The balancing act of being “More than just a Grantmaker”
At NTT, we have always wanted to set ourselves apart from the western INGO model of grantmaking.
Systems
Colouring outside the colouring book: Seeing all the colours in enablement. Part 2
A funder recently told me how they do not work on ”identity politics.” I was confused by this because we both acknowledged that civil society …
Light in times of darkness: Community philanthropy offers a way forward
The reliance – even dependency – of large sections of southern civil society on international donor funding has long been an uncomfortable truth in our sector. A truth that has been easy to bat away, a can kicked down the road, tomorrow’s business. All of it perilously resting on the assumption of the current funding paradigm.
Giving for Change: Insights from WACSI on Community Philanthropy and Civic Space in Ghana
Ghana, a Giving for Change country with a population of over 32 million, is the second most populous country in West Africa. Like many other …
Connecting the dots between community philanthropy, women’s philanthropy and feminist philanthropy
In 2020, the GFCF, together with Serbian feminist activist and consultant, Marija Jakovljević, embarked on a journey of inquiry to better understand the intersections, similarities …
Strengthening civil society: The unseen battle for the future of NGOs and CBOs
For too long, the interaction between funders and grantees has been reduced to little more than a transactional exchange. Money flows one way, deliverables flow …
What a Balinese massage taught me about measuring what matters
In July 2024, the Global Fund for Community Foundations (GFCF) extended their global reach to include Australia in the #ShiftThePower movement. I was fortunate enough …
From the road to Bogotá to continuing the dance of the revolution in sustaining ourselves and nurturing our movements
Burn-out is not an isolated issue but one that affects many across social movement. Collective care involves a commitment to care for each other. It is about making sure that we address the systemic issues of the society, but also attend to keeping the fire burning without burning ourselves out.
A call for proposals, but only if you are from the “right part” of the world
Studying the ways in which aid remains restricted has been the progressive discovery of how little we still understand the racist schemes of the international aid system.
Evolving together: What caterpillars can teach us about transforming philanthropy
Have you heard of imaginal cells? This is what Amaha Selassie asked us as we sat in the jungle-themed hotel lobby. It was the night after the #ShiftThePower Summit in Bogotá, and 5 of us had come together seemingly by accident, talking for hours about the worlds of possibility and complexity that the Summit had unlocked. None of us knew about these cells, so Amaha explained