Tools & Resources

This contribution from Grassroots International expands on the work of trust-based philanthropy, situating trust as integral to the relationships we need among funders, movements, and allies to steward the transformation that our visions for justice require, both within philanthropy and beyond.

Using rigorous participatory methodologies for their 2025 Global Impact Study, the Global Fund for Children found that flexible funding, non-financial support, and trusting relationships contribute to partners’ growth and sustainability, enabling partners to create meaningful change in their communities.

To understand the growing shift toward flexible and responsive grantmaking, our friends at Giving Data invited six foundations to share how they define responsive grantmaking, what flexible funding models they’ve implemented, and how they are aligning their processes to better support grantees.

In this independent report by Fund the People, the Endeavor Fund serves as a mid-stream case study for how many-year grant commitments are key to building strong organizations with well-supported staff who can maximize impact on their communities.

To meaningfully address gender inequality and progress toward the UN’s SDGs, this paper explores how global health philanthropy can depart from its funder-driven model and move toward a vision where decolonial, feminist advocates drive long-term strategic thinking, intersectionality, trust-based funding, and community-led solutions.

In this Foundation Review article, Shaady Salehi and Pia Infante unpack the meaning of accountability in a trust-based philanthropy context: relational accountability—through reciprocity and trust in the funder-grantee relationship—as well as collective accountability to the communities being served.

This guide highlights the challenges faced by community-based organizations and their priorities for change in philanthropy and global development. It examines how funders can strengthen trust, flexibility, and partnership in funding to nourish community-led change.

This guide provides a comprehensive breakdown of trust-based philanthropy as it applies specifically to giving circles. Included in the guide, you can find a list of frequently asked questions, outlines of concrete steps you can take, and a list of additional resources

This resource from the S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation provides guidance and practical steps for how to navigate the ending of a grantmaking relationship in a way that maintains your grantee partner’s needs in mind.

This resource from the Equitable Evaluation Framework™ (EEF) provides guidance on how to align your purpose, practices, processes, and policies with your foundation’s stated values and intentions.