Lankelly Chase’s recent decision to step away from the traditional grantmaking model, by redistributing its assets over the next five years and then closing, airs an interesting, and very topical, issue.

Just as philanthropy is evolving to become more democratised, so grantmaking must too. Natasha Friend, director at Camden Giving, explains more.

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Today’s challenges, from climate change to poverty, are so vast and complex that they require new ways of working if grantmakers are to have an impact. And this means shaking off those traditional models and working more with the communities most impacted by these challenges to reduce division and foster social action.

Participatory grantmaking places grant decisions into the hands of communities, giving people with lived experience of society’s biggest challenges more of a voice in trying to solve them.

It involves those with lived experience, who would usually be excluded from the grantmaking process, to not just have a say, but to make actual funding decisions.

Camden Giving is an entirely participatory grantmaker, placing grant decisions in the hands of communities. Each year, we recruit, support and pay 50 people with first-hand experience of inequality to decide how grants are awarded. They form teams of 8-12 people who set priorities, review applications, visit grantees and decide who receives funding from Camden Giving. And we’re not alone, participatory grantmakers are slowly springing up around the World.

Brings diversity and inclusivity

One legacy of colonialism is that in the UK, 99% of Trustees of grantmaking foundations are white, predominantly men and over the age of 64 (ACF/Cass 2018 source). Our community panels are made up of around 70% people from the global majority and half are under 25. It means we award grants where they are needed, but more importantly it means we have a sense that age and ethnicity are not barriers to making important decisions about how money is spent locally.

Moving money to community power means individuals see themselves as part of a connected network where they can make change; a subtle shift needed to solve big issues.
The impact of our grantees is important, our grants mean people have nutritious food to eat and communities have places to celebrate their diversity. But participatory grantmaking’s impact extends beyond any meal or street party, we’ve worked with over 200 people to award grants and they tell us that they view their role in their community differently after they’ve awarded grants. This group of 200+ people have gone on to set up community projects, run as councillors and carry out hundreds of small acts of help social for their neighbours.

Still a relatively little-known or practised way of giving out funding

Foundations like Lankelley Chase are waking up to how their work replicates the very injustices they seek to overcome. When there’s so much impact to be had in working in a participatory way, why aren’t more foundations doing it?

The challenge for Lankelley, and others, is there aren’t enough participatory grantmakers in the UK (shout out to Plymouth Octopus, Bristol Food Fund, Barking and Dagenham Giving, Islington Giving and all the other amazing foundations blazing ahead with this work). Foundations need to invest in participatory grantmaking across the UK, not necessarily by setting up foundations. For example, Boston Foodbank has been successfully running participatory grantmaking since they realised that they could have a wider impact on food access by awarding grants within their communities, by moving power out of their own doors and much closer to communities.

What we see on the ground inspires possibility

Our community panellists frequently ask, “what if we can’t agree?” We live in a world where it seems that disagreement is more common than agreement, but the truth is, when a group of strangers sit down to award grants, they rarely end up disagreeing; once they hear different perspectives, people tend to find common ground. Participatory grantmaking inspires possibility, unity and hope for people, what those people go on to do is the real impact of our work. Our community panellists consistently tell us that they view their role within the community differently having been trusted to award grants.

Having a say, often for the first time, is quite addictive, our grantmakers are going on to do great things. That campaign that led to free school meals, Anisah Ramen who was part of that started her activism journey by awarding grants with us. The 18-year-old man running to be a councillor in Camden got a buzz for making a difference and is going on to see what he can do next.

So isn't it time participatory grantmaking became the norm rather than the exception?

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