To complement the guide on participatory grantmaking, we’ve collected blog posts, articles, and other online media produced on the topic. You’ll find descriptions of different participatory grantmaking models, reflections on the challenges, arguments in favor of the approach, and more. Resources are grouped by content type and ordered by publishing date.

The date stamp of this resource page is updated each time we add a new resource; the original publication date was October 2, 2018.

For published resources on participatory grantmaking, visit the collection on IssueLab at participatorygrantmaking.issuelab.org.

Help us expand our collection! Please email us at participatorygrantmaking@foundationcenter.org to suggest an addition to the list below.

 

BLOG POSTS

• Why Participatory Philanthropy Is Essential To Progress, Emily Collins-Ellis, Medium, (May 26, 2020)
• Participatory grantmaking: it can be done – here’s how. Hannah Paterson, Katy Love, Alliance Magazine (February 25, 2020)
• When Shouldn’t You Use Participatory Grantmaking? Hannah Paterson, Winston Churchill Fellowship (February 4, 2020)
• Drivers of Participatory Grantmaking, Hannah Paterson, Winston Churchill Fellowship (February 1, 2020)
• Three ways in which funders can disperse power in philanthropy this year, Sophie Monaghan-Coombs, Alliance Magazine (January 29, 2020)
• Getting Your Board on Board with Participatory Grantmaking, Hannah Paterson, Winston Churchill Fellowship (January 5, 2020)
• Giving Up Grant-Making Power: Lessons learned from 10 years of Shared Gifting Circles, Kelley Buhles, RSF Social Finance (December 12, 2019)
• Spotlight on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning at the Disability Rights Fund, Hannah Paterson, Winston Churchill Fellowship (November 28, 2019)
• Evaluating Participatory Grantmaking, Hannah Paterson, Winston Churchill Fellowship (November 14, 2019)
• What is Participatory Grantmaking?, Marta Gazzero Ferro, Starfish Impact (October 31, 2019)
• Engaged Grantmaking: Collaborating with Communities,Caroline McCoy, NCRP (October 22, 2019)
• International Day of The Girl Child: Collaborating for Change to Equality and Planet, Swattee Deepak, Eco-Age (October 11, 2019)
• Systemic Change through Participatory Grantmaking, Hannah Paterson, Winston Churchill Fellowship (October 9, 2019)
• Grant Holders at The Other Foundation, Hannah Paterson, Winston Churchill Fellowship (October 8, 2019)
• Experience of Peer Reviewers at The Other Foundation, Hannah Paterson, Winston Churchill Fellowship (October 4, 2019)
• The Other Foundation Model, Hannah Paterson, Winston Churchill Fellowship (September 27, 2019)
• THRIVE Thomasville Heights: a shift in power, Mindy Kao, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta (September 17, 2019)
• Learnings from FundAction, the participatory grantmaking platform for activists in Europe, Lucas Tello, FundAction (July 19, 2019)
• Models of Participatory Grantmaking, Hannah Paterson, Winston Churchill Fellowship (June 11, 2019)
• Lessons from Citizen Journalism - the promise of citizen philanthropy, Cynthia Gibson, Media Impact Funders (March 25, 2019)
• Shifting Decisions to Camden's Communities, Camden Giving (March 11, 2019)
• Challenging the Cookie-Cutter Solutions to Philanthropy, Dr. Stellah Wairimu Bosire, Alliance Magazine (February 23, 2019)
• Beneficiaries in Charge, Cullagh Warnock and Samantha Rennie, Alliance Magazine (January 29, 2019)
• Participatory Grantmaking, Sarah Lutman, Twin Cities Business (January 2, 2019)
• Participation in Decision-Making Would Truly be a Revolution, Isabella Jean, CDA Collaborative (December 6, 2018)
• Wielding Power with Community: Creating Pathways for Change and Transformation, Linda S. Campbell, Stanford Social Innovation Review (October 30, 2018)
• Where are all the lived-experience leaders in grantmaking?, Selina Nwulu, Alliance Magazine (July 16, 2018)
• The Ugly Truth About Arts Institutions Led by Women of Color, Teresa Coleman Wash, RSF Social Finance (May 22, 2018)
• Reflections on Participatory Grantmaking at Global Greengrants Fund, Allison Davis, Global Greengrants Fund (March 15, 2018)
• Equalizing the Power Dynamic in Philanthropy, Ana Oliveira, New York Women's Foundation (March 1, 2018)
• Participatory grantmaking puts new spin on how nonprofits receive funding, Courtney Pankrat, Shareable (February 20, 2018)
• Equitable participatory grantmaking in trans communities: A Q&A with Gabriel Foster, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (February 7, 2018)
• Participatory grantmaking helps to shift power relations in Mexico, Jenny Barry, Open Global Rights (January 18, 2018)
• Dealing with power relations in participatory grantmaking, Menno Weijs, FundAction (December 21, 2017)
• Breaking Barriers to Participation, Jurre Anema, Red Umbrella Fund (November 3, 2017)
• “Mind The Gap” - reflections from Palestine on why participatory grantmaking is essential to #ShiftThePower closer to the people, Rasha Sansur, Global Fund for Community Foundations (October 31, 2017)
• Community-led grantmaking: Collective wisdom for social change, Caitlin Duffy, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (September 12, 2017)
• The Historical Case for Participatory Grantmaking, Cynthia Gibson, HistPhil (August 15, 2019)
• Five reasons to support participatory grantmaking, Rose Longhurst, Edge Fund, Alliance Magazine (August 7, 2017)
• Talking Participatory Grantmaking: FRIDA at the EFC Conference, FRIDA The Young Feminists Fund (July 17, 2017)
• Social Justice Funders Spotlight: Disability Rights Fund, Johanna Wald, Disability Rights Fund (July 09, 2017)
• EdgeFunder's alliance conference, Aisha Mansour, Dalia Association (May 17, 2017)
• The Voting Box, Rasha Sansur, Dalia Association (March 13, 2017)
• Why Every Funder Should Consider Participatory Grantmaking, Kelley Buhles and Katy Love (January 26, 2017)
• Changing the Status Quo: Inviting Artists to the Philanthropic Table Using Flow Funds, Arianne Shaffer, Communications Director Kindle Project (September 13, 2016)
• Deciding for all or all deciding? Exploring Participatory Grantmaking, Katy Love, Wikimedia Foundation, Alliance Magazine (February 1, 2016)
• Exploring the Purpose of Gift, Kelley Buhles, RSF Social Finance (May 5, 2015)
• Exploring the How and Why of Participatory Grantmaking and Impact Investing, Nadia van der Linde, Red Umbrella Fund (April 06, 2015)
• Paradigm Shift: Participatory Grantmaking Comes of Age, Matthew Hart, International Human Rights Funders Group (December 11, 2014)
• A journey towards participatory grantmaking – Part 1, Romy Krämer, Guerrilla Foundation
• Fund Action Blog, FundAction
• Shifting the power? An alternative to 'big aid' in community philanthropy, Aisha Mansour, Dalia Association: A Palestinian Community Fund

ARTICLES

• Moving the Rooms of Power: Participatory Philanthropy is Gaining More Traction, Bill Pitkin, Inside Philanthropy [subscription required] (June 24, 2020)
• From silos to solidarity: Can grantmaking be part of movement-building?, The Participatory Grantmaking Collective, Alliance Magazine (June 5, 2020)
• Flexibility for Grantees Is Not Enough. Let Them Decide Where the Money Goes (Letter to the Editor), Katy Love, Diana Samarasan, The Chronicle of Philanthropy (May 5, 2020)
• Big Philanthropy Faces a Reckoning, Too, Gary LaMarche, The Nation (April 30, 2020)
• Participatory Grantmaking: A Test of Rubric Scoring Versus Popular Voting Selection in a Blinded Grantmaking Process, Oktawia Wojcik, Ph.D., and LesLeigh Ford, Ph.D., Keely Hanson, M.P.A., Claire Boyd, B.A., and Shena Ashley, Ph.D., The Foundation Review (March 31, 2020)
• Participatory grantmaking: can we afford not to do it? Dr. Stellah Wairimu Bosire, Rose Longhurst, Katy Love, Diana Samarasan, Alliance Magazine (December 10, 2019)
• Reshaping philanthropy for the 21st century, Rhodari Davies, The British Academy (November 19, 2019)
• Building a Field: ArtPlace America’s Jamie Bennett on the State of Creative Placemaking, Mike Scutari, Inside Philanthropy (October 11, 2019)
• Giving the Public a Voice: How a Community Funder Uses Public Votes to Make Grants, Alyssa Ochs, Inside Philanthropy (October 6, 2019)
• Empowering Communities: Participatory Grantmakers Say We Must Go beyond Feedback, Participatory Grantmaking Collective, Nonprofit Quarterly (August 23, 2019)
• Tiny Grant Maker North Star Points the Way to Big Shake-Up in Philanthropy, Alex Daniels, The Chronicle of Philanthropy (July 23, 2019)
• Moving Beyond Feedback: The Promise of Participatory Grantmaking, Cynthia Gibson, Nonprofit Quarterly (July 9, 2019)
• Winston-Salem Foundation Awards Grants for Creative Solutions to Local Transportation, Yes! Weekly (June 24, 2019)
• ParticipatoryBuilding a Field: ArtPlace America’s Jamie Bennett on the State of Creative Placemaking grantmaking in Palestine: Taking the time to make it just, Colleen Jankovic & Moukhtar Kokache, Global Fund for Community Foundations (May 27, 2019)
• Philanthropy is at a turning point. Here are 6 ways it could go, Rhodri Davies, World Economic Forum (April 29, 2019)
• Participatory Grantmaking for Teens: The Funders Who Trust Girls to Make Decisions, Julia Travers, Inside Philanthropy (April 24, 2019)
• Girls in the Driving Seats of Philanthropy, Bonnie Chiu, Forbes (March 27, 2019)
• What Can We Learn from Feminists Who Fund Themselves?, Tenzin Dolker, Open Global Rights (January 15, 2019)
• Philanthropy Awards, 2018, Inside Philanthropy (December 31, 2018)
• A Local Foundation Embraces Participatory Grantmaking in a Big Way, Inside Philanthropy, (November 17, 2018)
• Power in Letting Go: How Participatory Grantmakers Are Democratizing Philanthropy, Tate Williams, Inside Philanthropy (November 9, 2018)
• Participatory Grantmaking: Challenging Notions of Who Can Be a Philanthropist, Mireya Novaro, Activist Philanthropist Volume 4, Issue I, New York Women's Foundation (August 20, 2018)  Participatory grantmaking: Power to the people, Marc Gunther, Nonprofit Chronicle (December 12, 2017)
• The New York Women’s Foundation puts participatory grant-making into the hands of teenagers, Aimee Simpierre, New York Nonprofit Media (October 12, 2017)
• Shared Gifting: Shifting Funding Power to Nonprofits, Kelley Buhles, Stanford Social Innovation Review (August 22, 2017)
• A Participatory Grantmaking Initiative Grows in Brooklyn, Alyssa Ochs and David Callahan, Inside Philanthropy (July 19, 2017)

VIDEOS

• MicroFunding: Ageing Better Programme, The National Lottery Community Fund (January 19, 2020)
• Righting Relations: The Importance of Being Heard, Catherine Donnelly Foundation (March 7, 2018)
• The Impact of Righting Relations, Catherine Donnelly Foundation (January 24, 2018)
• Gifting Power, RSF Social Finance (Jan 16, 2018)
• Neighborhood Strength - Crown Heights, Brooklyn Community Foundation (July 10, 2017)
• Neighborhood Strength Council Meeting, Brooklyn Community Foundation (July 10, 2017)
• Vlog from the Field: Jen Bokoff interviews Tin Gazivoda (OSIFE), GrantCraft (May 1, 2017)
• Together We Create Justice: Participatory Grantmaking at Maine Initiatives, Maine Initiatives (March 20, 2017)
• Who Decides Who Gets the Grants and Why?, Liberty Hill Foundation (September 13, 2011)
• Our Model (bottom of page), Disability Rights Fund

WEBINARS

• Giving Up Grantmaking Power: Lessons Learned from 10 Years of Shared Gifting, RSF Social Finance (November 6, 2019)
• [PODCAST] Participatory Philanthropy with Rose Longhurst, Giving Thought, Charities Aid Foundation (October 1, 2019)
• Deciding Together: Shifting Power and Resources Through Participatory Grantmaking, Iowa Council of Foundations, GrantCraft (March 5, 2019)
• Participatory Grantmaking Webinar, PACE Funders, GrantCraft, Philanthropy New York (October 29, 2018)
• Pass the Reins: Shifting Decision-Making Power in Philanthropy, NCRP, Indie Philanthropy, Grassroots Grantmakers, GrantCraft (September 12, 2017)
• Shared Gifting–A Method of Collaborative Grantmaking, RSF Social Finance (Nov 12, 2015)

PROJECTS

• Participatory Grantmaking, Sillerman Center, The Heller School of Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University