Written by EDGE members Tyler Dale Hauger and Eilert L. Rostrup (Karibu Foundation)

It is at times easy to be overwhelmed by the wave of numerous and intersectional crises that seem to characterize the post-pandemic reality. The world is seeing more visibly the effects of climate change, widening economic inequality, rising autocracy, increased militarization, the shrinking of space for civil society to operate, a worsening situation for women’s and LGBTIQ+ rights, and higher sophistication in oppressing political opposition.

As progressive grantmakers, we know that this is a critical time for our sector to support tested, brave, and creative approaches to transformational activism. These approaches have been utilized by movements for generations.

Yet we also know that these deepening crises require a renewed sense of urgency to build a new reality. Our world doesn’t have the time or luxury to continue with “business as usual,” and we need to work together to find alternatives.

New modes of operating

At the Karibu Foundation — whose aim is to support voices from the Global South who are providing alternatives to dominant paradigms of power, distribution, and development — we recognize that we have a role to play in building this new reality.

As a progressive grantmaker, we believe that contributing to a new reality requires a few things: the willingness to critically examine our own power, and the commitment to strive to be best partner for movements who are working towards a more just and equitable society.

Our sector must have a critical analysis of our current approaches, and explore innovative ways to do things differently.

1. The “what”: Providing grants that support systemic change

Supporting grassroots processes that are building alternatives to the current system is necessary. There are brave movements all around the world that do this on a daily basis.

These movements realize that it is not enough to solely “bandage the wounds” – i.e. minimize the pain and hurt of systemic and deepening crises. They know there is a need to address the root causes of systemic injustice. There needs to be a fundamental shift in the systems that are holding up the problem.

Karibu thus supports organizations, networks, and movements based in the global South that make strong and critical contributions to the development of societies and local communities that are:

In the last decade alone, Karibu has shared over 250 grants with movement partners in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. Our grantee partners are asking bold and critical questions about our joint global efforts to confront the root causes of injustice.

Our role as a progressive grantmaker is to continue to move resources in a way that supports their visions, initiatives and efforts.   Our sector must continue to move more economic resources to efforts that address the root causes of the challenges we are seeing.  These bold movements need all the support possible.

2. The “how”: Innovative methods for shifting power and moving funds

How we do our grantmaking also matters, particularly when we recognize that our field is built on unequal power relationships where one party has economic resources and the other party is seeking it. The power imbalances become even more visible when donors in the global North provide grants to movements in the global South.

In order to address and shift this uneven power, progressive grantmakers need to rethink how they make decisions about grants.

Karibu has continued to address this power dynamic by continuing our journey into participatory grant-making — where we have moved grant decisions in Sub-Saharan Africa closer to grassroots movements.

The project (known as the “Karibu New Realities Grant“) has brought together a “Core Group” of African activists and civil society members from 7 different African countries to co-create the new grant program. The group defined the focus, criteria and reporting requirements of the program, and not least made decisions about which initiatives would receive grants. The program supports networks, formations and/or organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa that are taking imaginative steps that strengthen and add new dimensions to the collective struggle for systemic justice. This is specifically related to the economic, socio-cultural, political, and ecological crises we face.

Karibu’s participatory grantmaking program is an exciting experiment in challenging power in two ways:

First, the project addresses some of the challenges of a system of traditional, global North-driven funding. It shifts power related to grantmaking and financial resources closer to movements on the ground in Africa. Second, the grants selected address power on the ground and support change agents in their struggle for deep, systemic change in Africa. The grants will support the next generation of civil society activists who will bring forward new models of activism and alternatives.

We hope the project can also inspire other progressive grantmakers to shift power in grantmaking.

3. The “where”:  Taking steps to ensure ethical investment

The “where” of where grant revenue comes from also matters — especially when it is invested in a traditional market-based economy.

In order to fulfill its mission of supporting movements in the South, Karibu has an endowment that provides the financial basis for grant-making and administration.  Yet Karibu has critically asked itself: How can the foundation support organizations in the South that are struggling against injustices, if the funds for grants are derived from the profits of similar companies and industries that are complicit in these problems?

Karibu has approached these challenges in a number of ways:

Karibu acknowledges that such compliance is done gradually, step-by-step — especially in ever-changing markets. Yet the foundation is committed to pursuing ambitious goals in its investment profile over time. This requires continuous review of the existing portfolio, critical analysis of needs and desired changes / improvements, as well as the need to make pragmatic decisions.

Progressive grantmakers must continue to look at these issues seriously in order to see what needs to be changed regarding their investments and revenue streams.

We as a progressive grantmaking community must dare to test out new grantmaking models and radically different ways of working as we move into the post-COVID-19 world. We need to look at our grantmaking from a systemic perspective and not solely minimize the pain and hurt of systemic and deepening crises. We need to rethink how power is shared in grantmaking decisions, and move power in the process. And we must look at where grantmaking revenue comes from and take action.

Karibu doesn’t have all the answers, and we are learning and experimenting along the way.

But to collectively address the big challenges the world is facing, our sector needs to take concrete steps in innovating the work we do. The world does not have the luxury or time to wait.

Contact Tyler Dale Hauger (tyler@karibu.no) and Eilert L. Rostrup (rostrup@karibu.no) with any questions. 

If you would like to learn more about the EDGE Funders Network or be a part of our community, reach out to contactus@edgefunders.org.