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The Youth Climate Justice Fund Is Building Power for Young Leaders in the Global South

Grassroots Grantmaking

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The Youth Climate Justice Fund Is Building Power for Young Leaders in the Global South Forty grantees have been chosen through a unique participatory process Ben Wrobel

Justice Funds is Bridging the Information Gap for Global South Activists

Rethinking Resources

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Justice Funds is Bridging the Information Gap for Global South Activists Paz Romero and Julia Chacur on the importance of sharing global grant opportunities Proximate

Beyond Letting Go: Recentering Grassroots Leaders

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Beyond Letting Go: Recentering Grassroots Leaders This double issue takes two approaches to the question of how to shift power to the grassroots Ben Wrobel and Meg Massey

Philanthropy Needs to Trust the Real Experts — The People It Supports

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Philanthropy Needs to Trust the Real Experts — The People It Supports Backlash to trust-based philanthropy has come out into the open; it's time for grassroots grantmaking leaders to respond Cynthia M. Gibson, Lisa Pilar Cowan & Jocelynne Rainey

Is This Community Philanthropy’s Moment?

Community Philanthropy

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Is This Community Philanthropy’s Moment?The second Shift The Power Summit gave voice to the community philanthropy movement. Will donors listen?Ledys Sanjuan Mejía

Introducing: Repairing Development by Isabelle Clérié

Repairing Development

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Introducing: Repairing Development by Isabelle Clérié A new column for Proximate on community philanthropy and asset-based community development Isabelle Clérié

What's Next for the Decolonizing Wealth Project?

Grassroots Grantmaking

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What's Next for the Decolonizing Wealth Project?We spoke with Amber Banks about DWP's participatory model and their work in the Global South Proximate

Building Food Sovereignty: Collaborative Efforts for Cultural and Environmental Resilience

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Proximate In Person

Building Food Sovereignty: Collaborative Efforts for Cultural and Environmental Resilience Climate leaders in SF and Detroit are cultivating their own sustainable food systems Kevin McClendon

Four Pieces of Advice for Participatory Grantmakers In Aotearoa New Zealand

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Four PIeces of Advice for Participatory Grantmakers In Aotearoa New Zealand Be prepared to bend your own rules – and be prepared for transformation Lani Evans and Christina Howard

How Puerto Ricans are Collectively Designing their Just Recovery

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How Puerto Ricans are Collectively Designing their Just Recovery A women-led participatory design agency is helping redesign community water systems, urban gardens and parks Carlos Berríos Polanco

Perspective: How The Seventh Wave Curates Our Calls For Submissions

Community-Driven Journalism

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How The Seventh Wave Curates Our Calls For Submissions The Seattle literary magazine uses a participatory process to set editorial strategy Joyce Chen and Bretty Rawson

Community Land Banks: An Alternative to Displacement in Puerto Rico?

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Community Land Banks: An Alternative to Displacement in Puerto Rico?A new approach seeks to combat the growing lack of affordable housing across the archipelago Carlos Berríos Polanco

Cómo los puertorriqueños diseñan su recuperación justa colectivamente

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Cómo los puertorriqueños diseñan su recuperación justa colectivamente Una organización de diseño participativo liderada por mujeres ayuda a comunidades a diseñar infraestructura de agua, huertos urbanos y parques.Carlos Berríos Polanco

Is a £100 million participatory fund the solution to the UK's journalism crisis?

Community-Driven Journalism

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Is a £100 million participatory fund the solution to UK's journalism’s crisis?A more democratic media will require alternative funding models – and more Kelly Bewers

BIPOC Media Leaders Welcome Press Forward… With Caution

Community-Driven Journalism

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BIPOC Media Leaders Welcome Press Forward – With Caution Publishers ask: how does equity fit into the goal of "saving the news"?Sherrell Dorsey

Bancos de tierras comunitarias: ¿una alternativa al desplazamiento en Puerto Rico?

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Bancos de tierras comunitarias: ¿una alternativa al desplazamiento?Estrategias emergentes buscan combatir la creciente escasez de viviendas asequibles en el archipiélago.Carlos Berríos Polanco

BuildPalestine Is Betting on Social Innovation as a Tool for Liberation

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BuildPalestine Is Betting on Social Innovation as a Tool for Liberation The Palestinian social entrepreneur hub was deplatformed – but has doubled down on its commitment to community investment Proximate

Excerpt: Our Brave Foremothers in Community-Driven Journalism

Community-Driven Journalism

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Excerpt: Our Brave Foremothers in Community-Driven Journalism A look at three women in American history who paved the way for people-powered media Rozella Kennedy

What Happens When Creators Invest in Creators?

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Creators Investing In Creators As writers and actors continue to strike, the Midnight Oil Collective is testing a collaborative approach to funding the creative economy Ben Wrobel

Editor's Note: A Year of Movement

Grassroots Grantmaking

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A Year of Movement A guide on how to read this issue Proximate

Soheir Asaad on Philanthropy, Palestine, and the Danger of Fragile Solidarity

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Soheir Asaad on Philanthropy, Palestine, and the Danger of Fragile Solidarity Rawa Fund is holding donors accountable for cutting funds to the grassroots Ben Wrobel

So We All Win: Democratizing the Energy Transition

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Democratizing the Energy Transition One by one, cooperatives and crowdfunding projects are taking back control of our energy system.Anna Gorman

A New Tool Pushes Foundations Beyond Participatory Grantmaking

Grassroots Grantmaking

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A New Tool To Push Foundations Beyond Participatory Grantmaking Katy Love and Diana Samarasan on the launch of a new self-assessment tool Alía Tall-Khatib

Are Donor Collaboratives Better for the Grassroots?

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Are Donor Collaboratives Better for the Grassroots?Forty percent of collaboratives use participatory grantmaking. But are all collaboratives more inclusive?Ledys Sanjuan Mejía

Arianne Shaffer on Four Years of Flow Funding

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Four Years of Flow Funding at Kindle Project Arianne Shaffer reflects on learnings from the Indigenous Women's Flow Fund Kevin McClendon

A Different Kind of Film Festival in Amsterdam

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A Different Kind of Film Festival in Amsterdam This summer, sex workers came together to celebrate cinema – and challenge the traditional film festival model Chloe Marshall

The Rise of Participatory ESOs

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The Rise of Participatory Incubators and Accelerators An introduction to the entrepreneur support organizations driving inclusive innovation Jessica Newfield and Kevin McClendon

Philanthropy on the Blockchain

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Philanthropy on the Blockchain Grapevine’s founder on how DAOs and giving circles intersect Emily Rasmussen

What’s Next for DAF Reform?

Unlocking Abundance

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What’s Next for DAF Reform?Advocates are exploring paths to reform through Congress, Treasury and the state level Kaila Philo

Can a New Survey of Fiscal Sponsors Drive a Conversation on Commoning?

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A New Vision of Fiscal Sponsorship Thaddeus Squire wants to push the field in new, equitable directions Ben Wrobel

Report Roundup: December 2023

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Report Roundup: December 2023 We read several recent reports about grassroots grantmaking... so you don’t have to Proximate

5 Minutes with… Ledys Sanjuan Mejía

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Fenomenal Funds' Non Competitive Grant System Who funds the funders? Fenomenal Funds used PGM to resource women’s funds during the pandemic Proximate

A participação pode ajudar a reavivar a confiança na democracia brasileira?

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A participação pode ajudar a reavivar a confiança na democracia brasileira?Meses após o ataque ao Congresso Nacional, o Presidente Lula está apostando em uma nova plataforma para dar voz aos cidadãos em sua democracia Marcela Martins

How We Did It: Building the PGM Community of Practice

Grassroots Grantmaking

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How We Did It: Building the PGM Community of Practice A reflection on the growth of the 1,500-person participatory grantmaking community Hannah Paterson

What Tool Should I Use to Survey My Community?

Tech and Democracy

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What Tool Should I Use to Survey My Community?A new "Consumer Reports" for digital participation platforms, from People Powered Kevin McClendon

The Ukrainian Activists Taking on Big Philanthropy

Grassroots Grantmaking

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The Ukrainian Activists Taking on Big Philanthropy Less than 20% of humanitarian aid to Ukraine goes directly to grassroots NGOs. A coalition of Ukrainian activists is trying to change that Ben Wrobel

Tamira Benitez Wants to Help DC's Grassroots Leaders Heal

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Tamira Benitez Wants to Help DC’s Grassroots Leaders Heal Two years into her tenure, the head of Diverse City Fund is leaning into healing support for on-the-ground organizers Ben Wrobel

Editorial: Ground Game

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Editorial: Ground Game Moving money to unfamiliar places is hard. That’s why philanthropy leaders are innovating by shifting power to the grassroots Proximate

Research Roundup: Grassroots Grantmaking

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Research Roundup: Grassroots Grantmaking We read six reports about grassroots grantmaking, and pulled out the highlights Proximate

The Citizen Leaders Shaping Climate Policy

Citizen Science

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The Citizen Leaders Shaping Climate Policy The Climate Democracy Accelerator is helping groups around the world build participatory climate projects Meg Massey

New Report Advocates For Participatory Banking

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Is this participatory banking's moment?A new report makes the case for community power in banking Proximate

Can Participatory Budgeting Revive Trust in Brazil's Democracy?

From Protest to Participation

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Can Participatory Budgeting Revive Trust in Brazil's Democracy?Months after the attack on the National Congress, President Lula is betting on a new digital platform to give citizens a voice in their democracy Marcela Martins

A New Map of Participatory Grantmaking in the UK

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Mapping Participatory Grantmaking in the UK Participatory grantmaking is growing in the UK - how far along is it?Proximate

In Conversation: Allie Burns on Peer-Selected Investment

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In Conversation: Allie Burns on Peer-Selected Investment A Q&A with Village Capital’s CEO on the occasion of their 150th cohort of peer-selected investment Ben Wrobel

What We Learned From Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's PGM Report

Grassroots Grantmaking

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What We Learned From Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's PGM report The foundation released a report reflecting on their experiment with participatory grantmaking Proximate

Growing #ShiftThePower in Kenya will Drive Durable Development

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Growing #ShiftThePower in Kenya will drive more durable development A movement is growing in Kenya to shift power to communities Wanjiru Kanyiha and Elizaphan Ogechi

A Novel Way to Predict the Weather in Malawi

Citizen Science

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A Novel Way to Predict the Weather in Malawi Can Malawi's participatory weather forecasting project change the game in a changing climate?Rabson Kondowe

Food as Medicine? A Vermont Foodbank Tries Culturally-Relevant Food

Grassroots Grantmaking

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A Vermont Foodbank Tries Culturally-Relevant Food Vermont's largest food bank is responding to the state's growing diversity by offering culturally-relevant food Ben Wrobel

A Toolkit for Participatory Investing

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A New Toolkit for Participatory Investing A new playbook from Common Future helps foundations drive participation in investing Meg Massey

Participatory Grantmaking Changed My Mind About Sex Work

Grassroots Grantmaking

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Participatory Grantmaking Changed My Mind About Sex Work A personal essay about the power of connection – and the possibility of growth Anonymous

The Kamaʻāina Creatives Tackling Climate Change

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The Kamaʻāina Creatives Tackling Climate Change A new, experimental venture studio designed to invest in Hawai‘i creative talent Meg Massey

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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