SUPERRR Lab reposted this
I wrote this text in the full knowledge that we at SUPERRR Lab are in an unusual position. We can afford to say no, because several of our donors support us through the mythical beast called core funding: grants that are not restricted to a specific program or a predefined outcome. Grants that trust us to know best how to use the money to achieve impact. I can't help but see that the more established an organisation is, the more willing donors are to take the risk of providing core funding. Especially grassroots organisations or movements lead by people from underserved communities have a hard time accessing it. Because of this structural inequality, many civil society organisations or movements cannot afford the abundance mindset we try to foster at SUPERRR (read this article by my colleague Julia Kloiber for more info: https://lnkd.in/dsNyiNYm). I speak about these matters from a position of power because I hope that funders will listen, and change their practice to support civil society organisations and movements in a more flexible, trusting, and long-term way. #funding #philanthropy
Let's talk about money: 💸 We returned grant funding. Outrageous? Quite the opposite. In the non-profit sector, I often hear the phrase, “Now that the money for a project is here, we have to do it, too.” Recently, we decided against that approach. I am convinced that as a feminist organization, we should talk about money matters and funding more openly. Money is power after all. So here is our story: At SUPERRR, we carefully consider whether to apply for or accept funding. But despite our best efforts to act with foresight and intention, sometimes things don't work out as planned: For almost a year, we have been exploring the topic of digital violence. It's an important issue for us because while many talk about it, there rarely is enough dialogue with each other: The voices of those affected and their supporters, groups with (state-)power-critical approaches, and the knowledge of people with technical expertise rarely come together in the same space. We had the great opportunity to bring these voices together in a study and to finally get to the heart of the issue of digital violence. But due to illnesses and changes on the team, we ultimately could not take on the project without constantly overextending ourselves. As activists, we have internalized the mindset of always being ready – and needing to be. Saying no to something feels harder than pushing ourselves beyond our limits. But in this case, saying no was exactly the right decision. ➡️ This too is feminist: Sometimes saying no, even when we would prefer to say yes. The people at Deutsche Stiftung für Engagement und Ehrenamt, our funder, met our decision with open ears, understanding, and a lot of support. For that, we are truly grateful! We will continue our work on digital violence, but at a pace and in a time frame that we can responsibly commit to. So follow us if you care about it, too! Read our full blog post here in German and English: https://lnkd.in/dnZXQwVf Elisa Lindinger #feminist #funding #civilsociety
