Obsolete strategies to Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) have worked to erase the voice of girls, women, Indigenous people, LGBTQI+ (and other marginalised groups) from the history of social change. Although there have been a number of alternative approaches and frameworks proposed in academic literature these remain on the periphery when it comes to their practical application in the global south. Despite resistance from social movements, mainstream funders tend to continue to impose multiple regimental reporting and data requirements on grantee partners to justify being funded. These practices still mirror implicit subordinate power relations of donor and grantee and need to change.

In this article, we take a practical transnational feminist approach to MEL. We reflect on actions that philanthropy can take and has begun to take to decolonize practices, policies and resource flows, and support transformation in relationships and power dynamics offering possibilities of creative and innovative approaches. We document our shared learning from CRIF, Fenomenal Funds, FRIDA | The Young Feminist Fund, and Purposeful organisations who are resourcing and supporting the disruption of oppressive MEL structures, tools, languages and practices as profound acts of resistance.

The iterative and flexible nature of learning and reflection is important for us to honour. We encourage processes of learning and knowledge production with authenticity and openness. As strategies we undertake learning calls, in-person learning visits, learning labs and draw on emergent learning frameworks to support sensemaking in their many forms; with stories, images and music as valid ways of generating and documenting.

Developing systems and frameworks for learning are an important place to start. We believe that shared governance is not just limited to grantmaking but can extend to designing learning agendas, learning frameworks, accountability and oversight.

A call to action from philanthropy to embark on a process of decolonization:

  • Decentre yourself, and centre those you exist to serve.
  • Resource your learning work well.
  • Let’s collaborate to change our individual institutions, and philanthropy itself.

Read the full article about decolonizing philanthropy by Shama Dossa, Clara Desalvo and Boikanyo Modungwa at Alliance Magazine.