Social Movements and Philanthropy: How Foundations Can Support Movement Building
This is an excellent resource created by Barbara Masters, M.A., Masters Policy Consulting; and Torie Osborn, M.B.A., The California Alliance. The following key points from the beginning of the article give a good sense of the content.
“As foundations seek to catalyze broad-based social change, there is a need for greater understanding of what social movements are, how they evolve, and how foundations can support them. Movement building presents unique challenges to foundations. Because movements, by definition, must be driven by the people who are most affected, foundations cannot determine the goals and timetables of a movement. The authors identify five core elements to movement building: organizing an authentic base; leadership; vision and ideas; alliances; and advocacy infrastructure. A framework for evaluating movement building is proposed, which can help foundations identify measureable outcomes and track progress throughout a movement’s various stages.”
