RELATIONSHIP-CENTERED PHILANTHROPY
Relationships change everything.
Our journey has shown us something we didn't expect: transformation happens within ourselves and our relationships—not somewhere out in the world. This realization continues to change everything about who we are, both as individuals and as an organization.
Beyond transactional philanthropy
Traditional philanthropy positions relationships as instrumental: connections that help achieve predetermined outcomes or deliver measurable impact. But what if relationships themselves are the transformation we seek?
At its core, relationship-centered philanthropy invites us to remember that behind every grant, every initiative, every theory of change, are human beings with dreams, vulnerabilities, wisdom, and gifts. When we center these humans—including ourselves—rather than abstract outcomes or metrics, something profound shifts.
We don't have a neat toolkit or a proven model to share.
What we have instead is an evolving understanding that when we truly commit to centering our shared humanity, we participate in weaving a different kind of social fabric, one that challenges the commodification of human experience that underlies so many of our systems.
We can practice, right now, together, the kind of connection that makes shared abundance and collective thriving possible.
As we continue to explore what relationship-centered philanthropy might look like, here are some glimpses of what we’re discovering:
Relationship-centered philanthropy doesn't erase power differences; it makes them more visible and demands we grapple with them honestly. This means acknowledging what we hold, what we can relinquish, and what we're still attached to.
We're still learning how to have authentic conversations about power, how to redistribute it meaningfully, and how to be accountable to the communities we serve. This learning happens through relationship, not through abstract principles or policies.
IN PRACTICE: OUR LEARNINGS
Power requires ongoing reckoning
We entered this work thinking we would transform systems. But philanthropy is transforming us. Through authentic connections with grantee partners and communities, we've had to confront our assumptions, biases, and relationship to power. We've had to reckon with how our position and privilege shape our perspective.
This personal transformation isn't a prerequisite for the "real work"; it is the work. As we change, the questions we ask change. The possibilities we can imagine expand.
Relationships transform us first
We used to think we could measure the full impact of our work through quantifiable outcomes. Now we wonder if our most important impact isn't something we measure, but something that is felt through the quality of our relationships.
At the same time, we're wrestling with how to maintain meaningful accountability without reverting to traditional metrics that can miss the point. We don't want to "fund and step back" in a passive way—that's not authentic relationship either.
We're trying to figure out what mutual accountability looks like: how to be accountable to each other, evolve together, and honor commitments while allowing for the unpredictability of genuine connection. This isn't about abandoning evaluation, but reimagining it through the lens of relationship:
How do we learn together? How do we hold each other to our shared vision while recognizing that the path might change? How do we measure what truly matters?
The metrics
of it all
OUR INVITATION
If any of this resonates with you, we invite you to join us in exploring what relationship-centered philanthropy might mean in your context.
Start wherever you are. Listen deeply to those your work impacts. Be willing to be changed. Trust that meaningful transformation emerges through connection.
The future of philanthropy—and the just and thriving world we seek to create—depends not on perfect strategies or proven models, but on our collective willingness to see and honor the humanity in ourselves and one another as we journey together toward the world we know is possible.
What's emerging for you? We'd love to hear what questions this approach raises for you, what resonates, what's missing, and how these ideas land in your own experience of philanthropy.
