BUILDING BELONGING
BUILDING BELONGING
BUILDING BELONGING

Philanthropy Community of Practice

Building Belonging hosts a cohort-based transnational community of practice for funders who are exploring how philanthropy can play a role in systems transformation. This includes how to move resources in a way that builds belonging: how to practice emergent leadership, how to share and shift power, how to take up the "right" amount of space, and what role philanthropy plays in supporting the emergence of the new world we so urgently need.

We have hosted an annual cohort, an intentionally curated group of 8-12 philanthropic practitioners in grantmaking or leadership roles. Participants are invited who embody Building Belonging’s Guiding Principles and represent as much diversity as we can get in one room: by identity (race, gender, age, class background, ability, etc.), by geography, by type and size of foundation, by role, by issue area, by role, etc. 

We have offered three cohorts thus far, with participation from individuals representing 25 different foundations from the U.S., Europe, and India (participation is limited to one member per organization per cohort).

There are three goals for these cohorts:

  1. Connect and build relationships among kindred spirits who share a commitment to building a world where everyone belongs. The community of practice serves as a forum for leadership and capacity development among practitioners.
  2. Support funders in moving more resources toward initiatives that build belonging and have the potential to lead to systems transformation (focusing on “what” we fund… and “why”).
  3. Practice together moving resources in a way that builds belonging (focusing on the “how”): can we transcend the power dynamics inherent in the us/them paradigm of grantor/grantee relationships?