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Event Recap: Future of Development Roundtable in Oxford

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Proximate In Person

Event Recap: Future of Development Roundtable in Oxford On the sidelines of Skoll, we partnered with funders and community actors to discuss collaboration and shifting systems MacKenzie Bills and Michael Jarvis

Event Recap: Who Holds Power in the Future of Development?

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Proximate In Person

Event Recap: Who Holds Power in the Future of Development?On the sidelines of World Bank spring meetings, partners and community leaders came together to discuss locally-led solutions Proximate Team

What international donors don’t get about Brazilian philanthrop(ies)

Proximate Brasil

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What international donors don’t get about Brazilian philanthrop(ies)Brazilian philanthropy is often treated as a single, unified field, but that’s an oversimplification of a diverse and complex sector. Maria Amalia Souza

Potatoes & Progress | Moving Forward in East Africa

Repairing Development

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Proximate In Person

Potatoes & Progress | Moving Forward in East Africa East Africa’s potato boom is transforming farming, markets, and food security through innovation and rising demand Wambui JL

Donald Trump and Jenniffer González Derail Energy Cooperative Progress in Puerto Rico

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Trump and Jenniffer González Derail Energy Cooperative Progress in Puerto Rico Philanthropists discuss how to mitigate the funding setback and contribute to energy resilience for low-income communities Juan A. Hernández and Laura M. Quintero

This Bronx Project Is Setting a New Standard for Community-Controlled Development

Proximate Investing

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This Bronx Project Is Setting a New Standard for Community-Controlled Development The Kingsbridge Armory is now the site of one of the country’s most ambitious experiments in community ownership and shared control.Oscar Perry Abello

A Community Land Trust Is Raising the Bar for Community Power in Economic Development

Proximate Investing

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A Community Land Trust Is Raising the Bar for Community Power in Economic Development Denver’s Tierra Colectiva is showing how residents can shape — and own — mixed-use projects at a scale once reserved for private developers.Oscar Perry Abello

In Conversation: Marie-Rose Romain Murphy

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In Conversation: Marie-Rose Romain Murphy Born from post-earthquake aid failures, Haiti’s community foundation model centers relationships as infrastructure Keefe Murren

In Conversation: John Coonrad

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In Conversation: John Coonrad As bilateral aid recedes, a decade-old global movement for community-led development has a long-term strategy Keefe Murren

In Conversation: Vincent Mwangi

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In Conversation: Vincent Mwangi Inside Mama Hope’s model for sourcing, strengthening, and funding early-stage local organizations that are overlooked Keefe Murren

In Conversation: Amina Evangelista Swanepoel

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In Conversation: Amina Evangelista Swanepoel Roots of Health traces how long-term trust with government – and flexible funding – shifts outcomes on the ground Keefe Murren

From the Editor: Looking Ahead and Growing our Team

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Looking Ahead and Growing our Team New hires and what's coming up in 2026 Ben Wrobel

Dignity by Design: A New Architecture for International Aid

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Dignity by Design: A New Architecture for International Aid We need to design for collaboration and shared outcomes Alía Tall-Khatib

From Funders to Allies: Lessons from the Nyéléni Forum

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From Funders to Allies: Lessons from the Nyéléni Forum A conversation about the role of philanthropy in supporting movements Ben Wrobel

Redesigning Finance from the Ground Up

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Redesigning Finance from the Ground Up We need to put farmers and ecosystems at the center of food systems finance Laura Thompson

Supporting the Food Sovereignty Movement Over the Long Haul Takes Solidarity Philanthropy

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Supporting the Food Sovereignty Movement Over the Long Haul Takes Solidarity Philanthropy The movement has built itself on global long-term vision – will allied funders get on board?Chung-Wha Hong and Saulo Araujo

Architects of the Future: How Young Feminist Artists Are Leading Cultural Change

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Architects of the Future: How Young Feminist Artists Are Leading Cultural Change Jody Myrum and Erin Lynn Williams

To Restore the Middle Class, We Need More Owners

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To Restore the Middle Class, We Need More Owners An excerpt from Capital Evolution: The New American Economy Seth Levine and Elizabeth MacBride

What The Global South House Reveals About Power and Philanthropy at COP30

Community Philanthropy

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What The Global South House Reveals About Power and Philanthropy at COP30 Inside an architecture of collaboration built by Global South networks Paula Tanscheit

Reimagining Giving for Animal Protection – a Trust-Based Approach

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Reimagining Giving for Animal Protection – a Trust-Based Approach Why trust, not algorithms, will shape the future of animal advocacy Ondine Sherman

Reclaiming Place: the Kensington Corridor Trust Model

Proximate Investing

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Reclaiming Place: the Kensington Corridor Trust Model A Philadelphia neighborhood trust shows how local ownership can build lasting community strength Sandhya Nakhasi

This Calculator Knows What It Costs To Get Funded

Grassroots Grantmaking

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This Calculator Knows What It Costs To Get Funded A new tool from Shifting the Funding Paradigm looks to expose the hidden collective cost of grant applications Proximate

Wherefore Participatory Grantmaking in the Age of Urgency?

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Wherefore Participatory Grantmaking in the Age of Urgency?Care about democracy? Make it part of your grantmaking process Cynthia Gibson and Kelley Buhles

The Future of Development is Stuck on Semantics

Repairing Development

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The Future of Development is Stuck on Semantics When we focus too much on definitions, real needs go unmet Isabelle Clérié

When Participatory Investing Meets Compassion

Proximate Investing

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When Participatory Investing Meets Compassion The next era of participatory investing needs to embed compassion, too Ben Wrobel and Brooke Tucker

Are We Leveraging Our Collective Power?

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Are We Leveraging Our Collective Power?Reflections on Dreaming, Intergenerational Knowledge, and Feminist Practice Divya Mukand, Theo Sowa, and Laura Vergara

The Global South House is Coming to COP30

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The Global South House is Coming to COP30 This year in Bélem, a new space will host conversations about shifting power in climate finance Ben Wrobel

Setting the Philanthropic Advising Field Free

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Setting the Philanthropic Advising Field Free Philanthropy doesn’t need more gatekeepers – it needs open source information Molly Judge

Five Myths About Participatory Investing and the Law

Proximate Investing

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Five Myths About Participatory Investing and the Law An interview with Bruce Campbell on structuring participatory investment vehicles Ben Wrobel

How Two Growing Communities Attracted Capital for Affordable Housing

Proximate Investing

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How Two Growing Communities Attracted Capital for Affordable Housing In the Coachella Valley and Atlanta, the Capital Absorption Framework helped build a pipeline for affordable housing Dmitriy Ioselevich

What Seed Sovereignty Looks Like When Women Lead the Way

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What Seed Sovereignty Looks Like When Women Lead the Way Nous Sommes la Solution is a movement of rural women fighting for agroecology and seed sovereignty Isabelle Clérié

Reimagining the Playbook for Communities Seeking Private Investment

Proximate Investing

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Reimagining the Playbook for Communities Seeking Private Investment The Capital Absorption Framework empowers community leaders to take a more active role in leveraging private capital Dmitriy Ioselevich

Strategic Philanthropy Goes to Therapy: Session Two

Proximate Brasil

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Strategic Philanthropy Goes to Therapy: Session Two The second part of an ongoing series Joana Ribeiro Mortari

Reclaiming the Commons: A New Vision for Nonprofit Infrastructure

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Reclaiming the Commons: A New Vision for Nonprofit Infrastructure Why shared management – not isolated entities – should be the default Thaddeus Squire

Filantropia Estratégica no Divã: Segunda Sessão

Proximate Brasil

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Filantropia Estratégica no Divã: Segunda Sessão A segunda parte de uma série Joana Ribeiro Mortari

Solving the Puzzle of Feminist Fiscal Sponsorship

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Solving the Puzzle of Feminist Fiscal Sponsorship Recommendations for funders and fiscal sponsors on a "thorny" tension Bipasha Ray

New Seneca Village Sees Restoration as Core to Leadership

Grassroots Grantmaking

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New Seneca Village Sees Restoration as Core to Leadership At the edge of burnout, a new model for healing movement leaders takes root Proximate

What Does It Take to Fund Radical Collaboration?

Grassroots Grantmaking

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What Does It Take to Fund Radical Collaboration?A conversation with BLIS Collective about their new Radical Collaboration Fund Ben Wrobel

Don't Say We Didn't Tell You

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Don't Say We Didn't Tell You Democracy reimagined by youth-led movements in the Global Majority Maheen Kaleem, Jody Myrum, Laura Vergara

How the Just Transition Integrated Capital Fund is reimagining risk and return

Proximate Investing

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How the Just Transition Integrated Capital Fund is reimagining risk and return Justice Funders is helping foundations get their money off Wall Street Grace Chai

What Are Business Schools For?

Proximate Investing

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What Are Business Schools For?With crises converging, the call for radical change in business education has never been stronger. Can MBA programs equip students to serve society?Anna Patton

Philanthropy in Puerto Rico grew after Hurricane Maria. What will happen now?

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Philanthropy in Puerto Rico grew after Hurricane Maria. What will happen now?The philanthropic sector grew after Hurricane Maria’s landfall. Will the Trump era bring it back to its pre-Maria state?Carlos Berríos Polanco

Proximate Investing Fall Newsletter: When Institutions Choose Accountability

Proximate Investing

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Fall Newsletter: When Institutions Choose Accountability Sonia Sarkar

Fondo Territorial Mesoamericano is a Grantmaker Rooted in Existing Political Power

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Fondo Territorial Mesoamericano is a Grantmaker Rooted in Existing Political Power An Indigenous-led grantmaking vehicle builds on territorial organizations’ own governance structures Proximate

Who Controls Capital? Jewish Teachings on Debt and Justice

Proximate Investing

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Who Controls Capital? Jewish Teachings on Debt and Justice An excerpt from "Put Your Money Where Your Soul Is"Rabbi Jacob Siegel

When Communities Lead, Violence Falls

Grassroots Grantmaking

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When Communities Lead, Violence Falls A perspective from South Africa on why the solution to violence needs to be rooted in community Busiswa Dayimani

An Essential Ingredient to Rebuild Public Media

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An Essential Ingredient to Rebuild Public Media We're losing the systematic capacity for community-rooted media. Fiscal sponsors can help.Lina Srivastava

Dreaming as Resistance

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Dreaming as Resistance What happens when Dalit girls reimagine the world Priyanka Samy

How Puerto Rico's Seed Banks Are Boosting Food Sovereignty

Repairing Development

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How Puerto Rico's Seed Banks Are Boosting Food Sovereignty Inside the community-led movement safeguarding Puerto Rico’s food systems [with 9 Millones]Luis Alexis Rodríguez-Cruz

GoFundMe Disrupts the DAF industry – Seeking 13.5% in “Tips”

Unlocking Abundance

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GoFundMe Disrupts the DAF industry – Seeking 13.5% in “Tips”For-profit enterprise breaks new ground, but will it work with its DAF customers? Jon Pratt

Philanthropy Northwest Steps Into the DAF Debate

Unlocking Abundance

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Philanthropy Northwest Steps Into the DAF Debate The regional network explains why transparency and timely payouts matter for communities Philanthropy Project

Proximate is an independent media platform covering movements for participatory problem-solving. We look at the news through the lens of money: how it’s given away, how it’s invested, and how it’s distributed by government.
We are a fiscally sponsored project of Movement Strategy Center.

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