Grantmakers and Community Organizing - Issues to Consider at the Start
ISSUES TO CONSIDER AT THE START
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Other Funders as a Great
Resource Grantmakers who are already
investing in CO are more than
willing to help other funders explore it as a
potential strategy. They actively
seek funding partners for their work. They
know the issues and have advice about
how to handle them. They know the
questions that need answering before a
foundation can make a strong
commitment to CO. The examples in this section
can be used as a starting point
for further investigation and serious
conversation with peers.
Assistance for making connections with peer
funders involved with CO is
available to NFG members through NFG's Member
Directory, at www.nfg.org, or to
nonmembers by emailing nfg@nfg.org.
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This section of the Toolbox addresses a number of key issues that grantmakers may want to address before initiating, strengthening or expanding a CO grantmaking program.
- What are the most important reasons an increasing number of grantmakers are prioritizing CO? Why has a core group of funders made commitments to supporting CO over a long period of time?
- How do funders determine what efforts and organizations within the CO field best fit with their grantmaking objectives?
- What do funders think about CO's impact?
- How do CO's results compare with those of other programs or initiatives in grantmaking portfolios?
- How does CO relate to and affect other grantmaking strategies, particularly those focused on community efforts intended to benefit poor people? How are these connections working?
- What are the challenges to CO's development and how can funders contribute to extending CO's use and impact?
- How can funders evaluate CO to assure funders that grantees are meeting the objectives specified in their proposals, to assist funders in determining the overall value of the strategy for social change, and to help grantees strengthen their organizations and their work?
- What are the specific steps a funder should
take in exploring and developing a CO
grantmaking strategy?
49 Joe Brooks, Rowena Pineda, Fred Blackwell, "Introduction," ORGANIZING: A Fundamental Step in Ensuring Citizen Participation in a Democratic Society, San Francisco Foundation, 1996.