Collective effort aims to shift philanthropy for good
Every time a project that communities neither need nor want receives funding, funders risk perpetuating injustice, wasting resources, and eroding trust — and possibly causing harm. Yet embedded in these challenges is an opportunity for philanthropy to underscore its relevance and strengthen trust by embracing what some leaders in the philanthropic sector call “power with” rather than “power over” approaches that begin with listening.
Feedback Labs, with six other peer organizations focused on improving philanthropic practices have just launched Listen to Community, an initiative calling on funders to transform how they work by building authentic relationships, grounded in listening, and changing the balance of power so that people and communities have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect them. The initiative, which aims to engage more than 1,000 place-based funders in the United States, comes at a time when philanthropy faces mounting scrutiny and concerns about credibility and relevance.
“Now is the time for philanthropy to listen boldly and be accountable to communities by shifting power to where it belongs—with those at the heart of their work,” says Britt Lake, CEO of Feedback Labs.
Listen to Community is advocating for philanthropy to move beyond its well-documented tendency to talk a lot about the importance of listening without following through with meaningful action. The initiative encourages funders to listen in ways that take into account power dynamics, enable reciprocity, and lead to greater community ownership and self-determination.
In addition to Feedback Labs, Listen to Community’s other founding partners are: Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Fund for Shared Insight, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, National Center for Family Philanthropy, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, and Native Americans in Philanthropy.
Listen to Community’s goal is to have more leaders and staff in foundations listen to impacted communities, respond to what they hear, and build authentic and equitable relationships.
Momentum for change
A growing number of foundations have begun embracing community-centered listening practices, creating momentum that initiative organizers believe can reach a tipping point among funders. 
Listen to Community aligns with and supports complementary approaches — such as trust-based philanthropy, participatory grantmaking, community-driven philanthropy, practice shifts in learning and evaluation, authorized voice and power in board governance, and efforts to ensure organizations reflect impacted communities — while keeping its central focus on listening to shift power to community.
By highlighting listening as a foundational and transformational practice, the initiative strengthens and reinforces these other efforts.
After months of planning, the Listen to Community initiative launches today as a resource and engagement hub for funders that are eager to change their relationship with community and ultimately improve their philanthropic impact. A website, blog, and forthcoming podcast will highlight community voices, stories of funder listening, and tools for listening to shift power to community.
How to engage
Join us for launch events at upcoming National Center for Family Philanthropy, CHANGE Philanthropy, and Center for Effective Philanthropy conferences in late October and early November. And sign up here for the mailing list to stay connected and be the first to know about new content.
Are you already listening to community but want more support? Feedback Labs offers a number of resources to amplify your current listening efforts.
