, rather than trusting their expertise in the work they do every day to remedy the issues that they live and work in. In systems that strive toward a more balanced power dynamic, success measures are co-created -- with the grantee leading the effort. Developing these relationships and having these conversations help ensure that each party is being set up for success and building trusting partnerships works to alleviate stress and uneasiness on the funder side. If you make the effort to know the person or the group who is doing the work, it makes it much easier to find the trust to fund the work.
Arriving at the point where you feel comfortable in these shifting practices is a journey that may look different or have a different timeline than your peers. That’s okay! The important thing is that you are asking the question and working toward a solution. It takes time and effort to unlearn old systems and relearn new ones. My advice to you is to take it one step at a time. Try altering your application process so that it’s not so burdensome on small organizations whose staff are juggling multiple roles. Or, in the review and interview process, work with the applicant to co-create outcomes and success metrics. You don’t have to shift your entire system all at once. Just take it one step at a time and keep pushing forward to balance those power dynamics.
A final piece of advice that I would offer is to make sure that the work in the field is being supported while you take this time to learn and grow yourself. We want to have trust and be comfortable moving money, but we don’t want our learning timelines to be at the detriment of the cause. Often organizations or individuals will want to pause their grantmaking until they can completely overhaul their systems and processes. While this would certainly result in a cleaner process on the funder’s side, pausing the flow of grant dollars to the field is the opposite of your goal. Offering interim support grants during your learning process will help to ensure that those on the frontline will be supported and that the work can continue.
If you are interested in scaling up your giving, getting more deeply involved in your personal or family philanthropy for the first time, or stepping into leadership in your family philanthropy, Ktisis Capital has partnered with EDGE Funders Alliance to bring you the Global Donor Learning Journey. Learn more about the program here.