Overcoming The Four Common Challenges Of Participatory Grantmaking

Carrie Watkins

Bringing your community to your decision-making table through Participatory Grantmaking can help drive more impactful funding decisions. But changing your processes can be difficult and time-consuming. In our latest tip sheet, experts Katy Love and Diana Samarasan walk through four common challenges to implementing Participatory Grantmaking and tips for overcoming them.

Tips For Bringing Your Community into Your Decision-Making Process

Today’s grantmakers know that to drive real impact, you need to have direct and inclusive participation with your community. True participation goes beyond simply being informed. It means being part of the decision-making process.

Participatory Grantmaking results in stronger relationships with community members and more impactful grant decisions. But overcoming the challenges may take time and a mindset change for your foundation. In this tip sheet, you’ll learn four common roadblocks grantmakers face when increasing participation in their grantmaking processes, and how you and your team can overcome them, including:

• Best practices for getting your leadership on board

• Ideas for making sure your participants reflect the community you want to serve

• Suggestions for reallocating your resources to support the new model

Check out the tip sheet

Want to learn more about Participatory Grantmaking? Check out these other resources (also linked in the tip sheet):

[Webinar] What’s all the Fuss About Participatory Grantmaking | Making Sense of This Evolving Practice

[Blog Post] Grantmaking: What’s Participation Got to Do with It?

[Blog Post] Participatory Grantmaking: I’m in. Now What?

Are you using Participatory Grantmaking principles in your decision-making process? Share your experience in the comments!