New Report on Community Grantmaking’s Ability to Create Lasting Local Impact

Published On

May 30, 2018

“Community philanthropy is based on the premise that all communities have their own assets: money, skills, knowledge, networks, etc. When these are pooled together, they build community power and voice.”

Community philanthropy gives people a greater stake in the investment made by organizations, based on the premise that each of a community’s members can contribute the resources required for positive social change: not just money, but skills, knowledge, and networks as well.

At the RBF, partnering with community philanthropy organizations has been a key component of supporting civil society in international contexts. For instance, Western Balkans grantee Forum for Civic Initiatives (FIQ) in Kosovo, has built on its own grantmaking programs to encourage community engagement, and amplify issues of local concern to the national and international level.

A paper published by the Global Fund for Community Foundations and the Foundation Center details the RBF’s work with FIQ in Kosovo and other examples of the way donors can foster community philanthropy, both internationally and in the United States, deploying resources to produce lasting results that are owned and directed by the people who are meant to benefit from the funding.

How Community Philanthropy Shifts Power: What Donors Can Do to Help Make That Happen (.pdf)