Youth-led Participatory Grantmaking

According to a seminal guide by GrantCraft, participatory grantmaking cedes decision-making power about funding— including the strategy and criteria behind those decisions—to the very communities funders aim to serve. Participatory grantmaking processes are typically designed to give agency to people who benefit from funding to determine the priorities of their own lives.

All Maryland Philanthropy Network members are invited to join Julia Baez and Janelle Gendrano of Baltimore’s Promise, Sara Cooper of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Youth Advisors Cesia Calero and J’Naya Harris to hear about and discuss the Youth and Young Adult Grantmaking Initiative, a new participatory and collaborative funding opportunity. This youth-led grantmaking structure enables young people to allocate resources that directly impact themselves and their peers. It also incorporates capacity building, coaching, technical assistance, and compensation for Youth Grantmakers.

Participants in this event will hear about:

• why participatory grant-making and proximate decision-making in philanthropy is important
• local examples of the evolution of this practice and how it is currently happening
• the new Youth and Young Adult Grantmaking Initiative
• Options for engagement in local participatory grantmaking efforts

This program is for Maryland Philanthropy Network members and invited guests only.