Listening and the Five Rs of Indigenous Philanthropy
Fund for Shared Insight
A national funder collaborative improving philanthropy by centering the people and communities at the heart of our work
Brittany Schulman of Native Americans in Philanthropy makes the connection for us between funder listening and the Five Rs of Indigenous Philanthropy: Respect, Relationships, Responsibility, Reciprocity, and Redistribution.
Listening, she writes,“involves meeting people where they are, fostering mutual understanding and support, and ensuring a balanced exchange between all parties. At its best, listening within the Five Rs framework is truly relational and has reciprocity and respect baked in.”
How Community Lessons Are Shaping a Statewide Funder's 50-Year Vision
To ensure that community voice would be baked into its 50-year vision, Inatai Foundation, a new funder, embarked on a relationship-building, listening, and learning tour through all of Washington 39 counties.
On their travels, writes president and CEO Nichole June Maher, “we picked up every local newspaper ... scoured Facebook ...[and] shared meals with leaders of tribal nations and other communities of color who lived in neighborhoods, counties, and regions that were often ignored by institutions like ours.”
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 listening journeys — and, with our learning and evaluation partner ORS Impact, explore important issues around how foundations listen to shift power.