A Funder’s Perspective on Communities First – episode 1

We hear it over and over again: communities should be at the heart of change. Everywhere you go, at conferences and meetings, you hear the buzzwords ‘shifting the power’. But what does this mean when in reality many affected communities barely have any power and control over funds and decision-making, and continue to be tokenised? And how do we change that? With the Communities First podcast, Aidsfonds and the Robert Carr Fund take a deep dive into how we can put communities in the driver’s seat of change. In this episode, we are joined by Maria Phelan, Director of the Robert Carr Fund, and Mark Vermeulen, Director of Aidsfonds, to look at our own organisations to reflect on what it means to be a participatory and involved funder that put communities first. The talk dives into the concept of participatory grantmaking, lessons learnt and preparing your organization for the necessary changes to become more participatory. Tune in! Music credit: Optimistic minimalistic media background at Hooksounds.com Illustration credit: Menah Wellen, https://www.menah.nl/