Foundations and nonprofits can do more good in the world, advancing equity and co-creating more positive outcomes, when they regularly and deeply listen to the people and communities most affected by their decisions.

As the listening and feedback field has grown more robust, the question we most often hear has shifted from:

Why does listening matter?
to
We recognize the importance of listening, but how do we do it well?
Listening well means:
Listening with a willingness to change in response to what you hear.
Listening to a broad range of voices, with specific attention to people and communities not typically consulted by philanthropy and nonprofits.
Committing to an ongoing process, not a one-time activity, that includes closing the loop by reporting back on what you hear and how you plan to respond.
Engaging with people and communities as partners throughout a listening process — from framing initial  feedback questions to making meaning from what is heard to determining how to respond and change.
How do funders listen well?

We created this menu to help answer that question. It features a variety of ways funders are listening across the many dimensions of their work, and is designed to help you think broadly and systematically about how to listen, respond, and shift power to the people and communities at the heart of your work.

As you review the examples, consider how your funding practices, operations, policies, and values either support or create barriers to listening well.

Get inspired by this collection of ideas to spark the changes you want to see.

Real-life examples highlight practices and policies that value lived expertise, improve grantmaking, and advance equity.

About this collection

We offer a range of examples because there are no one-size-fits-all solutions; and we share them in a menu format so you can pick and choose what’s interesting or relevant to you. We don’t rank the practices or the organizations employing them or intend to signal that any featured funder has listening figured out or listens well across the board. Each example represents only a moment in time — a practice one of your peers told us (or an intermediary) about, and that we hope might inspire you to enhance your own listening work.

We encourage you to examine the menu with a willingness to turn kernels of ideas into something right for you. Remember to assess your organization’s understanding of the values, commitment level, and resources needed to implement high-quality listening and feedback practices. For more information on preparing to incorporate new practices or programs, check out our Participatory Philanthropy Toolkit’s Funder Readiness Assessment.

New & Noteworthy
Let’s lift up listening!

The menu is full of examples from a range of sources, including our partner funders, media reports, and the report “Bridging the Gap: A Review of Foundation Listening Practices” by the consulting firm Ekouté.

But it is a living document and we will continue to add to it as new examples of funders listening well roll in. We encourage you to share your ideas and experiences with us. Have you seen funder listening in action?