What could the future of grantmaking look like?

An insight into “Modern Grantmaking: A Guide for Funders Who Believe Better is Possible”

Last week, I.G. hosted the second #IGBookClub of the year at The Last Talisman, and welcomed friends, colleagues and sector leaders for a lively conversation around grantmaking practices. We were also privileged to be joined by the authors of Modern Grantmaking: A Guide for Funders Who Believe Better is Possible— Gemma Bull and Tom Steinberg — who gamely answered questions and fuelled discussions on the “future” of grantmaking they are calling for in their book. Powered by great food, drinks, and the novelty of chatting away from a computer screen, the event was a great success.

Here’s some of the highlights for those who couldn’t be with us!

Modern Grantmaking acts as both a critical retrospective of traditional grantmaking and an unapologetic call to action for progressive funding practices. It implores its readers to be part of the solution, providing a personal roadmap for us all to drive change. It is filled with detailed guides and tips for funders and grantmakers across all levels of seniority, and asks readers to consider what they can do as individuals to transform grantmaking into a more equitable and progressive practice.

Attendees came ready and enthusiastic with a willingness to ask thoughtful questions and reflect on the role they can have in facilitating participatory grantmaking. Following a lightning pub quiz, the room broke off into groups to reflect not only on the content of the book but also the issues that are dominating our sector, before the much-awaited Q&A session with the authors finally began.

It felt as if the refreshingly open thinking of the book bled seamlessly into the discussion, as attendees were ready to speak candidly about what they saw as the greatest barriers to progressive grantmaking practices. Some spoke to the technical, arguing that the level of red-tape and bureaucracy that surrounds larger foundations will often stop grantees from progressing before they’ve even really begun. Others spoke to the cultural and systemic barriers to entry, including the pervasive power of privilege in grantmaking and the difficulties in recognising one’s own privilege in the first place.

But no subject was quite as consistently highlighted as the elusiveness of securing unrestricted funding. Modern Grantmaking is clear in its emphasis on the modern grantmaker’s giving of unrestricted funding, and the need for reform was echoed by our attendees. What became clear from the discussion was that the need for structural changes is evident across all parts of the grantmaking process — from grantee confusion about how to receive unrestricted funds to the difficulty that grantmakers face to persuade trustees of the valuable risk of giving those funds.

We at I.G. left the event simply feeling invigorated about the role we can play in facilitating a grantmaking landscape that is fair, equitable and reflective of the progress for which it is striving. The future of grantmaking is yet to be decided but one thing is for sure: we are not alone in thinking it is possible for positive changes to be made — and it’s on all of us to make this happen.