Overcoming the Four Common Challenges of Participatory Grantmaking

Tips For Bringing Your Community into Your Decision-Making Process

Today’s grantmakers know that to drive real impact, you need to have direct and inclusive participation with your community. True participation goes beyond simply being informed. It means being part of the decision-making process.

Participatory Grantmaking results in stronger relationships with community members and more impactful grant decisions but overcoming the challenges may take time and a mindset change for your foundation. In this tip sheet, you’ll learn four common roadblocks grantmakers face when increasing participation in their grantmaking processes, and how you and your team can overcome them, including:

• Best practices for getting your leadership on board

• Ideas for making sure your participants reflect the community you want to serve

• Suggestions for reallocating your resources to support the new model

If you are ready to start incorporating participatory grantmaking into your processes or just gathering information, this tip sheet will help you overcome some of the most common challenges foundations encounter with this decision-making model.