Beyond Funding: Participatory Grantmaking in Practice
What does it mean to place female survivor-leaders and activists at the centre of decision-making to tackle sexual violence in Sierra Leone?
Reflections from Purposeful Programme Officers, Melvina N’yillah Conton, Jugu Maureen Lawson, and Isha Abis Kamara, and with thanks to MOVE Panellists.
Purposeful, in partnership with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), presents MOVE (Amplifying Women’s Rights Movements, Organisations and girls’ activism to end sexual Violence and support Gender Equality in Sierra Leone), a new participatory grantmaking programme, putting a diverse group of female survivor-leaders and feminist activists at the centre of programming and decision-making to tackle sexual violence in Sierra Leone. A panel of 11 survivor-leaders and feminist activists from all over Sierra Leone will make the decisions at the heart of the programme, and journey together as part of an amazing team making change in communities across the country.
MOVE is focused entirely on providing flexible small grants with accompanying support, convening, and coalition building to strengthen efforts to tackle sexual violence and finance a vision for a new world where Sierra Leonean girls and women live in safety, dignity, and freedom. The significance of MOVE extends far beyond the allocation of money to organisations. At its core, participatory grantmaking acknowledges that those closest to the issues are often best equipped to address them.
In the context of sexual violence, survivors and activists possess invaluable insights into the nuances and the most effective interventions. Entrusting them with the power to make decisions not only amplifies their voices and work, it also ensures that resources are directed towards initiatives that resonate with their lived experiences. Instead of funders dictating where and how money should be spent, community members, activists, and those with lived experience of the issues have the authority to decide. This model ensures that funding decisions are grounded in the realities and needs of the communities they aim to serve.
As participatory grantmaking gains traction within the feminist movement as a shift from traditional (sometimes harmful) philanthropic models, initiatives like MOVE serve as powerful and practical examples of the potential to effect equitable, sustainable, and transformative change in communities.
The 11 survivor-leaders and feminist activists were selected across all five regions of Sierra Leone. Aged 23–40 years old, the panel is from all backgrounds — with experience of being pushed out of school at a young age, people living with disabilities and those from rural communities — each of them passionate about addressing the issues of sexual violence, and each bringing a wealth of knowledge, experience and insight to the table.
It has been truly inspiring to see how the panellists so quickly stepped into their roles. Over a period of three months, with the Purposeful team, they engaged in identifying priorities, designing grant criteria, co-creating a call for applications, evaluating applications, and finally allocating resources to 19 groups and organisations. They debated, questioned, and deliberated with a deep sense of responsibility and empathy. Their commitment was evident at every stage of the process and, together, they reached a conclusion on the groups and ideas that should be funded. As the Purposeful team, we were ever-present to guide when necessary in navigating the conversations, but not to interfere in or influence their decisions.
“The process was credible and transparent and every panellist was given an opportunity to choose organisations that should be funded. Groups and organisations were selected based on their proven impact in the community around the work they have been doing on eliminating sexual violence. It felt like a collaborative effort where our inputs were genuinely valued. Everyone worked together and contributed to making it a success.”
- Maseray Brima Lavalie, MOVE panellist, National Coordinator for the Initiative for Young Women and Girls with Disabilities
“Through the MOVE programme, I gained insights into how initiatives like this can streamline the funding process for non-profits, making it more accessible and efficient. Collaborating with other panellists provided valuable lessons on effective teamwork dynamics and communication strategies, which I can apply in both professional and personal contexts. Moreover, hearing first-hand accounts and stories shared by the other panel members deepened my understanding of why the fight against sexual violence is necessary and the impact it has on individuals and communities. These experiences enriched my perspective and strengthened my commitment to advocating for change in this critical area.”
- MOVE Panellist
Participatory grantmaking in practice is not without its challenges, however. Balancing the need for inclusivity and collaboration with the practical considerations of time, resources and expertise can be daunting. Additionally, navigating issues of transparency, accountability, and inequitable decision-making can pose challenges. Involving individuals and communities in decision-making processes requires intentional investment in accompaniment, skills development and ongoing support.
We offer up here, three reflections on participatory grantmaking in practice:
- Have a flexible mindset around timelines and processes: Involving multiple contributors in any decision-making process can be time-intensive, especially when they are spread across different locations. For example, challenges with network and cellular devices meant it took longer to review applications. Although establishing clear timelines and structured processes from the outset is recommended, flexibility to accommodate the needs of the individuals and groups involved is important.
- Creating a panel that includes those most marginalised in our communities takes time and intention, both during the recruitment process and activities which follow: Achieving genuine diversity and inclusion takes time. Proactively reaching out to under-represented groups and providing support to facilitate their participation is essential. This includes offering stipends for their time, covering travel expenses, and providing translation or other accessibility services. There is a risk that participatory processes can become tokenistic, with participants feeling that their involvement is more symbolic than substantive. Ensuring that all voices are equally heard and valued can be challenging, particularly in contexts where certain individuals and groups may hold more power or influence. It’s important to establish participatory principles and ground rules, use facilitation techniques that involve all collaborators, and solicit and act on feedback at various stages in the process.
- Anticipate healthy debate from the beginning and crowd-source resolution approaches before challenges crop up: Participants will have varying priorities and perspectives, making it challenging to reach a consensus on funding decisions. Develop clear criteria for decision-making that all participants can agree upon at the start. In some cases, a voting system or a ranking method can help resolve disagreements. Document all discussions and decisions for transparency, and use accessible formats for documentation to ensure everyone can understand and engage with the information.
The vision of MOVE — to finance a new world where Sierra Leonean girls and women are living in safety, dignity and freedom — is one that is within reach. This vision is achieved by a future where survivors of sexual violence are not passive recipients of aid, but recognised by all as experts and agents of change in their own right. Shifting decision-making power to survivor-leaders and activists is possible, and participatory grantmaking is showing us time and time again the outstanding impact on lives and communities.
For MOVE, the journey has just begun, and the panel will continue to play a central part of the process as they advocate for the needs and priorities of the grantee partners now in receipt of the funding. Our team will continue to accompany and support, document, learn, and lift lessons demonstrating the power of collaboration and the justice of ceding power in decision-making critical to making lasting social change.
This work is in partnership with FCDO and aid from the UK government. All views expressed in this piece are our own and do not necessarily reflect UK government’s official policies.
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