Resources

The practice of participatory grantmaking in family philanthropy is still relatively new, but there are some excellent resources available on the topic already. This page lists several that have been useful to us at the Share Fund.
 
We’re also pleased to share our own resource, titled “Letting Go of Power, Centering Community: The Share Fund’s Story of Incorporating Participatory Grantmaking in Family Philanthropy.” 
 
We hope our report as well as the resources below will help you in your journey to building more equitable, just funding practices for all communities.
 
Read The Report

Gibson, Cynthia, and Jen Bokoff. Deciding Together: Shifting Power and Resources Through Participatory Grantmaking. Foundation Center, 2018.

Considered by many as the first comprehensive guide to participatory grantmaking. Sections are interspersed with visual diagrams. Also included are first-person insights from participants and potential challenges to look out for in the model

Gibson, Cynthia. Participatory Grantmaking: Has Its Time Come? Ford Foundation, The Share Fund Additional Resources THE SHARE FUND RESOURCE GUIDE • 4 1 2017,

A Ford Foundation-commissioned report with a landscape scan of how participatory processes are being integrated in philanthropy. Gibson also shares lessons from outside philanthropy that could be useful for families as they are implementing participatory grantmaking.

Paterson, Hannah. Grassroots Grantmaking: Embedding Participatory Approaches in Funding. Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, 2020, 

 A visually engaging report comprising learnings from a yearlong fellowship exploring global participatory processes. Paterson discusses decentering power, grassroots organizing, and relationship building.

Hauger, Tyler Dale. “Nothing About Us Without Us: Innovating Grantmaking Processes With Participatory Methodology.” Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 2022,

An academic-leaning paper discussing four modalities of innovation that participatory grantmaking offers. Hodgson, Jenny, and Anna Pond.

How Community Philanthropy Shifts Power: What Donors Can Do to Help Make That Happen. Grantcraft, 2018,

Examines the impacts of shifting power in community philanthropy from a donor perspective.

Lafayette Practice & FRIDA Young Feminist Fund. Letting the Movement Decide: FRIDA Grantmaking Report. Lafayette Practice & FRIDA Young Feminist Fund, 2022,

An assessment of FRIDA Young Feminist Fund’s impact over three grantmaking cycles. Includes a historical timeline of FRIDA’s work and interviews with FRIDA stakeholders.

+ Participatory Grantmakers Community.

+ Participatory Grantmaking Community YouTube Channel.

+ Subscribe to a Participatory Grantmaking Community Listserv.