A Case Study on Participatory Grantmaking - CZI Newsroom

"In its initial funding cycles, the Community Fund team worked with a panel of 20–50 volunteer CZI staff across the organization who expressed interest in reviewing applications. In the spirit of uplifting community voice, the Community team sought a different, more impactful approach to its decision-making framework. CZI implemented participatory grantmaking practices, enlisting community members to help guide grantmaking decisions by joining the review panel. This collaborative funding approach engages directly impacted community members as part of the grant funding decision-making process in an effort to build trust and prioritize community voices.

Review panel participants were selected based on several factors, including their lived experience and commitment to building equity and justice-focused solutions in their communities. Availability was also a key factor — the training and review process took roughly 40 hours over the course of about two months. This pilot program propelled grants totaling $13 million to 139 organizations across San Mateo County.

In this case study, the Community team details its experience implementing participatory grantmaking practices and what they learned from engaging with community stakeholders in the process."