“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” Angela Davis

Traditional philanthropy stays well away from funding grassroots activism, non-violent direct action and movements. It’s messy, risky and nearly impossible (or desirable) to tie the results to the impact of the funds. However, in a system that is inherently unjust, it becomes ever more important to give voice and resources in the hands of those holding a mirror to society. Activist movements are often calling for long-term change that tackles root causes, challenging the current system and those in power, while putting their own lives at risk on behalf of the cause they’re advocating for.

Although there are many individuals and foundations that fear associating themselves with some movements, there is a growing group of radical funders that are listening and responding to the needs of activists, as well as many activists influencing how resources flow into movements. 

In this webinar, we will listen to some of them as we  investigate what allyship looks like and how to evolve the role of philanthropy to be in service of those fighting for environmental, human and animal rights. We will also explore how to grow the number of funders supporting grassroots activism by mitigating the risks and concerns from a legal or reputational perspective. 

Together, we want to explore questions such as:

• Why is it important to fund activism and movements?

• What are activists telling us about how best to support them? 

• How should funding happen? How to ensure the safety of activists that receive money or platform? 

• How to mitigate risks for the funder from a legal point of view?

• How to channel funds effectively to decentralized movements?

Join us and our guests as we celebrate our eleventh webinar, and continue to thread this path towards radical philanthropy together with transparency and openness. We will have a combination of panel discussions and then open for wider discussion.

The Hosts

This webinar is hosted by Regenerosity and Be the Earth Foundation and our colleagues from the trust-based philanthropy community of practice. This community of practice brings together funders and foundations willing to rethink their strategies and investigate how to share power and include the voices of those we are serving. We convene allies, grantees and storytellers to help inspire our collective practices, instigate reflections, decolonise our thinking in benefit of all living beings everywhere. 

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