Explore Our Articles

Check out our story archive and search for a specific article here

When Participatory Investing Meets Compassion

Proximate Investing

|

When Participatory Investing Meets Compassion The next era of participatory investing needs to embed compassion, too Ben Wrobel and Brooke Tucker

Are We Leveraging Our Collective Power?

|

Are We Leveraging Our Collective Power?Reflections on Dreaming, Intergenerational Knowledge, and Feminist Practice Divya Mukand, Theo Sowa, and Laura Vergara

The Global South House is Coming to COP30

|

The Global South House is Coming to COP30 This year in Bélem, a new space will host conversations about shifting power in climate finance Ben Wrobel

Setting the Philanthropic Advising Field Free

|

Setting the Philanthropic Advising Field Free Philanthropy doesn’t need more gatekeepers – it needs open source information Molly Judge

Five Myths About Participatory Investing and the Law

Proximate Investing

|

Five Myths About Participatory Investing and the Law An interview with Bruce Campbell on structuring participatory investment vehicles Ben Wrobel

How Two Growing Communities Attracted Capital for Affordable Housing

Proximate Investing

|

How Two Growing Communities Attracted Capital for Affordable Housing In the Coachella Valley and Atlanta, the Capital Absorption Framework helped build a pipeline for affordable housing Dmitriy Ioselevich

What Seed Sovereignty Looks Like When Women Lead the Way

|

What Seed Sovereignty Looks Like When Women Lead the Way Nous Sommes la Solution is a movement of rural women fighting for agroecology and seed sovereignty Isabelle Clérié

Reimagining the Playbook for Communities Seeking Private Investment

Proximate Investing

|

Reimagining the Playbook for Communities Seeking Private Investment The Capital Absorption Framework empowers community leaders to take a more active role in leveraging private capital Dmitriy Ioselevich

Strategic Philanthropy Goes to Therapy: Session Two

Proximate Brasil

|

Strategic Philanthropy Goes to Therapy: Session Two The second part of an ongoing series Joana Ribeiro Mortari

Reclaiming the Commons: A New Vision for Nonprofit Infrastructure

|

Reclaiming the Commons: A New Vision for Nonprofit Infrastructure Why shared management – not isolated entities – should be the default Thaddeus Squire

Filantropia Estratégica no Divã: Segunda Sessão

Proximate Brasil

|

Filantropia Estratégica no Divã: Segunda Sessão A segunda parte de uma série Joana Ribeiro Mortari

Solving the Puzzle of Feminist Fiscal Sponsorship

|

Solving the Puzzle of Feminist Fiscal Sponsorship Recommendations for funders and fiscal sponsors on a "thorny" tension Bipasha Ray

New Seneca Village Sees Restoration as Core to Leadership

Grassroots Grantmaking

|

New Seneca Village Sees Restoration as Core to Leadership At the edge of burnout, a new model for healing movement leaders takes root Proximate

What Does It Take to Fund Radical Collaboration?

Grassroots Grantmaking

|

What Does It Take to Fund Radical Collaboration?A conversation with BLIS Collective about their new Radical Collaboration Fund Ben Wrobel

Don't Say We Didn't Tell You

|

Don't Say We Didn't Tell You Democracy reimagined by youth-led movements in the Global Majority Maheen Kaleem, Jody Myrum, Laura Vergara

How the Just Transition Integrated Capital Fund is reimagining risk and return

Proximate Investing

|

How the Just Transition Integrated Capital Fund is reimagining risk and return Justice Funders is helping foundations get their money off Wall Street Grace Chai

What Are Business Schools For?

Proximate Investing

|

What Are Business Schools For?With crises converging, the call for radical change in business education has never been stronger. Can MBA programs equip students to serve society?Anna Patton

Philanthropy in Puerto Rico grew after Hurricane Maria. What will happen now?

Grassroots Grantmaking

|

Philanthropy in Puerto Rico grew after Hurricane Maria. What will happen now?The philanthropic sector grew after Hurricane Maria’s landfall. Will the Trump era bring it back to its pre-Maria state?Carlos Berríos Polanco

Fondo Territorial Mesoamericano is a Grantmaker Rooted in Existing Political Power

|

Fondo Territorial Mesoamericano is a Grantmaker Rooted in Existing Political Power An Indigenous-led grantmaking vehicle builds on territorial organizations’ own governance structures Proximate

Who Controls Capital? Jewish Teachings on Debt and Justice

Proximate Investing

|

Who Controls Capital? Jewish Teachings on Debt and Justice An excerpt from "Put Your Money Where Your Soul Is"Rabbi Jacob Siegel

When Communities Lead, Violence Falls

Grassroots Grantmaking

|

When Communities Lead, Violence Falls A perspective from South Africa on why the solution to violence needs to be rooted in community Busiswa Dayimani

An Essential Ingredient to Rebuild Public Media

|

An Essential Ingredient to Rebuild Public Media We're losing the systematic capacity for community-rooted media. Fiscal sponsors can help.Lina Srivastava

Dreaming as Resistance

Grassroots Grantmaking

|

Dreaming as Resistance What happens when Dalit girls reimagine the world Priyanka Samy

How Puerto Rico's Seed Banks Are Boosting Food Sovereignty

Repairing Development

|

How Puerto Rico's Seed Banks Are Boosting Food Sovereignty Inside the community-led movement safeguarding Puerto Rico’s food systems [with 9 Millones]Luis Alexis Rodríguez-Cruz

GoFundMe Disrupts the DAF industry – Seeking 13.5% in “Tips”

Unlocking Abundance

|

GoFundMe Disrupts the DAF industry – Seeking 13.5% in “Tips”For-profit enterprise breaks new ground, but will it work with its DAF customers? Jon Pratt

Philanthropy Northwest Steps Into the DAF Debate

Unlocking Abundance

|

Philanthropy Northwest Steps Into the DAF Debate The regional network explains why transparency and timely payouts matter for communities Philanthropy Project

Words Matter: Especially When They Carry the Weight of History

Grassroots Grantmaking

|

Words Matter: Especially When They Carry the Weight of History Words shape funding flows, policy priorities, and which ideas are seen as “investable”Babita Patel

The Creative and Political Power of Dreaming

Grassroots Grantmaking

|

The Creative and Political Power of Dreaming (Re)Imagining the world through the eyes of girls Juliana Román Lozano

Proxonomics Newsletter July

Proximate Investing

|

Summer Newsletter: Health and Investing In this edition, we explore what accountability could look like from a number of different angles Sonia Sarkar

The Next Fight for New York City: Who Controls the Money?

Proximate Investing

|

The Next Fight for New York City: Who Controls the Money?Making Mamdani’s vision governable through community control over public capital Ayushi Vig

Can Impact Measurement Account for Lived Experience?

Proximate Investing

|

Can Impact Measurement Account for Lived Experience?The need to center stakeholder engagement in impact measurement Dmitriy Ioselevich

The Long History of Community-Controlled Capital in the United States

Proximate Investing

|

The Long History of Community-Controlled Capital in the United States Participatory investing isn’t new. For many, community-controlled capital was often the only source of wealth Haleema Shah and Ben Wrobel

Should Health Conversion Foundations Set the Bar on Community Voice?

Proximate Investing

|

Should Health Conversion Foundations Set the Bar on Community Voice?With their unique mission, some are pushing conversion foundations to set a standard for investing their $40 billion in assets Sonia Sarkar

Welcome to Proximate Investing

Proximate Investing

|

Welcome to Proximate Investing Exploring the emerging field of community-controlled capital in the United States Proximate

Are We Ready to Rank Participation in Investing?

Proximate Investing

|

Are We Ready to Rank Participation in Investing?“Best of” lists of impact-driven funds include some with participatory models – the overlaps can be revealing Meg Massey

Beyond the Wire Transfer: Why Remittances Deserve a Seat at Philanthropy’s Table

Rethinking Resources

|

Why Remittances Deserve a Seat at Philanthropy’s Table The African Diaspora Network wants to transform remittances – from emergency relief to a form of economic agency Zohra Zori

Newsletter Grassroots Grantmaking July 2025

Grassroots Grantmaking

|

Newsletter: Can funders support agroecology on its own terms?New stories on agroecology, DAFs, fiscal sponsorship and more Proximate

Guerrilla Foundation’s Coming of Age

Grassroots Grantmaking

|

Guerrilla Foundation’s Coming of Age As its governance evolves, Guerrilla Foundation is testing what it means to align grantmaking strategy with values Anna Patton

Does Agroecology Funding Match Agroecology Needs?

|

Does Agroecology Funding Match Agroecology Needs?Agroecology is gaining donors. But are movements gaining power?Ben Wrobel and Maria Balcazar Tellez

The Land Remembers As Communities Re-member Africa's Food Sovereignty

|

The Land Remembers As Communities Re-member Africa's Food Sovereignty Agroecology and participatory funding are two sides of the same coin Vincent Mwangi

Inside a Movement-Led Strategy for Agroecology Funding

|

Inside a Movement-Led Strategy for Agroecology Funding A conversation with Grassroots International on building movements, resisting cooptation, and bringing funders into the fold Proximate

Filantropia Estratégica no Divã

Proximate Brasil

|

Filantropia Estratégica no Divã A Filantropia Estratégica entra na sala da terapista junguiana Joana Ribeiro Mortari

Strategic Philanthropy Goes to Therapy

Proximate Brasil

|

Strategic Philanthropy Goes to Therapy Strategic Philanthropy enters the Jungian therapist's office.Joana Ribeiro Mortari

“A Flag in the Wilderness”: Inside the Philanthropy Project’s Push for Reform

Unlocking Abundance

|

Inside the Philanthropy Project’s Push for Reform The Philanthropy Project is creating space for nonprofit practitioners to speak out for reform Grace Chai

From Temporary Incubators to Ecosystem Builders

Fiscal Sponsorship

|

From Temporary Incubators to Ecosystem Builders We need to move beyond “up and out” to “up and in"Tatianna Montanez and Seth Kirshenbaum

What Is Agroecology – And Why Does It Matter?

|

What Is Agroecology – And Why Does It Matter?Defining a movement at the intersection of food, land, and local knowledge Proximate

We’re Not Intermediaries. We’re Infrastructure.

|

We’re Not Intermediaries. We’re Infrastructure.Activist funds aren’t just middlemen. We're part of the movement.Maria Amália Souza

What If We Funded Agroecology Differently?

|

What If We Funded Agroecology Differently?Six Global South funds are modeling a more rooted and relational way to move money Paula Tanscheit

Reciprocity Should Become the New Standard for Working With Intermediaries

|

Reciprocity Should Become the New Standard Why philanthropy’s “shopping list” approach to intermediaries is backfiring Cynthia Gibson and Maria Mottola

Predictions: The Future of Fiscal Sponsorship

|

Predictions: The Future of Fiscal Sponsorship What’s next for the background infrastructure powering the grassroots?Proximate

“The Answer Is Us”: How Podáali Is Reclaiming Indigenous Philanthropy in the Amazon

|

How Podáali Is Reclaiming Indigenous Philanthropy in the Amazon An interview with Rose Apurinã on trust, territory, and the power of Indigenous-led funding Joana Ribeiro Mortari

Proximate is an independent media platform covering movements for participatory problem-solving. We look at the news through the lens of money: how it’s given away, how it’s invested, and how it’s distributed by government.
We are a fiscally sponsored project of Movement Strategy Center.

Get Our Monthly Issues

Proximate

© 2025 PROXIMATE ® ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.