TLP conducted a comparative operational analysis of eight premiere international Participatory Grantmaking Funds, publishing ”Who Decides: How Participatory Grantmaking Benefits Donors, Communities and Movements" in April 2014. We found that PG Fs present an exemplary and effective model worthy of further exploration, reproduction, and investment. While the PGF model is innovative, it is now building on three decades of experience, experimentation, and learning. We believe the PGF model is an intelligent, scalable, and effective approach.
Our analysis of PGF funds was initiated to compare the operations of the surveyed Funds. We did not attempt to measure or compare the impact of the funding model, but we believe that studying the impact is a necessary Phase Two of this research. With this in mind, TLP offered three recommendations:
- A study of the impact of Participatory Grantmaking.
- A comparative study of PGFs in relation to traditional philanthropic models.
- Creation of a formal network of Participatory Grantmaking Funds.
Funds Analyzed
- Disability Rights Fund. Based in Boston, MA.
- FRIDA - The Young Feminist Fund. Based in London, England.
- GMT Initiative. Housed at amfAR in New York, NY.
- HIV Young Leaders Fund. Based in New York, NY.
- International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) HIV Collaborative Fund. Housed at ITPC/Tides in New York, NY.
- Red Umbrella Fund. Housed at Mama Cash in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- Robert Carr Networks Fund. Housed at AIDS Fonds in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- UHAI - the East African Sexual Health and Rights Initiative. Based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Research Goals
- Create assessment criteria to describe core characteristics of Participatory Grantmaking Funds.
- Illuminate promising practices and innovations.
- Examine and highlight the unique solutions these funds have developed to address the Participatory Grantmaking model's operational, budgetary, and administrative particularities.
- Establish baseline for Participatory Grantmaking models that will enable donors to evaluate potential new Participatory Grantmakers for efficiency.
- Assist existing Participatory Grantmakers to understand how they operate within the field.
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