Grantmaking and the Crowd: Risks, Rewards, and Impact
Monday, October 19, 3:45pm – 4:45pm
Organized by Vanessa Silberman, Senior Director of Communications & Strategic Initiatives, The Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation.
Presented by Angie Jean-Marie, Social Innovation and Marketing Manager, Goldhirsh Foundation; and Vanessa Silberman, Senior Director of Communications & Strategic Initiatives, The Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation.
Explore an experimental approach to grantmaking that opens the selection process to the public through crowdsourcing. Using two case studies as examples – the Goldhirsh Foundation’s MY LA2050 Grants Challenge and the Levitt Foundation’s Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards – this session will focus on opportunities and risks associated with such a strategy. For example, how can foundations leverage the public’s excitement generated through voting to bring more attention to overall funding priorities? How can the public’s involvement be leveraged to inspire further investment in proposed projects? How can funders navigate public perception when a top vote-getter doesn’t receive a grant? Participants will address these questions and explore how their own selection process can be more inclusive and collaborative.