Sharing Power Across Generations

Philanthropy has a bad habit of overlooking the voices and experiences of the people most directly affected by grants. The Walter & Elise Haas Fund’s new education grantmaking strategy, centered on power-sharing and youth outcomes, gives us the opportunity to correct that.

Our new strategy emphasizes learning, participation, and collective changemaking. To carry it out, we’ve convened intergenerational, multidisciplinary, collaborative cohorts of youth and adults (in equal numbers), so that together they can think, act, make and test solutions, and help direct the Fund’s education grantmaking.

All fund staff, regardless of program focus or role, are welcome to participate in these cohorts, supply feedback, and reflect on how participatory practices can be applied in their work.

What happened when we opened this door?

First, the things one would expect: We tidied up (even during a pandemic); made sure we were on our best behavior (i.e., youth development principle-informed); provided hospitality (all cohort participants were paid for their time); and made our intentions clear (we named this project The Learning Lab).

Then, the unexpected and beautiful: We gained new insights, developed new friendships and new skills, and were honored with the opportunity and privilege to serve as a community resource and as facilitators of action.

We need to hear what youth are living through. For our education grantmaking to succeed, our work must be led by them and their needs. That is – and should be – the value of philanthropy’s power, privilege, and resources.

In the Learning Lab, our differences (in age, race, profession, role) provide us with opportunities:  to creatively and collaboratively transform inequitable systems, to break through silos and echo-chambers, to alter power structures, and to grow trusting, long-term relationships. Our differences seed future action.

As Melanie Dzib, our Bay Area Youth Community Fellow and a 2020 Oakland Unified School District graduate wrote, “Providing safe and welcoming spaces, such as the Learning Labs, is crucial. Our society otherwise leaves voices unheard and – oftentimes – even silenced. During this pandemic, hope and advocacy for change are more relevant than ever. It’s up to us to work towards the improved future we desire and deserve.”