Blog (By Shahla Raza)
Putting care back into community: Lessons from a journey of Activism to Radical Grant making
As an activist who is also a grassroots funder, I have come to believe in radical care and solidarity as the foundation for better funding practices.
As a grantee, I wish funders would prioritize our needs and see success as the depth of change we are promoting, rather than counting numbers or demanding lengthy reports. Over time, I’ve realized traditional philanthropy is outdated. It doesn’t serve grassroots work effectively. What we need are bold, supportive approaches that truly back the transformative efforts happening in communities.
Earlier this year, I began the practice of participatory grant-making as a new Board member of Safe Passage Fund, which is a feminist and activist-led intermediary, seeding and nourishing grassroots movements for migrant justice. Engaging in the funders’ field as a grassroots activist has been eye-opening. It has reinforced my belief that meaningful change can only come with care, trust, and flexibility . When you come from working directly with communities, philanthropic funding often feels out of sync with the realities we face. Restrictions tied to these grants rarely match the dynamic and responsive nature of grassroots work.
The Challenges of Traditional Philanthropy for Grassroots Work: Lessons from Grassroots Activism
As a grassroots activist, large international funders felt more like obstacles than allies. Their support often came with strict conditions—extensive paperwork, rigid budgets, and timelines that rarely matched the urgent, responsive nature of community work. The reporting requirements alone were overwhelming, and keeping up with them while addressing real-world challenges seemed impossible.
These grants also demanded measurable, large-scale outcomes, which clashed with my approach. Social change isn’t always about big numbers; sometimes, it’s a quiet, intangible transformation in a small and very local community. But large donors often dismiss this kind of impact. Their focus on high-volume results leaves little room for the multi-layered, sustainable change I am committed to.
I chose a different path. Instead of chasing institutional funding, I sought support from people who knew me and trusted my work. These were small donors – intermediary funds, solidarity organizations that included activists as partners, crowdfunding through individual supporters – who cared more about the community impact rather than formal reports. They provided unrestricted funds, letting me respond to emerging needs without bending my work to fit a rigid framework. Often, there were no reports—just trust, transparency, and a shared vision for change.
While this approach brought freedom, it wasn’t sustainable. Individual donations can only go so far, and the constant need to find new supporters took its toll. This challenge is why small funding organizations like the Safe Passage Fund are essential.
A New Model for Grantmaking
Grantmakers like Safe Passage Fund, along with Leap Collective and one of its experiment projects, Collective Abundance, represent the future of funding, embracing what we call “radical care.” This approach prioritizes trust, flexibility, and the well-being of those working on the frontlines of change. Here’s how:
Flexible Funding: By offering unrestricted grants, funders allow activists to allocate resources where they’re needed most. Community work is unpredictable, and this flexibility makes it possible to respond effectively to urgent needs.
Trust over Paperwork: Radical care relies on trust. Donors who build genuine, long-term relationships with grantees don’t need constant validation. This approach lets activists focus on their work instead of negotiating endless red tape.
Recognizing Deep Impact: Small-scale transformations often have the most profound and lasting effects. Radical care shifts the focus away from numbers and celebrates the meaningful, personal changes that can transform a community.
Prioritizing Well-being: Grassroots work is demanding and emotionally taxing. Supporting the mental health and sustainability of activists—whether through wellness programs, flexible timelines, or direct financial support—is a crucial part of radical care.
Bridging the Two
At the Safe Passage Fund, we work hard to bring care and trust into how we support grassroots activists, though we know there’s always more to learn. Having been on both sides—as a grantee and now a funder—I see where things need to change. I understand the frustration of rigid funding systems and recognize the potential we have as grantmakers to do better.
One of the things I’m proud of is our volunteer board, made up of activists who are deeply committed to supporting grassroots movements. They bring solidarity, passion, and essential intergenerational and international perspectives to our grantmaking. This year, we accepted applications in multiple languages and from a wide range of regions. Thanks to our diverse board and volunteer network, we were able to support many of these applicants.
That said, we’ve had our challenges. Finding fast and flexible ways to support grantee partners outside the EU has been tricky. We’ve also struggled with fitting ourselves into neat funding categories to secure the funds we need to keep going. It’s frustrating, but it’s a reminder of why we’re here—because grassroots movements often face these same barriers.
With migration policies tightening and civic spaces shrinking across Europe and beyond, it’s more important than ever to deepen our relationships with grassroots groups. These are the folks on the frontlines, feeling the brunt of these challenges and fighting back. We need to get resources to them, quickly and without unnecessary hoops.
What keeps me committed is the belief that we can make real change by embedding care into everything we do. This means not obsessing over numbers or polished outcomes but valuing the resilience we help build in individuals, the strength of the communities we support, and the trust we share with our partners.