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Philanthropy
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Grassroots Grantmaking
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Analysis
Beyond the Ballroom
Dr. Britt Yamamoto
Community Philanthropy
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Feature
The future of philanthropy is already taking shape: who’s building it?
Mehul Singh and Beatriz Martínez
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Opinion
The Third Act of American Philanthropy
What would it take for philanthropy to exit the stage?
Jennifer Thuy Vi Nguyen
On Media
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Column
Why Does the Media Treat Foundations Like First Responders?
Communities lead the response. So why do foundations get the headlines?
Tirrea Billings
Aid & Development
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Community Philanthropy
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Opinion
If We Want Capital to Move Differently, What Should We Back?
Across the Global South, a new funding infrastructure is being built
Juliana Tinoco
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Proximate In Person
Communities Reflect on the Future of Community-Led Development
What we learned at Proximate’s side event at UNGA 2026
Lina Srivastava
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Opinion
From the Frontline to the Peace Table
In Sudan and the DRC, women protect communities but have little say in shaping peace
Hanin Ahmed
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Your Take: What Comes After a Career in Aid?
Join the discussion through our partnership with KujaLink
Proximate Press
Solidarity Economies
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Participatory Investing
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Opinion
Lessons in Co-Governance From The Bronx
At the Kingsbridge Armory, community groups are putting shared ownership and oversight into practice
Sandra Lobo and Evan Casper-Futterman, City Limits
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Who Will Govern the Global Commons?
How philanthropy, banking and consumer choice could reshape global governance
Jonah Wittkamper and Kate Landon
Participatory Investing
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Q&A
A Conversation with Ann Boger, Former COO of the Freelancers Union Health Insurance Company
Ann shares lessons on building mutual, inclusive, and portable worker benefits.
Val Elefante
Participatory 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
Frontline Finance
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Rethinking Resources
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Q&A
Why Remittances Deserve a Seat at Philanthropy’s Table
The African Diaspora Network wants to transform remittances – from emergency relief to a form of economic agency
Zohra Zori
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Predictions
Reciprocity Should Become the New Standard
Why philanthropy’s “shopping list” approach to intermediaries is backfiring
Cynthia Gibson and Maria Mottola
Common Ground
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Predictions
Predictions: The Future of Fiscal Sponsorship
What’s next for the background infrastructure powering the grassroots?
Proximate
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Predictions
Fiscal Sponsorship Is Here to Stay
Fiscal sponsors will continue to enable Americans to support projects of their choice at a time when those in need are stranded by government cutbacks
Greg Colvin
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Community-Driven Journalism
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Perspective
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
Participatory Investing
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Feature
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
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Feature
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
Community-Driven Journalism
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Analysis
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
Community-Driven Journalism
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Column
BIPOC Media Leaders Welcome Press Forward – With Caution
Publishers ask: how does equity fit into the goal of "saving the news"?
Sherrell Dorsey
Participatory Investing
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Feature
Bancos de tierras comunitarias: ¿una alternativa al desplazamiento?
Estrategias emergentes buscan combatir la creciente escasez de viviendas asequibles en el archipiélago.
Carlos Berríos Polanco
Nuts & Bolts
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Q&A
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
Community-Driven Journalism
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Perspective
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
Participatory Investing
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Feature
What Happens When Artists Invest in Other Artists?
A democratically-controlled production company launched amid the writers and actors strike
Ben Wrobel
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Publisher's Note
A Year of Movement
A guide on how to read this issue
Proximate
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Q&A
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
Participatory Investing
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Analysis
Can We Democratize the Energy Transition?
One by one, cooperatives and crowdfunding projects are taking back control of our energy system.
Anna Gorman
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Q&A
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
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Analysis
Are Donor Collaboratives Better for the Grassroots?
Forty percent of collaboratives use participatory grantmaking. But are all collaboratives more inclusive?
Ledys Sanjuan Mejía
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Q&A
Four Years of Flow Funding at Kindle Project
Arianne Shaffer reflects on learnings from the Indigenous Women's Flow Fund
Kevin McClendon
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Feature
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
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Analysis
The Rise of Participatory Incubators and Accelerators
An introduction to the entrepreneur support organizations driving inclusive innovation
Jessica Newfield and Kevin McClendon
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Perspective
Philanthropy on the Blockchain
Grapevine’s founder on how DAOs and giving circles intersect
Emily Rasmussen
Unlocking Abundance
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Analysis
What’s Next for DAF Reform?
Advocates are exploring paths to reform through Congress, Treasury and the state level
Kaila Philo
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Analysis
A New Vision of Fiscal Sponsorship
Thaddeus Squire wants to push the field in new, equitable directions
Ben Wrobel
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Field Note
Report Roundup: December 2023
We read several recent reports about grassroots grantmaking... so you don’t have to
Proximate
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Q&A
Fenomenal Funds' Non Competitive Grant System
Who funds the funders? Fenomenal Funds used PGM to resource women’s funds during the pandemic
Proximate
Budgeting
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Feature
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
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Perspective
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
Tech and Democracy
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Analysis
What Tool Should I Use to Survey My Community?
A new "Consumer Reports" for digital participation platforms, from People Powered
Kevin McClendon
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Feature
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
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Feature
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
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Publisher's Note
Editorial: Ground Game
Moving money to unfamiliar places is hard. That’s why philanthropy leaders are innovating by shifting power to the grassroots
Proximate
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Field Note
Research Roundup: Grassroots Grantmaking
We read six reports about grassroots grantmaking, and pulled out the highlights
Proximate
Citizen Science
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Analysis
The Citizen Leaders Shaping Climate Policy
The Climate Democracy Accelerator is helping groups around the world build participatory climate projects
Meg Massey
Participatory Investing
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Analysis
Is This Participatory Banking's Moment?
A new report makes the case for community power in banking
Meg Massey
From Protest to Participation
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Feature
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
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Q&A
Mapping Participatory Grantmaking in the UK
Participatory grantmaking is growing in the UK - how far along is it?
Proximate
Participatory Investing
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Q&A
What Village Capital Learned from 150 Cohorts of Peer Review
A Q&A with Village Capital’s CEO on the occasion of their 150th cohort of peer-selected investment
Ben Wrobel
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Field Note
What We Learned From Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's PGM report
The foundation released a report reflecting on their experiment with participatory grantmaking
Proximate
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Perspective
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
Citizen Science
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Feature
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
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Feature
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
Nuts & Bolts
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Analysis
A New Toolkit for Participatory Investing
A new playbook from Common Future helps foundations drive participation in investing
Meg Massey
Grassroots Grantmaking
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Perspective
Participatory Grantmaking Changed My Mind About Sex Work
A personal essay about the power of connection – and the possibility of growth
Rose Longhurst
Nuts & Bolts
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Feature
The Kamaʻāina Creatives Tackling Climate Change
A new, experimental venture studio designed to invest in Hawai‘i creative talent
Meg Massey
Citizen Science
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Analysis
Can Citizen Science Drive the Sustainable Development Goals?
A new collection of articles demonstrates the potential of citizen science to measure and drive the SDGs
Proximate
Citizen Science
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Feature
Putting Patients at the Heart of Medical Research
A model for patient-centered care
Jess Rimington and Joanna L. Cea
Repairing Development Newsletter
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Newsletter
What Happened to Resourcefulness?
Too often there's a narrative that people are operating in deficiency. But in fact, they are demonstrating resourcefulness
Isabelle Clérié
Repairing Development Newsletter
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Newsletter
Repairing Development • Issue 3 Shiny Resumes, Stale Ideas
To development practitioners – please actively unlearn what you think you know about the Global Majority
Isabelle Clérié
Repairing Development Newsletter
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Newsletter
We Need More Anthropologists in Development
As we talk about community-led anything, there is an urgency to build anthropological skill sets like participant observation and thick description
Isabelle Clérié
Repairing Development Newsletter
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Newsletter
USAID’s Freeze and the Future of Aid
Welcome to a new newsletter for Proximate, where I reflect on the possibilities for a world without traditional international aid.
Isabelle Clérié
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