Governance structures codify the rules, norms, and relationships around decision-making for organizations and groups. For participatory grantmaking initiatives, where an intent is to disrupt traditional power dynamics that exist between funders and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) by expanding the circle of people who have the power to make decisions, governance design provides an opportunity to operationalize egalitarian values.

Governance fills the space between an aspiration—to make social change, to be inclusive—and exactly how that happens in practice. An analysis of governance structures can reveal useful insights into how a variety of grantmaking initiatives grapple with power, participation, representation, and other important issues.

This report summarizes research and analysis on the governance structures of 10 initiatives organized as participatory grantmaking endeavors, funder collaboratives, or a blend of both.