What iF philanthropy was community-centered?
Supporting organizations in the Washington, D.C. region that advance justice through Innovation, Disruption, and systems change.
Participatory Grantmaking
iF implements a participatory grantmaking approach for our community power grantmaking program. This approach “cedes decision-making power about funding decisions – including the strategy and criteria those decisions – to the very communities that a foundation aims to serve.” (Source: Deciding Together: Shifting Power and Resources Through Participatory Grantmaking, Grantcraft)
This means that a committee of community members—hailing from the District of Columbia, Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties in Maryland, and Northern Virginia—with lived experiences at the sharpest intersection of systems of oppression.
We support community-based and nonprofit organizations in the Washington, DC region that operationalize iF’s IDs: Innovation, Disruption, and systems change. Learn more here.
Community Power School
iF’s Community Power School (CPS) is a popular political education curriculum in the legacy of freedom schools, intended to enhance the analysis of community members, grantee partners, and aligned funders to provide a space to learn, reflect, and strategize.
Resources
Roots Rising: Community-Centric Fundraising for Radical Possibilities
This program was designed to support community-centered nonprofits with developing skills, tools, and relationships to mobilize resources through the Community Centric Fundraising(CCF) framework.
Each five-month cohort focused on fundraising from individual donors through the CCF framework: exploring the emotional narratives around money, strengthening storytelling skills, deepening understanding of the giving cycle, co-creating development/campaign plans, and examining the racist roots of nonprofits and philanthropy alongside the 10 Principles of Community-Centric Fundraising. Participants also received one-on-one coaching with Michelle Muri and access to an online resource library.
The Funding of Black-Led Organizations (English // Spanish)
This infographic details grantmaking programs that support Black-led organizations movement work.
Stifled Generosity: How Philanthropy Has Fueled the Accumulation and Privatization of Wealth (1913-1998) (English // Spanish)
A graphic illustrating the how philanthropy helped to create and solidify the wealth gap.