Is US-Centricity in Grantmaking Leading to Less Inclusivity?

In recent months, I’ve had the opportunity to go to several incredible philanthropy conferences. While I’ve found them to be thought-provoking and inspirational, they have also been largely US-centred in terms of content, speakers, and structure — even when there is a global audience in the room. Of course, I have become more acutely aware of this having worked outside the US for the past three years, yet it dawned on me that there are challenges of taking a too US-centric approach (whether intentionally or not) to grantmaking. And, it becomes increasingly problematic, because US philanthropy often sets the agenda and has the most influence on behaviours, systems, and discourse in grantmaking worldwide.

As UK-based advisors who work with grantmakers worldwide, we at I.G. Advisors have a unique perspective and understanding of the nuances and differences of the philanthropic ecosystem globally. This includes opportunities for inspiration, creativity, and greater inclusivity but also biases, prejudices, and misalignment that can take place when grantmakers do not have a global approach to their grantmaking.

With this in mind, my colleague Harriette Tillott and I recently hosted a workshop at PEAK Grantmaking’s Annual Conference on the topic “What US Grantmakers Can Learn from Non-US Grantmaking.” It was important to highlight the political, social, cultural, and geographical reasons for why the US context is the way it is and how those same influences are not relevant or related in other regions of the world. We shared some aspirational examples from our progressive grantmaking clients outside the US, with a specific focus on the Global South. We talked about the language, processes, and methodologies they use to manage grants within their teams and with their partners, and we encouraged the audience to reflect on their own grantmaking practices.

PEAK2023 Conference, where Harriette Tillott and I spoke about US centricity in grantmaking.

We also discussed the concept of decolonising grantmaking, which means recognising and addressing the historical power imbalances and inequalities in philanthropy and grantmaking. This recognition is particularly important in environments dominated by white-led, Global North, patriarchal, and capitalist perspectives. Decolonising grantmaking aims to centre the voices and needs of marginalised communities. We explored different ways grantmakers can reassess their practices and provided tools to understand and unlearn approaches rooted in a colonised mindset.

We shared a number of ways that US grantmakers (and Global North grantmakers in general) can make positive shifts towards a more liberated and trust-based approach with grantees. This included:

1. Apply a global lens to your grantmaking process: Look closely at your application requirements, language, evaluation criteria (more on this in the next takeaway), and decision-making processes to identify any biases or barriers. Consider alternative approaches that incorporate community input and involvement in decision-making. Provide flexible funding, including multi-year and unrestricted gifts. Mama Cash has a number of participatory grantmaking funds that include clear and transparent guidelines that state that any individual, anywhere in the world can apply for core funding, but they do not fund individuals based in the Global North that are executing work in the Global South and East. This is the embodiment of a global approach. On another note, make sure to consider the words you use in your process. Terms like “Letter of Inquiry”, “RFP”, and “501(c)3” may not translate to different regions of the world. The same goes for cause-related terminology like “people of colour”, “Medicaid”, and “K-12”.
2. Reimagine your monitoring and evaluation methods: Change is not an outcome, it is an adaptive learning journey. It is important to create evaluation frameworks that respect diverse cultural contexts and prioritise equity. At I.G., we’ve been working with a UK-based client, LocalMotion, as the Learning & Evaluation Partner. Over the last year or so, we’ve reimagined traditional monitoring & evaluation methods to account for the fact that true change is not linear, so nor should our evaluation framework be. Similarly to that, instead of relying solely on conventional metrics, embrace inclusive indicators like qualitative storytelling, community self-assessment and perception, and holistic wellbeing and resilience — capturing the impact and value created by community-led initiatives.
3. Build meaningful relationships with communities: Invest time in building authentic relationships with the communities you aim to serve through your grants — you’ll learn and develop from their expertise. Collaborate with them to identify their needs and priorities — and be way more strategic with your grantmaking. Take a participatory approach by ensuring community members ideas, beliefs and influence are at the centre of grantmaking decisions and continue to seek their input throughout the process. Establish decision-making committees or advisory boards to ensure that those most affected by the issues you address have a say in determining funding priorities and selecting grantees. For example, Fundación Avina, one of our Latin American clients, involves local actors, organisations, and communities in their decision-making through their Regional Leadership Councils.
4. Share power and resources: Consider funding smaller grassroots organisations that often get overlooked in traditional grantmaking. When doing so, provide unrestricted funding that gives organisations the freedom to allocate resources according to their own needs. By moving away from rigid, project-based funding structures and allowing grantees more flexibility and freedom, they can focus on their own strategies and adapt to changing circumstances. The Edge Fund, a UK grantmaking organisation, is excellent at this. They prioritise funding groups and organisations that mainstream grantmakers often ignore. By providing unrestricted funding, they empower these organisations to allocate resources based on their own priorities and needs. This flexibility enables grassroots initiatives to shape their strategies and activities.
5. Challenge assumptions and biases: Take a closer look at the assumptions and biases embedded in your grantmaking processes. Question beliefs that Western development approaches are always superior or that certain types of organisations deserve funding more than others. The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), another amazing client who is based in Ghana, is a great example. They prioritise funding projects that challenge patriarchal systems, promote women’s rights, and advance gender equality across Africa. They strive for inclusive approaches that encompass factors like race, ethnicity, social class, religion, non-colonial language, disabilities, generational divide, digital divide, gender, gender identities, sexual orientation, and more, which have historically divided African feminist movements.
6. Invest in capacity strengthening: Support grassroots organisations and communities by providing targeted assistance to help them strengthen their capacity. You can offer training, mentoring, and resources to build skills, organisational infrastructure, and leadership capabilities. This empowers them to work towards their own strategies, priorities, and solutions, instead of needing to satisfy yours. Recognise the diverse cultural realities and acknowledge that communities are experts in their own contexts, and encourage them to define and drive their own development processes. Our client, Freedom Fund, partners with frontline organisations to directly combat slavery in “hotspot” locations — geographic areas known to have a high incidence of modern slavery and are likely to result in a measurable reduction in slavery through intervention. In these regions by concentrating resources, building powerful coalitions, investing in the organisations themselves instead of projects, and amplifying frontline voices on the global stage. This approach aligns with the principles of self-determination and challenges the top-down approaches commonly seen in traditional grantmaking.

The Anti-Racist and Decolonial Framework from Start Network, which highlights how we can reimagine risks in humanitarian sector (and beyond).

Stepping towards a more global approach requires a fundamental shift in power dynamics and a commitment to partnering with communities to create truly equitable and sustainable outcomes. It’s important to get buy-in from your leadership and initiate conversations within your team to understand where your grantmaking organisation might perpetuate colonised and unfair systems. Bringing in external consultants with diverse perspectives who adopt a human-centred design approach — putting people at the heart of all decisions — can be a vital next step since they offer fresh insights and objective perspectives. We’ve done this for many clients and it has resulted in transformative changes for both grantmaking organisations and their partners. Remember that you don’t have to tackle this alone, and recognise that there will be challenges along the way, and continuous learning is key to making improvements.

If you are interested in learning more about how we support clients in taking a more global approach to grantmaking, we’d love to hear from you — feel free to reach out to me here.