Trust-Based Blog

Reimagining philanthropy begins with learning out loud.

By sharing ideas, with curiosity and humility, the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project blog features trust-based grantmakers who talk about their own lessons, questions, and aha-moments along their power-sharing journeys.

Stacey Faella 10/6/22 Stacey Faella 10/6/22

Committing to Trust-Based Philanthropy Holds Us Accountable

“Once you publicly say you’re doing trust-based philanthropy, it puts you on the hook for really doing it.” -Stacey Faella

Denise Swartz 3/28/22 Denise Swartz 3/28/22

Healthy Relationships Help Us Deliver On Our Mission

“Trust-based philanthropy means that we’re understanding needs in the community, and that’s how we meet our mission.” -Denise Swartz

Alexandra Hertell 2/3/22 Alexandra Hertell 2/3/22

Ahead of the Grain in Puerto Rico

“If we genuinely listen to communities, there are no boundaries to what can be achieved.” -Alexandra Hertell

Raymael Blackwell 9/7/21 Raymael Blackwell 9/7/21

Let’s Admit Our Mistakes (And Learn From Them)

“There are pitfalls on this journey. The most important thing is to keep learning, document, and incorporate the lesson for the next time.” -Raymael Blackwell

Farrah Parkes 8/13/21 Farrah Parkes 8/13/21

Trust-Based Philanthropy as a Movement Building Strategy

“Achieving our goal is not possible without the organizations on the ground, so we believe supporting their capacity is part of building the movement.” -Farrah Parkes

Corey Oser 6/14/21 Corey Oser 6/14/21

We Journey with Partners to Listen and Learn

“Just like we had to reexamine our grantmaking to build trust, we also had to reimagine our learning and evaluation to find more authentic and meaningful ways of articulating change.” -Corey Oser

Brittney Gaspari 6/13/21 Brittney Gaspari 6/13/21

The Joy of Co-Learning and Mutual Accountability

“Satisfaction has never been higher on our program team. With more access to connection, value, and depth, we are more rewarded in our work than ever.” -Brittney Gaspari

Trust-Based Philanthropy Project 6/11/21 Trust-Based Philanthropy Project 6/11/21

From “Confetti Funding” to Effective Citizenship

“For us, evaluation is tied to the self-determination of communities and what they mean by success, not using our jargony words of ‘impact.’” -John Brothers

Trust-Based Philanthropy Project 6/8/21 Trust-Based Philanthropy Project 6/8/21

That Moment When You Realize the Rules Are Made Up

“When we approach mistakes with a spirit of humility and curiosity, that’s where the trust comes in.” -Carrie Avery