TCS recently helped to coordinate a roundtable for funders, philanthropists, advisers and others in the philanthropy ecosystem to explore the topic of systems change and philanthropy.
We heard from speakers Kawika Solidum from the Centre for Social Justice Foundation (CSJ Foundation), John Atherton from LocalMotion and Afshan D’Souza Lodhi from GM Systems Changers. The discussion was chaired by Lauren Gupta from The Helvellyn Foundation.
Kawika set some context around Systems Change sharing frameworks such as the Funder Role Continuum, which describes the different ways funders can enact systems change but with a place-based lens. He discussed his experience at the CSJ which works with local and grassroots charities to uncover social interventions that can either be replicated nationally or whose evidence can underpin national reforms or inspire other organisations to adjust their provision. He shared the example of All Child which launched in Wigan this month following a model that started in 2011 in Harlem, New York, and was developed in the UK in West London in 2016.
John then shared his experience of Systems Change at LocalMotion Oldham which is an initiative funded by several large funders – Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Lloyds Bank Foundation, City Bridge Foundation, Esmee Fairbairn and Lankelly Chase. The funders have been deliberately vague in their expectations and are hoping that the local coordinators will “go rogue” to address local issues and the root causes of poverty.
LocalMotion’s approach is rooted in the lived experience of those living in poverty in Oldham and aims to tackle systemic economic issues behind poverty in the region. John talked about their interventions moving people ‘from crisis to hope.’ Initiatives include embedding staff into Job Centres who can work with those not ready for employment by looking at options such as volunteering as well as working with employers to build flexible, inclusive recruitment processes.
Finally Afshan spoke about the role of GM Systems Changers (GM SC) which was born out of the Lankelly Chase Foundation and their place-based systems change work. Lankelly Chase’s approach to change was guided by the belief that “people closest to a complex situation should be free to use their initiative to engage and take responsibility for their own change.”
With this belief, in 2020 GM SC core team formed and was made up of people deeply embedded within communities under-represented in Lankelly Chase’s existing networks and who are all leaders in social justice related and anti-oppression work. Over the last four years, they have been responsible for strategy including funding decisions. They have continued to be guided by the principle of Justice (rather than charity) and have cultivated a critical mass and critical connections between over 60 marginalised, grassroots groups and individual activists, artists, changemakers, and dreamers working towards Collective Liberation. They have worked through a combination of grant-making and participatory grant-making programmes and learning labs to increase cross-organisational collaboration. They are now in a process of working out with the whole community whether they want to become a self-organising and self-governing collective in an attempt to disrupt the more traditional models of philanthropy even further.
We then opened the discussion to the group which evolved to encompass the themes below:-
The importance of place and power
Members of the group asked about the importance of place in systems change. For real change initiatives need to be rooted in place, however it is possible to share learnings from one area to another. However, it is important for models to be flexible and responsive to the local environment.
The power dynamic is also a key element in effective systems change. Traditional funding models see those with wealth hold the power and funding recipients may find themselves being funder-led i.e. proposing projects and interventions that they know are attractive to funders rather than having the freedom and space to create initiatives that offer genuine change.
The barriers to systems change
Afshan commented that one of the barriers to systems change is that systems will “snap back” into place. We can see this following the COVID-19 pandemic when after a period of systems change which saw many funders offering emergency, flexible unrestricted funding and many organisations moving to a remote and flexible working policy there has now been a shift back to the pre-pandemic “norm”.
Other barriers are a perception that systems change is complicated and “too big” for funders to tackle. Many may not understand the terminology or language involved. There can also be a perception of risk if decisions are devolved to others. It can be hard for funders to let go of control especially if they are trustees or custodians of wealth rather than individual donors or family foundations.
It is also worth recognising that systems can be helpful and useful to some people and there can be resistance to change from those who benefit from or derive security from the status quo.
What behaviours can funders adopt to support systems change?
Funders can consider adopting the following behaviours:-
- Can you look at moving to multiyear unrestricted funding which allows recipients to use their expertise and experience to direct funding where it is most needed?
- Can you use your role as a funder to share knowledge and bring together your funding recipients to share their experiences and collaborate?
- Can you collaborate with other funders working in this space? That can reduce the perceived risk and allow funders to be more confident in devolving power and decisions to others. You could look to fund a small part of a larger systems change activity for example, funding one staff member in a local intervention that may ultimately lead to a bigger systems change
- Can you use your evaluation and monitoring processes to encourage reflection and learning and to build your relationship with recipients on a more equal footing? For example you can include the question “Did you experience any unforeseen benefits?” and can you share your own honest reflections as a funder?
- Work with your funding recipients to devolve power and decision-making in a way that works for them. Silence isn’t always helpful – you need to help recipients to take the power you are offering in a useful and meaningful way. This may include sharing your own expertise and skills or creating linkages with others.
- Remember the need for “lights on funding” which addresses immediate needs as well as looking at the bigger picture
- Core funding and funding for activities such as staff wellbeing can also be useful to empower and support those working in systems change
Dreaming and the future
Afshan spoke about the importance of dreaming, that is allowing ourselves to imagine new ways of living without considering the constraints of the current systems in place. This is an important tool for funders, recipients and indeed everyone as if we have a better shared understanding of where we would like to be as a society then we can start to move (possibly slowly and incrementally) towards a more equitable and just world.
For more information you can refer to Place Matter’s place-based funder toolbox, and The Institute for Voluntary Action Research’s case study of The Barrow Cadbury Trust.
