At Porticus, meaningful participation is a moral obligation and the route we chose to create more impactful programmes.
We define meaningful participation as a collaborative process between funders, grantees and people with lived experience who share decision-making power and mutual accountability to ensure positive change. We recognise that all persons involved have equally valuable contributions to bring to the table. Participation is not only a means to an end, it is also the end in itself.
This is why we want it to be at the centre of our philanthropic practice. However, we don't assume that we have all the answers. The path towards this goal will not always be smooth; meaningful participation often crosses unchartered territory for us.
As we navigate what it means to be truly participatory, we build on experiences from others, and we share ours. These are the guiding principles we follow, as we aspire to make participation meaningful in our work.
Making participation meaningful at Porticus
Intention
As we navigate what it means to be truly participatory in our philanthropic practices, we build on experiences from others, and we share ours. This article is the first episode in a series on meaningful participation, directed to the importance of intention. This is one of the 5 guiding principles we follow as we aspire to make participation meaningful in our work.
For us, intention means doing everything we can to create the space for greater agency and unheard voices to emerge. It is a motivating force that brings focus, purpose and drive to create a more collaborative process with our partners.
We talked about intention with Terrell Hall (Director at the Transformative in-Prison Workgroup New York) and Sandra van den Heuvel (Programme Manager at Porticus), who both collaborate on Porticus’s Justice Reinvented programme.
Our intention to create systemic change
The Justice Reinvented programme in North America created in 2023 is dedicated to expanding the role of community-driven work in California prisons to improve outcomes for all people, especially people in prison and the communities they come from. In California, Justice Reinvented taps into a moment of opportunity where the government has committed to shifting prisons paradigms. Meanwhile, partners of Justice Reinvented seek to ensure that dignity and access to community life will be central to this new vision for the future.
Drawing from Terrell Hall's firsthand experience of incarceration, his time behind bars ignited a passion for addressing the overlooked issues of mental health, economic disparities and the lack of opportunities for reentry into American society. Recognizing the systemic challenges faced by organizations addressing these issues, Hall got involved with Justice Reinvented upon his release - a joint effort between different partners and Porticus to create a more inclusive and effective approach.
Revolutionising justice through inclusivity and co-creation
Justice Reinvented brought voices to the table that had long been ignored. Hall: “The initiative's emphasis on inclusivity and co-creation allowed individuals and communities most affected by the issues to have a significant say in the decision-making process. This participatory practice fosters trust and ensures that the solutions devised were more comprehensive and sustainable. By intentionally bringing together diverse perspectives and stakeholders, the initiative addresses systemic issues on a much deeper level. But to get there, a paradigm shift on the way we are working together is needed. Otherwise, we will be limited by our preconceptions of the way things are - instead of dreaming how things could be truly different.”
Navigating challenges by building relationships of trust
The participatory nature of Justice Reinvented had a profound impact on the initiative's approach. The programme brought together diverse partners; including advocates, organizers, researchers, and service-providers, who individually contribute to reform efforts but are testing how working together could yield breakthrough results.
While participatory work demands more time and effort, it ultimately leads to more authentic solutions and stronger relationships between partners. Building a relationship of trust through participation is one big step to achieve long-term systemic change.
As we navigate these working relationships, obstacles to participation may arise. Terrell underlines the importance of not overlooking the power dynamics between partner and funder and the traditional preconceptions of how this relationship should be. These challenges, however, need to be conquered by the commitment to being inclusive. In Hall’s words: “Despite challenges, such as navigating power dynamics with funders and ensuring equitable compensation for participants, our initiative remains committed to its participatory ethos. We recognize our vital role in effecting meaningful change.”
Empathy
Participation is about people - people with their own stories, circumstances and boundaries. When we forget that - despite all good intentions - we can cause harm. Empathy reminds us to approach meaningful participation with profound humility and shared humanity. It is one of the 5 guiding principles we follow as we aspire to make participation meaningful in our work.
We talked with Komai Alkhateeb (team Lead at Choose Love in Lebanon) and Cory Schiff (Senior Programme Manager at Porticus), about their collaboration on the Collective for Refugee Leadership in the Middle East and North Africa (CRLM), and the importance of empathy in the work they do.
Shifting power to refugee-led organisations
Since its establishment in 2020, CRLM aims to bring together donors - such as Porticus - and grassroots organisations operating in the MENA region on an equal level playing field. This Collective acknowledges that the power dynamics that exist between donors and refugee-led organisations (RLOs) ultimately affect funding distribution and decision-making processes. With this in mind, CRLM was set up to shift power to RLOs across the region to advance the rights, well-being and security of refugees and their communities.
Porticus partner Choose Love provides critical support to refugees and displaced individuals across more than 3 countries in the MENA region. Choose Love team lead Komai Alkhateeb is one of the members of CRLM and a key player behind the Collective. He believes in the potential of participatory funding as the best way of acknowledging peoples’ stories and needs. “Refugee leaders and RLOs should be key actors in defining and driving programmatic, advocacy and funding agendas based on their communities’ needs. Therefore, it is crucial that RLOs have decisive power in the way funds are spent.”
Opening up the dialogue and listening to each other as equals
Approaching participation with shared humanity means creating the right environment for all stakeholders to be in equal standing in the decision-making arena. Empathy reminds us of the value in respecting the diverse perspectives and priorities of everyone involved. The CRLM understands the importance of this by pushing for collective grant-making, which fosters open dialogues and eye-level conversations between RLOs and donors. Alkhateeb: ‘’We sit together on a regular basis to openly discuss current priorities, and collectively decide on the most pressing regional issues to dedicate resources towards. It’s impressive to see that our partners are able to see beyond their organisations’ scope and focus, and really aim for helping local communities in ways that work for them. Empathy, therefore, plays a key role in understanding each other. It directs us towards our common goals.”
Understanding the needs of the region and placing them first
The high needs felt across the MENA region reflects the importance of a well-balanced funding distribution, despite the challenges. “There is uncertainty among both RLOs and donors in terms of resources allocated to the region,” explains Alkhateeb. “Donors are less enthusiastic about funding because of the politicisation of issues. With CRLM, we prove that our work is more important than ever before. And by increasing our partner network - both on the funding as well as sharing capacities and advocating for partners’ work - we will be able to make even more impact in the region.’’
Regardless of these challenges, Alkhateeb believes CRLM managed to break down barriers with its participatory approach: “Our work in the collective has fostered empathy and understanding among stakeholders, thereby breaking down power dynamics and supporting genuine collaboration. Simply put, we are empowering RLOs to play a more active role in decision-making processes, leading to projects that are better aligned with community needs and priorities - ultimately improving the lives of those most in need.”
Endurance
Endurance demonstrates both patience and grit to invest in the process and seek out the voices that matter. It’s also the value that ensures we keep asking ourselves important questions - like ‘Who is being left out? Which voices are we missing?’ - and demanding accountability in our response.
We talked about ‘endurance’ with Juan Esteban Belderrain (Senior Programme Manager at Porticus), who collaborates with the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM) to support the Catholic Church's mission in caring for human rights and the sustainable development of the Amazon region.
Creating synergies to support the Amazon and its communities
Ever since he joined the ranks of Porticus some 15 years ago, Juan has worked to support the Amazon and the indigenous communities who live there: “Local communities are the best protectors of this unique ecosystem. Our ambition is to enhance their power to create sustainable change.” For this, Juan works with the Catholic Church and REPAM (a network that brings together local and international organisations, missionaries, and congregations) to support grassroots organisations whose aim is to defend the rights of these communities.
Endurance has been crucial to ensure the success of Porticus’ collaboration with the Church and REPAM. Throughout the years, this working relationship observed important milestones in which some traditional narratives of the Church were overcome and started to include the voices of who those know best what the Amazon needs to flourish.
Overcoming traditional top-down views
In Juan’s experience, the Church plays an elemental in local development across Latin America – also in the Amazon region: “Their influence can be felt in the smallest of villages, and the Church is very invested in realising positive change.”
The Church is an enormous institution with many layers of complexity and divisions of powers. In this working relationship, Porticus focuses on balancing the shared ambition of fostering the mission of the Church and its contribution to local development in the region while still being critical of how the support given to the communities can be more participatory and inclusive.
“While the Church traditionally takes a more top-down approach to realise change, Porticus believes in a more participatory way of working with local communities – especially with underrepresented groups. With REPAM, we managed to find a balance between both approaches. An interesting example is the way that this network is organised. As the Church is traditionally a male-centred institution, the active role of indigenous women in decision-making processes in these networks is a significant step forward.”
A few well-established narratives sometimes need to be challenged also through a bottom-up approach: “For many local communities, the Church has a mythical status. Overcoming these century-long power dynamics is not easy. It is important to respect the complexities of local norms and customs and recognise the power asymmetries between institutions and communities. Navigating these differences also help us to be critical and flexible about the ways we work with our partners.”
Endurance becomes key to making the most out of this working relationship. Encouraging changes in institutional structures such as the Church, and adapting ways of working to maximise the positive change created takes time and patience: ‘’We have different points of view, which could complicate matters. But we always look for those elements we align on - which are a lot.”
In 2019, Pope Francis called for a Universal Synod in Rome on the Amazon to give international visibility to this region's pastoral, social and environmental challenges. 87,000 people participated in the previous work organised by REPAM. For the first time in the history of the Church, indigenous peoples were present at the Synod, exposing their problems and proposals. It was there that the Pope saw, in his words, a new Church "where the periphery becomes the centre." Now, he wants to extend this proposal to the global Church through the current Synod on "Synodality: communion, participation and mission”. “I’d like to think that it is an outcome of our collective endurance.”
Trust
Taking a participatory approach isn’t linear, and it isn’t easy. We know there will be bumps along the way. Our goal is to fail forward; to try, to learn (from our own journey and from others), and to grow. If we trust the process, and express that same deep trust to people and partners, success will follow.
We spoke with Shripathi Hadigal (Regional Resource Mobilization Manager at Restless Development India) and Vrinda Kapur (Programme Manager for Porticus), about the importance of trust in their collaboration on the Fair Urban Transition (FUT) programme in Bangalore, India.
Pressing issues need collaborative measures
At the heart of Porticus and its FUT programme partners in India lies a shared conviction: communities should lead in the development of the climate policies which will affect them. We spoke to one of the ten programme partners, Restless Development, that enables the involvement of young people in decision-making on crucial issues like Climate Justice. Both parties have partnered for this programme alongside other local organisations to help ensure that the transition to a carbon-free future in cities like Bangalore is fair to all.
The final phase of the FUT programme, which will reach its end in 2025, has been co-designed by all partners, who collectively decided where and how to allocate resources while keeping the best interests of the Bangalore communities in mind. Vrinda: “We wanted partners to make decisions together, including allocation of funds to themselves. By bringing our partners to the table to co-develop a narrative, activities, timeline and budget, we collaboratively focus on the most pressing issues, and in those areas that need most attention.”
Welcoming this more collaborative way of working challenged all ten partners involved to trust each other at a deeper level. It was not just placing faith in the individuals driving the project forward, but also about trusting the process itself and its outcomes. In Vrinda’s words: “It takes courage and an open mind for all of us to work together on issues. We needed to trust on each other’s expertise and input to make decisions that might not be particularly relevant for one specific organisation, but that are most impactful for the communities and our common goal: A flourishing Bangalore where climate policies are inclusive, deliberate and participatory.’’
Meaningful participation takes time
Forging stronger collaborations is not always easy. It takes time to create spaces where all partners can contribute meaningfully and understand that conflicts are bound to emerge in such spaces. On this, Vrinda shares: “It took us 4 months to deliberate and co-create the final phase of this programme. While we agreed on our vision for Bangalore, we also had difference in opinions around what our priorities could be for this limited period of time of this programme, ways of collaborating and allocation of the limited funds." These are difficult decisions, and required different methods to reach consensus. “In addition to having bilateral conversations with each organisation, to support this process further, we worked with an external facilitator who created a safe space to foster trust and vulnerability amongst delegates from these organisations. This way, we got to see the individuals beyond the face of the organisation, which helped us in breaking down barriers and truly understanding each other.”
Shripathi explains the benefit of trusting and listening to different people, experts and organisations. “Every partner brings something else to the table. Some are actively involved with local communities, while others take a more scientific approach to specific issues. This might sound conflicting, but it allows us all to look at the world through different lenses and facilitate the co-creation of more impactful and tailored solutions. For example, we work together with three organisations which take different approaches to minimise water-related issues in Bangalore to map the city wards in a more holistic way. In this project, researchers, decision-makers and the local community all work together to help improve the accessibility of water in different parts of the city and minimise flooding risks.’’
Although the current programme is ending next year, Vrinda and Shripathi along with other nine implementing partners are working together to ensure that this participatory way of collaborating between organisations continues in the future. Trusting the process and trusting each other plays a crucial role in achieving this.
Modesty
Systemic change cannot happen without being open about where power lies and how to navigate and negotiate its distribution. When we talk about being modest, we are bringing awareness to our relative power in meaningful participation relationships, and committing to using it responsibly - and challenging it at every opportunity we get.
Diana Nyamu (Programme Manager at Porticus) and Justin Abumbah (Program Lead at Cohere) talk with us about the importance of modesty in their daily work in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp, where they support refugee-led organisations (RLOs) to realise sustainable change.
Modesty as a catalyst for collaboration
Backed by Porticus, Cohere supports eight RLOs that have community interventions directed to advocate for better education outcomes for refugee children in Kakuma. By facilitating collaboration and sharing of best practices, Cohere empowers RLOs to become active agents of change, transcending their formerly perceived passive roles in the humanitarian sector.
Modesty plays a crucial role in this collaboration and encourages the working relationship between Cohere, Porticus and RLOs to be participatory. Openness to acknowledge power dynamics, but respecting and learning from each other as equals motivates all parties to effectively work towards a common cause. Nyamu reiterates: “RLOs are not viewed simply as recipients of grants, but as innovators who have ideas and solutions.”
Abumbah emphasises the importance of participation in achieving positive impact: “By localising interventions, amplifying contextualised solutions and empowering community leaders to exercise their agency, we ensure that initiatives are not only locally relevant, but they are also sustained long after our departure. This participatory ethos not only enhances programme effectiveness, but also fosters a sense of ownership among beneficiaries.”
Listening and respecting partners’ expertise and efforts
Guided by a strong set of principles - including modesty, Porticus makes sure to not cast its shadow over partners’ efforts. “We anonymously support on-the-ground initiatives, providing flexible funding, while maintaining a low profile,” says Nyamu. “Cohere excels in community engagement, collaborating with Porticus and the RLOs to co-design interventions building on the lived experience of the community members. As a result, RLOs have the freedom to use the funds in a way that best supports and meets the education needs of the learners in Kakuma.”
Meanwhile, Porticus takes a step back. “We practice open Communication and Listening,” says Nyamu. “We maintain an open dialogue with Cohere to share updates, successes, and failures. Through regular discussions, we aim to dismantle traditional power dynamics where partners report to Porticus in a top-down manner. This approach fosters a system of reciprocity and mutual accountability. Moreover, Porticus frequently visits the refugee camp to engage with RLOs and ground-level partners. Through shared experiences, we collaboratively address challenges enriching the work of these RLOs.”
Abumbah adds: “Modesty is ingrained in the way Porticus listens to us as a partner. Their focus is not solely directed to concrete project numbers, but rather the overall results or project outcomes that we hope to jointly achieve together with the RLOs and community leaders. Although a distinction between a provider of grants and a grantee is inevitable, I feel that Porticus is an equal partner journeying with us for the long haul towards a common objective. That has been a new experience for me with a funder.”
