For 25 years, Global Greengrants Fund has awarded funding to grassroots-level organizations around the world utilizing a process and model that is the opposite of most funders. Tapping into a network of global advisors – experts with connections on the ground – to source groups, Global Greengrants Fund finds activists on the frontlines, working from the bottom up to implement real solutions to environmental and social justice issues.
Instead of top down approach, where staff members decide where resources should go, this approach incorporates voices from the frontlines, providing communities and grant recipients with decision-making power around resources. Participatory grantmaking goes against traditional philanthropic practices, shifts traditional power dynamics in philanthropy, and gives local people the power to use resources exactly how they see fit.
This month, Global Greengrants Fund was spotlighted in a new resource for funders put out by GrantCraft. The guide, titled “Deciding Together: Shifting Power and Resources Through Participatory Grantmaking” is intended to help funders engage in participatory grantmaking and give decision-making power to the communities receiving the grants. The resource shows how and why funders around the world are using the participatory grantmaking model, as well as challenges, lessons learned, and best practices.
Read more about Global Greengrants Fund’s grantmaking model in the new guide, including quotes from our President and CEO Terry Odendahl and Deputy Director of Programs, Allison Davis. Also, check out the short video featuring Allison discussing our participatory grantmaking model below.