Important fodder for those wondering where civic tech innovation might fill huge gaps in support for crucial democracy building - grassroots organizing. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "cingib" <cin...@gmail.com> Date: Aug 8, 2016 11:23 AM Subject: Funding the Frontlines: The Value of Supporting Grassroots Organizing To: "Cynthia Gibson" <cin...@gmail.com> Cc:
Funding the frontlines: The value of supporting grassroots organizing > 8 August 2016 > > > [image: capture-20160601-161720] > <http://www.alliancemagazine.org/magazine/issue/june-2016/> > > *Over the last decade or so, human rights organizations, democracy > activists, journalists, and civil society groups around the world have > faced increasing constraints on their work. Legal and administrative > barriers imposed by governments have made it more difficult to operate in > civic space. Activists have been subjected to intimidation when they gather > in public, voice their views, or set up new organizations. In some > countries, foreign and local funding for NGOs has been scrutinized, > restricted, and even banned. These factors have combined to negatively > affect the human rights agenda and have resulted in a phenomenon known as > “shrinking civic space” around the globe. * > > Against that backdrop, human rights funders are doing their best to *keep > open and, where possible, expand civic space*. The International Human > Rights Funders Group (IHRFG) and Foundation Center’s new report *Advancing > Human Rights: The State of Global Foundation Grantmaking > <http://doi.org/f3qnvm>* showcases that work in numbers: In 2013, 803 > funders worldwide allocated *$2.3 billion in support of human rights*. > The report identifies these funders, the regions and the issues they > support, and the populations they target. This year’s research also > examines the *strategies supported by human rights funding*. Ranging from > policy advocacy to grassroots organizing, the report defines eleven > approaches and finds that: > > - Activities related to *advocacy* — to ensure that states and > non-state actors recognize, conform to, and implement international human > rights standards — receive the largest share of funding dollars* (27 > percent)*. > > > - *Capacity-building and technical assistance* for civil society > organizations receives the second largest share of human rights funding > (*15 > percent).* > > > - *Research and documentation *— to expose human rights violations and > their perpetrators — is the third largest category of funding (*13 > percent)*. > > What I find most interesting in this research is the amount of funding > allocated to *grassroots organizing *— a mere 2 percent. This statistic > aligns with the findings of the Civicus study *The State of Civil > Society, 2015 > <http://civicus.org/images/StateOfCivilSocietyFullReport2015.pdf>*, which > notes that NGOs receive only 1 percent of official development assistance. > For local civil society organizations, the picture is even bleaker: their > share is just 0.2 percent. So the funding, if available, primarily supports > large, high-profile NGOs, whereas *those organizing at the community > level* do not have nearly enough access to resources. In other words, we > are not close to “funding the frontline.” > > Why are funders failing at the local level? Do they assume that if the big > groups are supported, change will eventually trickle down to those most in > need? One possibility is that human rights funders may not fully appreciate > the potential of funding grassroots organizing. > > Before I get to that, let’s make sure we’re on the same page when we talk > about the “grassroots.” Grassroots organizations consist of > *rights-holders* — people who are directly affected by a problem or whose > rights have been infringed or violated. These groups use*collective > action* to address obstacles to the full realization of their > constituents’ rights, not only *locally* but also at the national and > international levels. They are associated with*bottom-up decision making* > and are seen as being more spontaneous than groups plugged into more > traditional power structures. They seek to challenge and change the status > quo. > > In most cases, the methods and worldview of grassroots groups align > perfectly with *the goals of human rights funding.* Promoting discourse, > giving voice to the people, advocating for more equitable sharing of power, > enabling equal participation and *fighting inequality* — aren’t these the > reasons we fund human rights? And if civic space is shrinking, shouldn’t we > be more mindful about *opening up space for those who need it*? > > If these questions alone don’t inspire you, consider the *impact of > funding at the grassroots level*: > > - *Better outcomes:* Grassroots organizations often are in the best > position to understand and address the underlying and systemic forces at > the root of the problem. And they work to create solutions that reflect > their vision for a better, more just world. Although they may fail to > achieve their objectives at first, they try and try again, and keep trying > until they succeed. > > > - *Sustainable solutions:* Grassroots organizers engage deeply with > the communities they represent. They know the social fabric of those > communities well and are committed (in a way that larger organizations may > not be) to developing sustainable solutions that work for their > constituents.*Lower costs:* Compared to big NGOs that regularly incur > the costs of travel, accommodations, temporary consultants, and related > expenses, grassroots organizations have lower operating costs because they > are embedded in their communities. > > > - *Self-sufficient communities:* Grassroots organizing is the process > of supporting communities to change their futures for the better. The > process itself is rewarding, especially in terms of teaching new skills. > From problem identification to defining strategies and shared outcomes, > grassroots organizing builds permanent infrastructure within communities so > they are better equipped to solve their problems through collective action. > It is an essential strategy for building self-sufficient communities and > supporting local development. > > With so many benefits, why do human rights funders hesitate to fund > grassroots organizing? Sure, it isn’t easy; supporting grassroots > organizing requires time, effort, and patience. But the added value in > terms of actual social change cannot be ignored. Think of it as buying a > risky yet high-yield bond, with big NGOs as safe, moderate-yield bonds. > Instead of putting all their eggs in one basket, experienced investors look > to build a *diversified portfolio* that combines the best possible > returns with an acceptable level of risk. The same holds for a human rights > funder/investor. In other words, we should think seriously about *increasing > the share of grassroots organizations in our grantmaking portfolios*. > > For those who think this is easier said than done, here’s *an example of > a diversified grantmaking portfolio *in the human rights area. Since > 2008, the Sabanci Foundation > <http://www.sabancivakfi.org/page/grant-program-6>, a private family > foundation based in Turkey, has supported civil society organizations > working to promote the equal and active participation of youth, people with > disabilities, and women in Turkish society. As a local human rights funder, > we’ve always had the tools to reach grassroots organizations. It wasn’t > until the last three years or so, however, that we began to question > whether supporting advocacy activities by big NGOs was the best way to > advance human rights in Turkey. As we did, we began to realize that changes > in norms and mindsets required more of a *bottom-up and on-the-ground > approach*. It meant that we needed to support grassroots groups and > organizing in a more intentional and meaningful way. > > We are currently in the process of creating that portfolio, and the > strategies we are adding include: 1) advocacy for policy/implementation > change; 2) awareness-raising to help drive a shift in the public agenda; 3) > scaling of successful pilot models; and 4) empowering communities by > lifting up their voices. Grassroots organizing mainly falls under that last > category. But as groups working on the ground become better at organizing > themselves, they are likely to become a key part of our other three > strategies. For example, we have supported an organization that is trying > to create a school-based intervention model aimed at preventing child > marriages. If the model proves successful, we will be able to provide > funding to scale it (our third strategy) and can also support advocacy and > awareness-raising efforts around it (our first and second strategies). > Establishing these strategies at the outset not only helps us identify the > impact we are trying to create, it will also *support the development of > grassroots organizations in a more strategic way*. > > As the shrinking of civic space becomes an increasingly pressing global > issue, the role of foundations that support human rights work for systemic > change is more critical than ever. Although human right funders are still > waking up to its potential, grassroots organizing is an essential strategy > for catalyzing systemic change by promoting just and long-lasting solutions > owned by communities. I invite the human rights funding community to > diversify its grantmaking portfolios and do a better job of amplifying the > voices of the grassroots. In doing so, we not only will be supporting work > for the people, but by the people. After all, it’s the people most affected > by a problem who are in the best position to determine its solutions*.* > > *Hilal Baykara* is grant programs supervisor at the Sabanci Foundation > <http://www.sabancivakfi.org/homepage/>, a private family foundation > based in Turkey. > > *This post originally appeared on the PND blog, a service of Foundation > Center. The original article can be found here> > <http://pndblog.typepad.com/pndblog/2016/08/funding-the-frontlines-the-value-of-supporting-grassroots-organizing.html>* > http://www.alliancemagazine.org/blog/funding-the-frontlines-the-value-of- > supporting-grassroots-organizing/?platform=hootsuite > > -- > *Cynthia M. Gibson* > > > > > *cin...@gmail.com <cin...@yahoo.com>212.982.5772 > <212.982.5772>917.902.1551 <917.902.1551> (cell)Twitter: @cingib* > > *www.cynthesisconsulting.com <http://www.cynthesisconsulting.com> * > ―― View topic http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/6BhMU4ORa2ScIyDmvSEVz6 Leave group mailto:newswire@groups.dowire.org?subject=Unsubscribe
