This session is hosted by Smart Growth California and the Environmental Grantmakers Association, and is open to everyone. A convergence of crises is prompting a growing number of foundations to reexamine their grantmaking practices – and the way they approach their grantee relationships. Trust-based philanthropy offers a useful set of values and principles that invite funders to collaborate with grantee partners in a spirit of service, to proactively work to alleviate power imbalances, and foster more productive and informative relationships to advance healthier, more equitable communities.

 In practice, this includes providing multi-year unrestricted funding, streamlining and simplifying reporting, soliciting and acting on feedback, and being transparent and responsive to grantee and community needs. When these practices are aligned with trust-based values, it can be tremendously effective in supporting the health and success of nonprofits, while simultaneously helping funders and nonprofits collectively advance a shared vision for impact.    

In this session, we’ll hear from funders and nonprofit leaders who have cultivated trust-based relationships, the lessons they’ve learned along the way, and the learnings that have allowed them to deepen their collective impact. We’ll begin with an overview of what it means to take a relational approach, followed by story-sharing about what this looks like in practice, including “hands on” vs “hands off” approaches, addressing the feedback loop and evaluation process, challenges for “strategic philanthropy,” and how this work is evolving and changing in light of Covid-19.

For more information and to register, click here.