Participatory grantmaking

Participatory grantmaking is about shifting decision-making power from funders to the communities and individuals that benefit from the funding.

Most importantly participatory grantmaking aims to make sure that people from the communities that grants are trying to help have a say over where the money goes.

This page shares learning, insight and resources from our experiences.

Why use participatory grantmaking?

Funders everywhere are looking to put more decision-making power in the hands of the people their money aims to help. This is important because it:

builds trust and respect-based philanthropy
enables a deeper understanding of where and how funding can make the most difference in the targeted communities
recognises and benefits from the knowledge and perspectives of the people/communities that will benefit from the money.

Participatory grantmaking on the rise

Interest in participatory grantmaking has grown in the last decade, with increasing calls for UK funders to shift decision-making and power to the communities they serve.

In 2023, the National Lottery Community Fund mapped PGM across the UK. It found that there is a wide variety in approaches used - ranging from community boards (with full delegated decision making) to representative boards (where funders and communities share decision making). But it also found that the amount distributed tend to be small, and generally accounts for a small percentage of a funder's grants budget.

Our top ten tips for participatory grant-making

These tips are based on experiences from our disability justice fund. You can find out more about the work, learnings and recommendations in the resources further down the page.

Before recruiting participants, develop a clear, simple set of information resources – including clear outlines of roles and responsibilities.
Focus on relationships and trust building. Allow time for staff and participants to get to know and understand each other.
Compensate participants fairly for their time and expertise. Be clear about what you will and won’t pay for.
Remember that participants and staff have both professional and lived expertise: allow everyone the opportunity to contribute both.
Clear communication is vital. Make sure you understand what this means for each participant.
Prepare for complexity and resource intensity. Allow for this in your budget and timeline planning.
Seek advice and user-test material, including with people unfamiliar with grant making.
Use the term co-production carefully. It can lead to expectations and misunderstandings. Different wording may more accurately describe what you are doing.
Make sure everyone is focused on the aim of the fund and why you’re doing the work to reduce the risk of potential mission creep.
Your applicants are the most important aspect of the work – factor in plenty of time and resources for working with grant applicants, as well as participatory grantmaking.

Is participatory grantmaking right for you?

Questions to ask before you get started:

Why are you thinking of taking a participatory approach to grant making?
How much control are you comfortable giving away?
Does your governance structure allow control to be delegated?
What role will staff and trustees play?
What skills do your staff have?
Do you need expert external partners?
Do you have the extra time needed for this kind of work?
Are you thinking of participatory grantmaking as a one-off experiment or a foundation for fundamental change?
Will your budget cover the work?