ABOUT US
This video was part of a featured story produced by Oak Foundation, that gives an overview of our origins and work.
What Particpatory Grantmaking Means
- Streamlined/simple application processes
- All of the information available in Spanish and English
- Most of the meetings took place in Spanish (or with
simultaneous interpretation) - Accompaniment provided by Project Manager
- Realistic/simple reporting requirements
- Calibrating our expectations for what impact would look like and how it would be documented
- Funders that understood their roles as strong champions (not necessarily the decision-makers)
- Lightness, laughter, music, storytelling…reflecting the
beauty & strength of our people!
How We Came to Be
In most versions of our origin story we say the work of this collaborative began in 2018, but the truth is, the seeds of this work were planted long before that. For decades now, social justice oriented foundations have invested resources in the form of grants and capacity building opportunities for Latinx-led organizations across our state. The work of the North Carolina Latinx Collaborative (NCLC) is an offspring of those many years of tending to the rich soil of our communities and staving off negative forces determined to prevent our flourishing.
This work also represents an evolution in thinking. Although North Carolina is proud to be home to several progressive foundations who have done a good share of their work in the sphere of equity, very few of these foundations had made significant moves towards democratizing the grantmaking process. This collaborative is an experiment of sorts, an exploration in operationalizing equity, and a concrete step towards shifting decision-making power into the hands of Latinx leaders themselves.
Brief History of NCLC
2018
Established local control of the Funders’ Collaborative which had previously operated under the umbrella of Hispanics in Philanthropy. 7 foundations remained committed to push the work forward in NC. Worked with several consultants to understand landscape, clarify mission, priorities, structure. Shift from focus on capacity-building to power-building and how to connect Latinx communities to larger networks.
January 2019
Hired bilingual/bicultural Project Manager to help lead the work. Began
exploring what a participatory grantmaking framework could look like.
Started fundraising and meeting with Latinx leaders individually.
August 2019
Held a design meeting with 15 Latinx leaders at Haw River State Park,
Brown Summit, NC. Began to flesh out what participatory grantmaking
meant and could look like.
Spring 2020
Covid-19 Pandemic. Distributed $205,000 of the funds raised
to Latinx-led organizations providing direct support and building
infrastructure.
Fall 2020
1st round of participatory grantmaking. The Unifying Council selected 29 groups to receive 2-year general operating support grants totaling a little over $1.1 million.
Fall 2021
2nd round of participatory grantmaking. The Unifying Council selected 16 groups to receive one-time mini-grants totaling $125,000.
Fall 2022
3rd round of participatory grantmaking. The Unifying Council selected 16 groups to receive 2-year general operating support grants totaling $700,000.
November 2022
Held the first in-person convening at Haw River State Park, Brown Summit, NC.
October 2022
Unifying Council retreat held at Earthseed Land Collective, Durham, NC. Worked on a new mission, vision and name.
Fall 2023
4th round of participatory grantmaking. The Unifying Council selected 16 groups to receive one-time grants from a Reinforcement Fund totaling $148,000.
Summer 2024
5th round of participatory grantmaking. The Unifying Council seleceted 25 organizations to receive $35,000 grants over 2 years totaling $875,000.