Is it any surprise there is a trust gap between philanthropy and community? Too often, donors come into communities thinking they have all the answers, or make tokenizing and extractive attempts at “listening” to community needs. Even well-intentioned community engagement falls prey to harmful practices when the power dynamics at play aren’t acknowledged or interrogated. A paradigm shift is needed to not only heal these harms, but also to bring transformative results.
We’re grateful for the opportunity to share learnings and recommendations for centering community with the Fund for Shared Insight in our article, “Why Philanthropy Needs a Community Bill of Rights.” In it, we explore how philanthropy can work differently to start to earn trust in their communities by using the Community Bill of Rights as a bridge.
Since 2021, the City of New London, Connecticut, has partnered with FFI to shift from business-as-usual to a vision for transformative change. Watch this video from a 2024 event where FFI joined the New London community to reimagine the future of the city.
Use this resource to guide your understanding of how wellbeing design principles can be applied to procurement. This resource was developed with input from the Wellbeing Procurement Learning Group formed of professionals in procurement from across the country.
Mayor Michael Passero writes about the impact of the city of New London's partnership with FFI. Together, we're shifting how leaders and residents see their roles in building a city where everyone has a fair shot at wellbeing.