Participatory funding: An equitable form of donation

Participatory funding is an equitable approach to funding. The goal is to share the power of donor organizations’ funding and decision-making processes with grant recipients. This model seeks to recognize the ownership and legitimacy of territorial organizations regarding the experiences, realities, needs and demands of the issues surrounding them and, from this perspective, to enable their strategic presence in decision-making spaces related to funding. Participatory funding ensures that decisions are better informed, producing stronger results and greater impact on the problems they aim to address.

Based on interviews with donors in Brazil, and a mapping of the landscape for participatory funding in the country, this report aims to understand participatory philanthropy: its principles and values, challenges and potential. This is in order to develop participatory practices and models as methodological funding tools. In doing so, the hope is to encourage, support and guide donor institutions that are willing to invest in this model.

Published by: PIPA Initiative

Published: September 2025

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