Participatory Grantmaking in Philanthropy: How Democratizing Decision-Making Shifts Power to Communities

A new community-based framework assessing the impact of participatory grantmaking on philanthropy

Institutional foundations are influential, yet it can be difficult to understand how they operate. How do their staff members make decisions? What impact do these decisions have on nonprofits, civil society, and democracy more broadly? One practice that holds promise for demystifying this relationship is participatory grantmaking, whereby stakeholders and grantees participate in making decisions about grant dollars that were previously reserved for professional foundation staff.

The community-based case studies in Participatory Grantmaking in Philanthropy signal a cultural shift away from the power of elite institutions and their penchant for top-down decision-making. This book combines perspectives from academics and practitioners who address how participatory grantmaking relates to other features of contemporary giving, including trust-based philanthropy; giving circles; crowdfunding; conservative philanthropy; giving traditions in communities of color; and global giving.

Using in-depth case studies, quantitative research, and other evidence-based methods of exploration, Participatory Grantmaking in Philanthropy will be a strong resource for philanthropy practitioners not only at the community level but also at large institutional foundations as well as megadonors seeking to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into their decision-making practices.