Funder launches new, $500,000 participatory grantmaking process for racialized migrants in B.C.

Author Gabe Oatley

A new fund will empower racialized migrants in B.C. to decide how to best support their communities this winter.

The World Educations Services’ Mariam Assefa Fund launched the participatory grantmaking (PGM) initiative, in partnership with Radius, a program of Simon Frasier University’s Beedie School of Business, in late August. It offers up to $500,000 in funding.

Unlike traditional philanthropy, where a funder’s board or staff decide who gets supported, participatory grantmaking engages recipient communities to select grantees. 

Proponents of PGM say it shifts power to recipient communities, allowing them to identify better solutions and foster better outcomes. 

Last December, the Foundation for Black Communities launched one of Canada’s largest-ever PGM initiatives in the selection of recipients for their $9 million Black Ideas Grant fund.  

But despite the benefits, the number of PGM initiatives in Canada remains modest. 

Radius and WEF said they hope this new initiative encourages other funders to use this approach.

The program will provide support for people of all ages in BC who have an idea for an initiative addressing system challenges faced by racialized refugee and migrant communities—be it a business, non-profit, or campaign. 

 

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  • Gabe Oatley

    Gabe Oatley is Future of Good’s reporter on transforming funding models. He’s a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Masters of Journalism and his work has been published by the CBC, the National Observer, and The Nation. You can reach Gabe at gabe@futureofgood.co.

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