Wednesday 12 June at 2pm UTC
Description
Are you curious to know where your foundation stands on participation? Perhaps you use ‘participation’ in your communication materials, but worry that you could be doing better. Maybe you’re frustrated by seeing ‘participation-washing’, where power is still concentrated but is simply now held by slightly different people. If you’ve been thinking about any aspects of participation but you’re not sure where to go: there’s a tool for that!
During this EDGEy Wednesday , Rose Longhurst hosted a conversation with the developers of the Advancing Participation in Philanthropy Tool (APPT), Diana Samarasan and Katy Love. They talked about how this tool can help you look at all areas of your foundation’s work – from governance to grantmaking to monitoring & evaluation and beyond. The APPT is designed to enable grantmaking foundations to make meaningful change through practices of participation, inclusion, and power shifting in every area of practice across their organization. They were joined by Michael Kourabas, Director of Partner Support & Grantmaking at UUSC who used the tool and will share how it has helped his organization. You can find some key lessons from the session below.
Bios:
Michael Kourabas is Director of Partner Support & Grantmaking, working across UUSC’s programs to maximize the impact of its grassroots partners around the world. Michael is passionate about organizing philanthropy for systemic change. He is part of the Engaged Donors for Global Equity (EDGE) Funders Alliance Global Engagement Lab learning community and sits on EDGE Board as ite newly appointed Co-Chair. He is also a member of the Cambridge (Massachusetts) Human Rights Commission, to which he was appointed co-chair in 2020.
Diana Samarasan is an independent consultant with expertise in global disability rights and inclusion, disability at an intersection with gender and other rights, and participatory practices in philanthropy. She is the founder and former executive director of the Disability Rights Fund (DRF) and the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund (DRAF). She is currently a board member of the Center for Inclusive Policy, a disability think-and-do tank; the Climate Justice Resilience Fund; and the Harvard Alumni Disability Alliance and is on the research board of a disability data project at Fordham University.
Katy Love is an experienced practitioner of and advocate for participatory grantmaking, a practice that moves decision-making about grants from funders to the people impacted by those funds. She has created, led, managed, or participated in over 50 cycles of participatory grantmaking. Previously, Katy led the grantmaking team at the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia, running six participatory grantmaking programs. She is a Steering Committee member of the Human Rights Funders Network.
Rose Longhurst is currently recovering from working at the Open Society Foundations by focussing her energies on the inspiring efforts of FundAction, Guerrilla Foundation, Global Greengrants Fund and the Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity.
Lessons from the Session
Participation in philanthropy is not binary but exists on a spectrum. Organizations can use tools like the Advancing Participation in Philanthropy (APP) tool to assess and identify their current participation levels and areas for improvement.
It’s crucial for organizations to have a shared understanding of key terms like “community” and “lived experience” to align efforts and expectations in participatory practices.
Different contexts require different approaches to participation. Tailor participatory methods to fit the specific context of your work, whether global or local.
Effective participation requires addressing power dynamics and ensuring fair and equitable involvement. This can include rotating decision-making roles and ensuring diverse representation.
Participation is an ongoing process that requires regular reflection and adaptation. Tools like the APP help assessing and improving participatory practices, encouraging feedback and being open to making changes.
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