Our grants support activities that:
- Strengthen the efforts of community philanthropy organizations to respond to, change mindsets around and build support for complex, sensitive or apparently intractable issues at the community level (e.g. social cohesion and other community divisions, environmental issues, women’s, youth, other minority rights, marginalized and vulnerable communities etc.).
- Strengthen the overall durability and effectiveness of community philanthropy organizations as trusted and rooted vehicles for people-led, people-owned development (whether around grantmaking systems, governance and management structures, fund development and sustainability, communications platforms, etc.).
Specific activities can include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Conducting feasibility or mapping activities aimed at understanding local giving habits, opportunities and barriers.
- Strengthening the efforts of individual community philanthropy organizations that are seeking to mobilize local resources and / or foster the growth of local philanthropy for progressive social change.
- Testing or piloting new strategies and approaches in their work (for example, a new resource mobilization strategy, a participatory grantmaking programme, etc.)
- Strengthening the evidence base for community philanthropy by documenting and demonstrating practice / outcomes etc.
Grant size and duration
- Grants are normally in the range of U.S. $7,000 – $20,000 (size will depend on annual budget, nature of activities and whether the organization is already known to the GFCF).
- Grants are normally for an initial period of one year (follow-on funding may be possible).
- Participation in a learning network / grantee convening may be a condition of the grant.
