"Please know how deeply appreciative we are of the consideration, the thoughtful feedback, and the care put into the review process. It truly means a lot to be supported through such a participatory, values-driven approach, and we’re excited to continue and strengthen this important work in our community." - Jennifer Scruggs, Delta Omicron Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated
Several of our Grow grantees in the last year reflected on how they are deepening alignment with Shifting Power in Decision-making in response to feedback from community reviewers – and the impact that has had on their programming. Of our Guiding Practices, Community Grant Readers and the Grantmaking Committee offered the most suggestions in room for growth for applicants under Shifting Power.
Shifting Power in Decision-making (at a glance)
Applicant practices group governance that intentionally shares power.
- Group leadership directly represents the community.
- Group composition is diverse across numerous self-identifiers or demographics.
- Group has transparent feedback processes.
For us, this shows how reviewers are continuing to point Grassroots Fund dollars towards groups that are “by and for” the communities they serve. We have often said that we care more about how a group is doing its work vs. what their area of focus is. Reviewer feedback and reflections on Shifting Power continue to show that who is leading the work is also central to overall Guiding Practice alignment. In fact, we've noticed that groups whose leadership brings real lived experience to the issues facing their communities and systemic disinvestment tend to score higher across the other Guiding Practices. Because ultimately how the work happens is what really builds long lasting, resilient community networks.
This insight, asking us to strengthen our focus on the “who” behind the groups we fund has impacted our Strategic Plan, we state:
VISION: We envision a future where the leadership, power, and visions of people most impacted - particularly in disinvested communities¹, including Black, Indigenous and People of the Global Majority (BIPGM), rural, immigrants & New Americans, queer and trans, youth & elders, poor, blue collar, and people with disabilities² - are resourced and respected in shaping local and regional transformation through participatory decision making processes.
We’re excited to share soon how these reflections have changed our approach to grant review as we gear up to launching an updated website, application, rubric and refreshed Guiding Practices in 2027. For now, keep reading to hear directly from a handful of recent Grow grantees about how feedback around Shifting Power has led to changes in how they approach their work.
“Your guidelines (around Shifting Power in Decision-making) prompted us to create a diverse advisory council to give feedback and support our work.” - Beth Fried, Pollinator Networks
“These Guiding Practices are our anchors, especially Shifting Power in Decision-making…This has required us to spend more intentional times meeting and listening to the community. It has been hard but rewarding because as a small non-profit, it reduces decision fatigue.” - Carla Irakoze Michaud, Collectively Brave
"In the past, the annual WindowDressers event on Peaks Island was managed by the same 2-3 people. The Grassroots Fund process made me aware of the importance of more community involvement, not just during the event, but the planning, communication and pre-work that goes into the event. We were doing good work, but we were missing the mark on some Guiding Practices, specifically Shifting Power in Decision-making. This year we made progress in those areas, and recruited and trained more window measurers, social media coordinators, shift leaders and event volunteers and will continue to engage those people (and more!) next year to expand community involvement. More broadly, it has changed how I think about my non-profit work in general, how to engage with those that we serve and how to engage with and serve more of our community." - Michele Winchester, Peaks Island Tax and Energy Assistance
“Following your recommendation to strengthen shared decision-making, we established an independent Driving to Independence Advisory Committee that now plays an active role in shaping the program. The committee is composed of program graduates, current students, and individuals on the waiting list, ensuring that the voices of participants at every stage of the program are represented. The committee meets independently and has full access to a dedicated meeting space where members openly discuss their experiences, identify challenges, and provide constructive recommendations for program improvement.” - Jacques Kabamba, Good Helper Foundation
“Over the past two years, WOMB has deepened its alignment with the Grassroots Fund’s Guiding Practices by centering equity, community self-determination, and collaborative leadership in every stage of our work. Feedback encouraged us to be more intentional about shared decision-making and lived experience leadership, which led to the creation of new board and committee structures ensuring that mothers, doulas, and community partners have a voice in shaping programs.” - Kailene Jones, WOMB Initiative
“Receiving funding from the Grassroots Fund has encouraged What's Up Worcester to be even more intentional about how we engage our community and make decisions. As we prepare to launch our youth media training program, we have focused on creating opportunities for young people to have an active voice in the stories being told about their neighborhoods and lived experiences. Our planning has reflected the Guiding Practices by prioritizing accessibility, encouraging volunteer participation, and ensuring that community members help shape the direction of our programming.” - Jerry Filmore, What's Up Worcester News Inc.
As you can see from the reflections above, all Grow grantees are in different stages of implementing the Guiding Practices when they apply for funding. Our application and grantmaking process are meant to prompt reflection and spark growth - which means a group does not have to have it all figured out to be a grantee. Interested in applying for Grow funding? Grow applications have two deadlines a year, one in mid-March (Spring) and another in mid-September (Fall). Learn more here.
1 - Disinvested Communities: This term refers to communities, united by physical geography and/or shared experience, who are heavily impacted by health, social, economic, and/or environmental harms. These impacts are the direct result of decisions made by people, institutions, and systems, including but not limited to current and historical policies, industry practices, philanthropy and investor priorities, that ultimately reinforce disinvestment in these diverse communities. We have elected to use this term because we feel that commonly used terms such as marginalized, under-resourced, or underserved erases the structural or systemic roots of why these communities experience the harms and barriers to access that they do