We are experiencing a watershed moment for philanthropy-funded social change efforts in the United States. The partnerships, knowledge, and resources that funders leverage have never been more important in contributing to the conditions that communities need for everyone to thrive, without exceptions. With such a rapid pace of change happening all around us, how can funders make the most of their role in supporting and advancing large-scale, transformative impact? The answer is to look forward with the benefit of hindsight and with partners who understand where and how to take those next steps.

For example, intermediaries that connect communities and funders supporting place-based efforts are critical partners in social change efforts. These nationally and regionally focused programs and their teams are steeped in the shared challenges and opportunities in communities that seek to drive sustainable improvements in health. The authors of this piece, each with experience as both funder and intermediary, consider four key questions about what it will take to build a shared understanding of what works, for whom, and under what conditions to inform the future of community health and well-being.

What does it take to build collaborative capacity and norms for stewarding equitable change across diverse organizations in communities?

Invest in the fundamentals. It is well documented across programs and communities that there are key enabling factors that contribute to systems change. These conditions are often characterized by enhanced knowledge, strengthened relationships, community ownership, and increased capacity among partners—as outlined in The BUILD Health Challenge’s Community Approaches to Systems Change. Together, and when working in concert, these factors signal that progress is being made in addressing entrenched local systems. Despite their importance, their intangible and slowly evolving nature often means they do not fit the criteria for investment by funders for grants that require specific, time-limited outputs. Funders working to support cross-sector and community-driven collaboratives would be wise to invest in these fundamental mechanisms for change. Doing so supports capacity building in communities and helps lay the groundwork for lasting systems change.

Read the full article about investments in community health by Jane Erickson, Jennifer Fassbender, Colleen Flynn, and Emily Yu at Grantmakers In Health.