Grantee inclusion can help correct the power imbalance not only between foundations and nonprofits, but also between marginalized communities and the broader power structures that perpetuate inequity.
True grantee-funder partnerships are based on a shared vision of the future. Creating a strategy to achieve that vision requires listening and clearly defining roles.
It’s critical to test different approaches to grantee inclusion and to incorporate new learning along the way.
Three practices successful social sector partnerships can adopt to improve their alignment and generate better results.
Grantee inclusion is not sufficiently powerful to transform grantee-funder relationships, but it might present a vision for a sector that more evenly shares power.
Grantee inclusion requires learning, risk-taking, and letting go of cherished behaviors and ways of working to make progress.
Philanthropists should create collaborative relationships with grantees that cultivate critical thinking, learning, and adaptation.
Foundations’ internal practices and culture ripple out to grantees in meaningful ways, and it directly accelerates or impedes grantees’ effectiveness.
By actively moving into the roles of advocate and partner for grantees, grantmakers can cultivate trusting, transparent relationships that ultimately translate into social impact.
As grassroots and “grass-tops” groups come together to create collective impact, funders have the power to foster truly authentic engagement and co-ownership among all.
