Giving Compass' Take:

• Cindy Glass explains that Health and Environment Funders Network brought grantees to their 2018 annual meeting as respected partners with new perspectives to share. 

• How can funders better incorporate grantees into all process to improve their work? Are you learning enough from your grantees? 

• learn about a need to shift power to best serve grantees. 

What more – or different – actions can funders and a funder group take to build multiracial majorities strong enough to protect environmental health and justice? HEFN dove into this question through both learning and culture change at its 2018 annual meeting on “The Environmental Health and Justice Majority: Raising Voices, Building Power.”

“Philanthropy can't accomplish this on its own, and, in fact the process begins with a recognition that most of the heavy lifting -- the organizing, the movement-building, the grassroots campaigning, the local leadership development, the civic engagement and the policy wins needed to deliver real impact -- will be done by our grantees and others,” said Jonathan Scott (pictured, left), Singing Field Foundation.

That spirit motivated HEFN to pilot a Field Partner program, inviting members to bring one grantee-partner to this year’s annual meeting, traditionally a funder-only event. This change was inspired by a great model developed by the Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders for their annual Forum. It also reflected HEFN’s strategic priorities including ensuring those impacted have a meaningful voice in decision making.

Read the full article about bringing grantees into meetings by Cindy Glass at Health and Environment Funders Network.