1. Grassroots Grantmaking
An Introduction to
Grassroots Grantmaking
Presented by
Janis Foster Richardson, Executive Director
Grassroots Grantmakers
with special guest
Anne-Marie Taylor, Executive Director
Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center
A Webinar for Points of Light Institute “Neighboring” Affiliates
October 25, 2010

2. Grassroots Grantmakers: Who We Are
Community of practice for place-based funders
Locus for learning
Information & referral
Knowledge bank
Advocate for funding from a resident-centered perspective
Community foundations
Independent foundations
Family foundations
Giving circles
Corporate funders
United Ways
Local governments
Local intermediaries
Community-based organizations

3. Our theory of change More direct connections with everyday people
Local Communities
Place-Based Philanthropy
Grassroots Grantmakers
More direct connections with everyday people
Deeper appreciation of the role of active citizens
An expanding array of creative approaches
A growing community
Shared learning
More influence
New relationships with funders
More connected
Challenging status quo structures

4. What do we mean? Place-based philanthropy? Volunteer? Citizen?
Grassroots?
Place-based philanthropy?
Civic engagement?
Small grants?
Community based?
Civic capacity?
Community resilience?
Sustainability?
Volunteer? Citizen?

5. Sorting it Out
Charity
Volunteer
Change
Citizen

6. Viewing place through a wide-angled lens
Who are the producers of change?
Who is responsible for resilience?
Who makes local democracy work?
What is needed for people to feel that they belong?
What structures can we sustain?
How do we create a self-renewing community?
It’s about letting ordinary people in on the action

7. Grassroots Grantmaking: The Premise
Impassioned people change their communities, and community involvement changes people.
Call it the hopeful cycle of public progress. The Silicon Valley Community Foundation

8. Grassroots Grantmaking & Living Democracy
A community that is experiencing living democracy is a place where democracy is a living system that shapes peoples lives and people in the active citizen role bring their voices and values to shape choices that affect them in very personal ways.
Living democracy recognizes that all people have public lives and that only in public engagement can we fulfill our need to connect with others in common purpose, to make a difference, to express our values and to fully respect ourselves. Frances Moore Lappe from Getting a Grip

9. Grassroots Grantmaking
A grantmaking strategy that uses small grants and a highly relational style of grantmaking to:
Address local priorities
helping people tackle the challenges they define as most important.
Build civic capacity helping people discover, claim and develop their place as active citizens in a living democracy.
Strengthen community resilience
fostering the people to people connections that enable a community to bounce back when faced with challenges and “make hay” during the good times.

10. What is grassroots grantmaking?
defn: a place-based grantmaking approach that focuses on strengthening and connecting resident-led organizations and their leaders in urban neighborhoods and rural communities
Distinguishing characteristics:
focuses on what residents can do better together than what agencies or institutions can do for them
helps people move from dreaming to doing, from their couch to an active citizen role
invests in individuals and associations as critical change-makers and resilience builders in communities

11. Private sector businesses
Points of Light Affiliates: Where is your fit in the world of grassroots grantmaking?
Foundations
Local governments
Private sector businesses
Individual donors
Grassroots Grantmaking
Community foundations
Family foundations
Independent foundations
Corporate funders
Local governments
Community-based organizations
Funding Intermediaries

12. One Small Grant/Many Possibilities
Small grants as an invitation
More like a meadow than a garden…….

13. One Small Grant/Many Possibilities
New relationships & perspectives for funding organization
More everyday people in action as active citizens
Test out small business idea
Entrepreneurial venture/job creation
Try out idea for a community-based service
More responsive "community friendly" service system
Build power & capacity to create change
Changed policies/power shifts/people have a voice

14. Building capacity – yours and theirs
Planning
Acting
Celebrating
Reflecting
Refining

15. What it takes Clarity about what and why Learning orientation
Risk Tolerance
Freedom to be flexible
Small amount of resources that are consistently available
Staffing
- Enough
- Appropriate
Knowing how to lead from behind

16. What are the tools of Grassroots Grantmaking?
Small Grants
Patient Money
Celebration/Recognition
Convening
Dialogue & Deliberation
Technical Assistance/Help
Leadership Development/Training
Community Organizing
It’s about supporting people as active citizens

17. Characteristics of effective support
Funding
Scale appropriate
Accessible
Available over the long haul
Positioned as an invitation
Flexible
Relationship oriented
Other supports
Proactive & reactive
Formal & informal
Individualized & group oriented
Culturally appropriate
Appropriately timed
Relationship oriented
This is not seed money (or management training)
for baby non-profits…..
This is about growing active citizenship, building civic capacity and increasing community resilience.

18. The Path to Disappointing Results
10 Common Mistakes
Unclear strategy – where does this work fit?
Unrealistic expectations (too high or too low)
Working through a non-profit, social-service lens
Measuring the wrong things
Overly narrow view of your own institutional assets
Insufficient buy-in at the top (board and staff)
Failure to use the new relationships that you are forming
Not enough staff time or the wrong person in the job
Inadequate or misguided outreach
Reinventing the wheel

19. Thinking strategically about grassroots grantmaking
Supporting Citizen-centered Change
Strengthening Leaders & Resident-Led Organizations
Stimulating Active Citizenship

20. Moving from the idea to the reality
Design
Focus
Eligibility criteria
Application process
Application materials
Decision making process
Technical assistance system
Outreach
Who?
How?
When?
Pre-application assistance
Workshop?
1 on 1?
Review
Committee or staff?
Resident-based decision making or more traditional process?
Site visits or interviews?
Award
Expectations?
Requirements?
Post-Award
Technical assistance?
Training?
Convening?
Connecting?
Celebrating?

21. Resources from Grassroots Grantmakers
1 on 1 coaching & consultation
On the Ground learning exchanges
Topical conference calls
Listserv/
discussion board
Big Thinking on Small Grants blog
Grassroots Grantmakers’ Website
Tools & Tips
Document bank
Program profiles
Peer to peer insight stories
Reports (ours and others)
Upcoming events & learning opportunities

22. Discussion Supporting residents as change-makers
What resonates?
What has been your experience?
What possibilities do you see?
How can you make the most of this opportunity?
What will you do next?

23. We strengthen and connect funders who strengthen and connect residents where they live.