This piece was originally published by the Culture & Community Power Fund and has been republished with their permission. Cover image illustrated by Kristen Zimmerman.
“If we’re interested in building true community self-determination, it’s time to shift the underlying worldviews and assumptions that so often drive philanthropic funding.”
– Erik Takeshita, C&CPF Director
This resource comes from the experiences of the Culture & Community Power Fund (C&CPF), a national funding lab designed to align philanthropic practice with the ways communities are already building power through culture.
Founded in 2022, the first three years of C&CPF put a new model for philanthropy to the test. This model differs from the traditional approach in that it involves:
- Considering culture an intrinsic part of power building
- Offering multi-year, unrestricted awards instead of grants
- Investing in entire community ecosystems instead of single institutions
- Collaborating with Grantee-Partners through a high-touch, high-trust approach
- Adjusting funding practices to suit evolving, dynamic needs in real-time
The Center for Evaluation Innovation (CEI) and The Culture & Community Power Fund created this resource, based on the findings from CEI’s 2025 evaluation of the Fund’s work. It’s being offeredit as a resource for funders, community organizers, and cultural institutions interested in building a new philanthropic model that recognizes the immense value of pre-existing cultural ecosystems.