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Why one California foundation chose to shift assets — not just grants — to a more proximate foundation

Take these eight steps today to prepare new structures of support

The co-founder of #HalfMyDAF talks about wealth, money stories, and what’s next for DAF reform

Twelve research papers shine a light on participatory models and approaches

An overview of the sometimes-misunderstood concept

How can we advance fiscal sponsorship rooted in common infrastructure and collective care?

With federal reform stalled, state attorneys general can still act on DAF transparency

NGO People Powered demonstrates how member-based organizations can use participatory democracy to determine how to allocate its budget.

What does make public participation in government decision-making meaningful? 

Marr Nyang founded Gambia Participates in a country just emerging from a decades-long dictatorship

The story of how I discovered my trust fund — and had to fight to give it away

An editorial series exploring the future of DAF reform in the United States

We spoke with the Global Fund for Children’s co-CEO about participatory grantmaking and more

The song reflects a past era of development that led to decades of error

Maybe we need to focus on the social and political context in which the idea and practice of participation emerges.

The concept of people governing themselves is beginning to take root in an exciting way in Myanmar

Democracy is not in decline. The nation-state is.

It's been a busy year – and we're excited for what's to come

Here are the stories that generated the most reads and the most conversation this past year

Where will the money come from for feminist organizing? We need to look to the global majority

Residents in Yumbo, Colombia, brainstorm solutions to urban violence

We spoke with Laura Vergara and Ruby Johnson about their work to fund girls and young feminists on the frontlines

Young people are changing the world. Trust them with resources.

There’s a new book called Participatory Grantmaking in Philanthropy coming out in 2025.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the latest major foundation to experiment with PGM and they released a case study of their pilot phase.

Lemos vários relatórios sobre a mudança de poder na filantropia e selecionamos os destaques

Uma nova coluna para o Proximate Brasil sobre filantrópicas contemporâneas

​​A new column for Proximate Brasil on regenerative philanthropic practices

Are we progressing or digressing? A new column by Vincent Mwangi

Anna Patton investigated the rise of fiscal sponsors – both in the Global North and Global South – that are making it easier to donate across borders.

We read several recent reports on shifting power in philanthropy – and pulled out the highlights

Alguns enxergam a representação fiscal como uma forma de reduzir as barreiras para pequenas organizações e coletivos - até certo ponto.

Some see fiscal hosting as a way to reduce barriers for small organizations and collectives – up to a point

Sobre esse assunto

We are entering a new era in how we practice philanthropy, people are embracing community philanthropy and trust-based philanthropy.

A donor and a flow funder share their views on philanthropy, autonomy and reparations

Um doador e um flow funder compartilham suas visões sobre filantropia, autonomia e reparação

O Kindle Project é líder em flow funding, incluindo sua recente grupo de mulheres indígenas

Falamos com Rodrigo Rubido sobre o que faz uma prática realmente participatória.

We spoke with Rodrigo Rubido about what makes a practice truly participatory

A group decided how to spend $27 million of Marlene Engelhorn's fortune. We spoke with one of the project's leaders, days before it all kicked off.

Our own Isabelle Clérié weighed in with her column, Want Effective Philanthropy? Look to the Global South.

Porticus has been on a journey to explore participatory approaches in their work for a few years now. I've had a chance to peek at their internal decks.

I had the pleasure to speak recently with Maya Hasan, who is building out a new, global community of practice for the #ShiftThePower movement

The news that Wellspring Philanthropy Fund is closing its doors by 2028 came as a shock to many in the human rights space.

From grizzly bears to birds to bats, citizen science tools are helping scientists track and save species

Citizens' assemblies are on the agenda for the political group

"Because I said so" is not an effective parenting strategy, and it fails as a philanthropic approach as well

Jonathan Kifunda on the challenges of returning to his community from an international NGO

Oral reporting and other innovations can be better, fairer and easier on grantees

I’m intrigued by the National Civic League’s effort to map the entities working to create a healthier democracy across my large and sprawling country.

An ever-present danger of deliberative democracy is that a government may host a citizens’ assembly or jury, and then ignore its recommendations.

Here's where you can find conversations on localizing climate solutions, from philanthropy to the grassroots

As foundations wait on federal DAF legislation, some are taking matters into their own hands and taking back control from donors

Gerry Roll offers an alternative to the either-or dynamic around DAF reform – arguing that not all DAF sponsors are created equal

The constant battle between individual versus collective leadership and decision-making

Integrity starts with how we live our lives; so does democracy

Disastrous town hall meetings are becoming a familiar part of the American fabric. It doesn’t have to be that way

Jon Alexander on how “circular power politics” could help politicians buy in to citizen participation

Zimbabwe’s climate strategy isn't responsive to rural communities; Green Institute engaged citizens to change that.

We need to move to a healthy ecosystem of diverse democracies

Fiscal sponsorship is increasingly seen as one solution to the challenges of localization

Swatee Deepak on her recent report and the future of feminist philanthropy

Farmers in Kasasa are experimenting with a democratic model to invest profits from the sale of maize

We need to invest time, resources, and knowledge in local leaders and communities to support them

A community-led approach to development

A new space to explore participatory problem-solving approaches across East Africa

Magic Cabinet and Proximate gathered philanthropy leaders in June to discuss paths to reform for donor-advised funds

Grants managers can harness positional power to drive meaningful change in the landscape of philanthropy

Bella DeVaan of the Charity Reform Initiative on the coalition's latest work

The debate around a recent SSIR cover story misses the global perspective

So why don’t most European laws that address climate change integrate public participation?

Richard Wilson, of Iswe Foundation, predicts in The Guardian that in its first 100 days, the Labour government will announce a citizens’ assembly.

The funder is investing $9 million to set an example for Canada’s philanthropic sector

Citizens’ assemblies are increasingly popular in Europe and Canada. But not in the United States. How come?

What if democracy could be so much more than what we think it is?

Iain Walker offers on the role of participatory democracy in areas without a working government – and why attempts to solve conflicts often fail

A new column by Rachel Kimber on the journey to shape equity in grants management

Donors bring an investment mindset to development. That needs to change

The two most important democratic innovations of the last 30 years have developed in parallel but not in unison

The Dalan Fund is shifting power in grantmaking to Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central and North Asia

Yes, we read that op-ed. Melinda French Gates wrote about her vision to “play offense” on womens’ and reproductive rights.

We made a roundup of news and updates on Palestine from the field of grassroots grantmaking

I traveled to Tbilisi, Georgia for a gathering of the Human Rights Funders Network.

Ruchi Varma has a vision for designing safer school zones that involves asking children as young as nine what they should look like

Welcome to Proximate Samip समीप, a new project aimed at showcasing emergent models for participatory problem-solving across India.

Our series Loss & Damage explores what it would look like to localize climate funding

Um fundo liderado pela comunidade tem um modelo baseado em confiança único para doações que pode ser um exemplo para o Rio Grande do Sul

We spoke with the founder of Baixada Institute about the need to hold honest conversations between donors and communities

A reação à filantropia baseada na confiança veio à tona. É hora de os líderes doadores de base comunitária responderem.

Canoes working together are better than boats with just one captain; so too with philanthropy

What I Learned from Reading 175 Participatory Grantmaking Resources

We spoke with Jessie Nguyen, from the REAL People’s Fund, on why solidarity between entrepreneurs and local organizers is necessary for democratizing capital.

An interview about community philanthropy with the leaders of Rede Comuá

The opera grew from a community arts project into an international sellout show - and resisted opportunities to sell out along the way

Deepak Menon on using a unique model to support social enterprises in India, from civic tech to climate innovation

Canoas trabalhando juntas são melhores do que um barco com apenas um capitão; assim também é a filantropia

Uma investigação sobre a abordagem participativa ao buscar soluções para desafios do Brasil, por brasileiros

A community-led fund has a unique, trust-based model for distributing grants can be an example for Rio Grande do Sul