Pioneers Post: Participatory funding puts decisions into the hands of those most affected by the money. It’s a massive shift – but one that could make philanthropy and impact investing more open, transparent and community-driven.
Impact Alpha: Boston residents from the working class neighborhoods of Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan have met in person to plan for the future of investment in their neighborhoods.
Impact Alpha: The idea of democratizing investment has a long intellectual history, but it is starting to enter mainstream financial discourse.
Impact Alpha: Peer selection can help redirect investment in Africa towards African inventors and entrepreneurs.
Nonprofit Quarterly: The issue of diversity (who is in the room) only addresses one part of the equation. The other part is accountability, or how the people in that room consult with those outside it.
Inside Philanthropy: Recent events have sparked renewed interest in methods of participatory grantmaking, which place funding decisions in the hands of community members.
Nonprofit Quarterly: What if we shifted decision-making power away from supposedly expert grantmakers and investors?
Medium: This is an excerpt from the Introduction of Letting Go: How Philanthropists and Impact Investors Can Do More Good By Giving Up Control.
Beeck Center: Three models for shifting decision-making power to communities and entrepreneurs.
Beeck Center: Imagining a world where 10% of grant dollars are allocated by people outside foundations, not paid staff.