It is meant to be a practical tool that outlines the most common contradictions and problems that funders and grantees often face. You will be able to read about issues concerning bulidng healthy funder-grantee relationships and accountability processes, transparency, what funding activism involves, and what challenges both parties face.
The paper explores in detail the challenges of building a more democratic relationship between funders and grantees. Among other things, bidding farewell to the imperative of becoming an entrepreneurial organisation is a must. As ZEMOS98 rightly points out “let’s stop asking activists to be entrepreneurs”.
- "Sometimes the two [entrepreneurship and activism] can go hand in hand. And when that happens, you receive a gold medal: fighting for social change and earning a living. But in many cases, [...] activist organisations change the way they’re organised, the way they do activism, because they need to adapt to their funders’ requests."
The open paper is based around seven interviews (four funders and three grantees) but it is also peppered with hugely interesting references to books, academic papers and initiatives. The icing on the cake comes with a short epilogue with a brilliant title: “Don’t ask unconventional organisations to adapt to what’s conventional”.
Enjoy the reading: https://zemos98.org/en/2022/01/12/open-paper-radical-funding/
Iván Diego, Valnalon
