The
Conductor Circle
Transforming philanthropy to be a tool for systemic change, not just charity
Our ground-breaking program, The Conductor Circle, is a participatory grant-making model that brings donors and BIPOC community leaders together to decenter wealth and power, in a collectively oriented and healing-justice approach.
We work globally with foundations to engage with their donors and communities beyond traditional donor/recipient paradigms. RRI brings our healing-justice approach to the grant-making model, enabling compassionate, systemic change by facilitating conversations, and providing education and healing.
"Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
How it works
Invest in transformational change by listening, learning, connecting, and healing
Donors and philanthropic leaders will join a Conductor Circle by contributing financial resources for a defined geographic region. RRI will work with community leaders of that region, facilitating a process grounded in healing justice and participatory grant-making. By creating space for an open dialogue between donors and the communities they serve, we empower recipients to set a vision for the infrastructure and program investments they want to see in their communities.
Donor leaders will have the opportunity to engage throughout this process to listen, learn, build relationships, ask questions, and reflect on how to put what they learn into practice in their broader philanthropic giving.
Conductor Circle members will participate in six sessions over the course of five months, including:
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3-part discussion series with Black Community Leaders, facilitated by RRI.
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3-part community participatory visioning process, hearing directly from those most impacted how they want grant dollars to be spent.
CAse Study: Denver
RRI partnered with Rose Community Foundation to host a Conductor Circle connecting RCF's donor network with Black community leaders in Denver, Colorado. Rose Community Foundation was seeking new ways to engage their network, and exemplify trust-based philanthropy.
Using RRI's healing-justice approach, we guide donors, foundations and community leaders to work together, to open up decision-making and information-sharing structures. By investing in community leadership capacity-building, the Conductor Circle enabled Rose Community Foundation to truly shift agency, capital, and power towards the communities they serve in Denver.
Getting involved
If you are a BIPOC community leader or philanthropic institution interested in bringing the Conductor circle model to your community, contact Allison Brown (Allison@RRIConsulting.org) to learn more.