The Grantmaker’s Role in Community Organizing

• Advocate - Make the case for supporting a grantee or a line of work
• Bridge builder - Make it possible for strange or unlikely partners to work together
• Connector - Link grantees to one another or to others to maximize outcomes
• Critical friend - Give honest critique without smashing hopes or undermining confidence
• Facilitator - Lead or coordinate the work of a group to get ideas on the table or to get things moving
• Fundraiser - Help grantees raise money from other foundations and donors
• Idea mover - Take a leap with new ideas or people in a field or community or inside the foundation
• Sounding board - Listen actively for ideas, opinions, and points of view
• Strategist - Create and sell a long-term plan of action to achieve a particular grantmaking goal
• Translator - Help internal leadership understand what’s happening in a field or community and vice versa
• Validator - Affirm good work by grantees and others in the field
• Voice amplifier - Find and support people at the margins of a field or community