Show Me the Money: Bold Approaches to Shifting Power to the Grass Roots

Reflections from our Session at Grantmakers in Health (GIH) Annual Conference 

Our first two days at the Grantmakers in Health Annual Conference (reportedly the most attended in its history), felt like an exhilarating lead-up to our session on the final day, as we engaged in conversations on shifting dollars, resources and power to communities. Alongside our presenting partners Dr. Sulma Gandhi at Stupski Foundation and Lauren Wilkie at Point Source Youth, we presented three models as experiments in trust-based philanthropy; a direct cash transfer program for young people, an intermediary funding and incubation model to grassroots organizations, projects, and individuals, and a trust-based approaches learned in a spend down foundation model and applicable to all funders. Panelists also created a Reading List to learn more about these models and practices around shifting power. 

As we delved deeper into examples of shifting power in practice, our peers in the audience surfaced conversations about how we reorient towards the notion of power in ways that center relationship and interdependence. Panelists and participants together reckoned with the role of philanthropy in supporting and partnering with the grass roots, sharing stories of affirming successes and difficult challenges, and addressing some of the real hesitancies around ceding decision making to community. Panelists shared lessons learned in addressing these challenges by reframing accountability in ways that invite us to step further into, rather than back from our commitments, deepening partnerships with the organizations, individuals, and communities leading our movements for health equity and intersecting issues.  

Stay tuned as we share more along with thought leaders and practitioners in philanthropy and beyond who are committed to working differently to deepen trust and better show up as partners in our work. We’d love to hear about your experience with innovative models in philanthropy here!