"When experts on narrative power building are centered in funding discussions and decisions, the practice of grantmaking can look radically different from what we see today... nonprofitquarterly.org/how-to-fund-...

How to Fund Like a Narrative Strategist nonprofitquarterly.org/how-to-fund-... @mandyvandeven.bsky.social

What becomes possible when philanthropy adopts the narratives we need to build the world we long for? cep.org/blog/the-myt...

“People often think about funder collaboration in terms of formal structures for pooling funds. While formal approaches can bring significant benefits in some cases, they are not always needed. All forms of connectivity play an important part in fostering an effective funding ecosystem...

“As any labor leader knows, where there is a common set of workplace complaints, there is an opportunity for worker organizing — and though it may not be their first inclination to say so, funders are workers... cep.org/blog/belabor...

“Philanthropy must be understood as deeply intertwined within political, economic, and cultural structures, and we must acknowledge how charitable giving often serves to sanitize the ill effects of these systems... cep.org/blog/the-fut...

Join me to talk about philanthropy, resourcing narrative power, and building movement infrastructure at the launch of Liberation Stories: Building Narrative Power for 21st Century Social Movements. www.linkedin.com/events/73387...

"Our working relationships and friendship over the years have honored the uniqueness of our paths. We value each other’s expertise and networks and know the power of aligning our collective energies to flow together, to turn the tide, and to nurture new possibilities... cep.org/blog/solidar...

“Profound narrative shifts do not happen in a straightforward or linear fashion, and the work is limited by philanthropy’s demands for prescriptive logic models, reductionist metrics, and time-bound impacts... cep.org/blog/change-...

At a time when progressive philanthropy is eager to understand how to resource the narrative strategies we need, Shanelle Matthews and Marzena Zukowska have gifted the sector with a compilation of insights and experiences from 62 experts that serves as a critical guide for who and what to fund.

What happens when you extend the invitation to step toward the future we desire and deserve… www.philanthropy.com/article/what...

In "The Myths of Philanthropy" series, Dimple Abichandani asks: What if we moved from perpetuity to purpose? cep.org/blog/spendin...

ICYMI: Elemental launched The Myths of Philanthropy, a transnational partnership with Center for Effective Philanthropy (US), Association of Charitable Foundations (UK), and VITA (Italy) to examine the narratives that shape how the sector operates—and how to change them. mailchi.mp/0b144df1a007...

In "The Myths of Philanthropy" series, Louisa Mann asks: What if what we inherited doesn’t have to be the legacy we leave? cep.org/blog/positio...

In "The Myths of Philanthropy" series, Lisa Pilar Cowan asks: What if philanthropy wasn’t about giving away money, but returning it? cep.org/blog/a-path-...

Like it or not, the philanthropic sector is on the precipice of radical change. cep.org/blog/the-myt...

"Nowadays, lots of people seem to think you can optimize morality. Optimizing makes being human feel less risky. It provides a sense of control. But trying to make ourselves into robots means giving up something extravagantly precious: our humanity."

"Funding is the primary incentive structure that makes and remakes the current American Left ecosystem today. It determines which work gets funded (or defunded), how, where, to what scale, on what timeline. If the money backing that work is unstrategic, the work itself will also be unstrategic."

Elemental seeks to connect and align the ecosystem of narrative funders, develop a common set of knowledge and practice for resourcing narrative infrastructure, and facilitate funding experiments that build narrative power.

"The imaginations of those who created institutional philanthropy a century ago are limiting our collective potential in the present day. The sector’s design flaws are reflected in the shortcomings of how civil society and movements operate...

We have the mandate to (re)imagine and live into the world we desire and deserve. You with me?

When we unpack the ways faulty logics have created habits that don’t serve us, it opens the possibility to adopt different logics and behaviours that allow us to imagine and live into the world we want. www.funderscollaborativehub.org.uk/blogs/how-ca...

We operate with a scarcity mindset because we have been conditioned to think small. And when we think from a place of smallness, we limit what is possible for ourselves and each other.