The
Problem
Grassroots nonprofits – particularly those led by people from historically marginalized communities – have always found it disproportionately hard to sustain and grow their work. Support to community-based organizations (CBOs) which form the backbone of deep community outreach, is minimal, with large funders unable to reach these organizations and leaders. The global pandemic aggravated these difficulties resulting in existential challenges for grassroots organizations. A survey of smaller CBOs in 2020 indicated that >70% of non-profits could not hire for key leadership positions due to funding constraints and could not invest in organizational development for better impact.
As an organization that works closely with CBOs across our programs, our scale is intimately tied to a resilient civil society. Our ethos as a grassroots-led organization is embedded in learning from and growing with our partners and working together to ensure dignity and social equity.
Our
Solution
The Grassroots Resilience Institute (GRI) seeks to partner with CBO’s across South and South East Asia and help solve for the specific challenges our partners face in sustaining their organizations. We will support partners through dedicated coaching and training on all aspects of organizational development, focusing on fundraising, financial and regulatory compliance, and programmatic clarity. Our partnership is our commitment to be:
Flexible
Flexible, with respect to the size and stage of organization, and type of support provided.
Customizable
Adaptive to the needs of organizations in question (can be multi-year or single-year, core or program support).
Organization
Biased for mission-aligned organizations led by people from marginalized communities.
We hope to see our work helping grassroots organizations become robust and resilient with program delivery and financial health, and thriving together in an uncertain and complex world.
