How Can International Donors Be Good Allies? A Conversation about Locally-Led Development
Fund for Shared Insight
A national funder collaborative improving philanthropy by centering the people and communities at the heart of our work
As part of Fund for Shared Insight’s global engagement work, we asked CIVICUS to host a conversation with grassroots activists to hear firsthand what they see as philanthropy's role in supporting locally-led development.
How can international donors be good allies? What concrete approaches are worth supporting, scaling, or replicating? Three inspiring changemakers — Banesa Farfan from Peru, Naomi Ayot Oyaro from Uganda, and Naro A. from the Philippines — share their experiences and perspectives to help answer those questions and more.
Read excerpts from their candid conversation.
Tensions in Funder Learning: Reflections on a Participatory Grantmaking Initiative
As funders, we need to learn in order to improve, and we don’t want to “experiment” with people’s lives or work. We want our learning to be grounded in the lived expertise of those most impacted but least consulted by philanthropy; and we don’t want our learning to be at the expense of community.
Read how Shared Insight is wrestling with these and other tensions raised during a one-time grantmaking project.
Have you seen funder listening in action?
Share your stories to demonstrate what’s possible when grantmakers listen to the people and communities most impacted by their decisions.
With your help, we can lift up practices to inspire and support other funders on their journeys towards listening well.