Participatory Grantmaking in LGBTQ+ Rights Organizations in Southern Africa
Supervised by Dr. Timothy Wyman-McCarthy, Institute for the Research of Human Rights, Columbia College
Introduction
Philanthropic foundations internationally are more and more turning to participatory philanthropy as a device for restoring their legitimacy within the eyes of the general public, and of the federal government. Participatory philanthropy is a philosophy that sees invitations philanthropic foundations to shift energy over grantmaking and programming to the communities which are most affected by their work. The shift to participatory philanthropy is motivated by the emergence of campaigns that decision for the decolonization of and shifting of energy throughout the broader ecology of philanthropy. Philanthropic foundations draw on the inclusive and democratic foundations of participatory philanthropy as a motion to contend that their work is a product of its surroundings. They argue that when a neighborhood is given energy over the grantmaking course of, the ensuing outputs will not be solely extra particular to the neighborhood however are additionally considered as extra reliable on condition that they’re an expression of the neighborhood’s will.
My analysis explores the use by LGBTQ+ rights organizations working in Southern Africa of participatory philanthropy, exemplified by the apply of participatory grantmaking. These organizations face challenges not confronted by different NGOs within the area as a result of they work on a problem that continues to be deeply contentious and, in some circumstances, taboo within the area. Many African nations nonetheless have anti-LGBTQ+ legal guidelines in place that criminalize even the mere act of figuring out as gay, and lots of different nations nonetheless being dwelling to excessive ranges of discrimination and stigma in the direction of queer folks. LGBTQ+ figuring out people, in addition to LGBTQ+ rights allies, advocates, and organizers are incessantly silenced, ridiculed, stigmatized, and demonized as “un-African.” The final word results of that is the delegitimization of those organizations, and of the trigger they advocate for. This summer time, I hope to discover the explanations behind the shift to participatory philanthropy as a grantmaking philosophy, and to proposes the potential worth of an analogous shift by different philanthropic foundations advocating for equally controversial points in equally repressive environments each in Africa and internationally.
Strategies
My analysis might be in two elements: First, I’ll conduct a literature assessment that goals to comply with the historical past of state and civil society group relations in Africa. A key a part of this might be exploring the historical past of laws concerning civil society organizations within the area. I additionally hope to conduct a literature assessment on LGBTQ+ rights and LGBTQ+ work within the area. Secondly, I’ll conduct interviews with representatives from philanthropic foundations that make use of practices grounded in participatory philanthropy. Interviews might be transcribed and analysed for commonalities amongst organizational representatives.
Significance
Civil society organizations traditionally have performed an instrumental position as defenders of human rights and suppliers of welfare providers. This position is more and more threatened as a part of a world “shrinking civil society area.” The place governments are unable to train acceptable concern for the lives and welfare of residents, notably of minoritized teams, CSOs are essential in filling this hole. When their position is threatened, analysis has proven that charges of human rights abuses are recognized to extend. It’s more and more essential for CSOs to search out methods to bypass restrictions on their work and assaults on its significance, and I hope my analysis will contribute to serving to determine such instruments and strategies.
