Over 4-6 April 2023, Decolonizing Wealth Project and Peace Direct will hold a three-day online consultation on ‘Decolonizing Global Philanthropy.’
Join the conversation.
Decolonizing Wealth Project (DWP) is a philanthropic foundation disrupting the flow of capital. DWP’s vision is a world where racial equity is the norm, and new systems and ways of being mean everyone can live their best lives, healing from generations of colonial trauma.
Peace Direct is an international charity dedicated to stopping wars, one person at a time. In conflict zones around the world, we support local people to stop violence and build long term peace.
Decolonizing Wealth Project has commissioned Peace Direct to research and write a report on how global philanthropy can be decolonised, highlighting the challenges and progress so far. With this in mind, we invite activists and changemakers across the philanthropic sector, and international development sector more broadly, who are committed to decolonising and redistributing power, to be part of the conversation. We particularly encourage those from (or descending from) Africa and Asia.
Deadline to register: Monday 3rd April 17:00 GMT
Whilst some donors and foundations in philanthropy have begun to acknowledge the harm the sector causes, perpetuating colonialism, centring the global north, and hoarding resources accumulated through extraction and violence. Philanthropy as a whole, has struggled to grapple with its complicity, the continued recurrence of colonial and anti-Black behaviours and approaches, the root of these problems, and how to make amends. The sector must change to unlock the transformative potential, moreover shift power and redistribute resources justly. To ensure progress, donors and funders need to assess where their money goes, and how their funding and ways of working may perpetuate the problems they aim to solve.
To this end, Decolonizing Wealth Project and Peace Direct will hold a consultation to discuss ways to ‘Decolonize Global Philanthropy.’ We will hold a three-day online conversation over 4-6 of April. It will be held on Platform4Dialogue*.
Some of the key questions we’ll explore during this conversation are:·
- What is the purpose of global philanthropy?
- In what ways do ‘Global North’ philanthropic foundations and institutions reproduce colonial attitudes and approaches?
- Do ‘Global South’ organisations and individuals emulate a colonial model of philanthropy? If so, in what ways, and why?
- In what ways can global donors and funders develop a decolonised approach and show greater solidarity with communities racialised as Black and communities of colour?
Through this discussion, we hope to learn from real-life examples of good practices. We encourage participants to share their own experiences where possible. We acknowledge that many of these discussions will be difficult and uncomfortable, and we will hold this space with care. Though difficult, these conversations are critical in ensuring that global philanthropy helps build new, just and equitable realities. Please forward this to anyone you think might be interested.
How will it work? The conversations will take place on Peace Direct’s Platform4Dialogue* online discussion platform for three days, over 4-6 of April.
The consultation will be available in English, French, and Spanish, but there will also be the opportunity for discussions to be held in Arabic. Participants who speak Arabic will be able to use the automatic translation function built into the discussion platform. We will also hold additional Zoom calls to build on these initial conversations. There will be the option to show interest in these additional conversations in the registration form.
A public report will be produced from this consultation to present the findings to the wider sector. Some participants may be asked for their consent to have their comments from the consultation quoted in this report.
If you have any questions about this consultation, please contact Raaval Bains at [email protected]
*Platform4Dialogue is an online text-based platform that allows participants to contribute at times most suitable to them. It is possible to fit participation around your usual commitments and various time-zones.