Thrive Community Grantmaker: Putting Grantees and Donors at the Heart of Grant Decisions

Giving community voices the power to shape funding and advance localized, sustainable plant-based initiatives.

What if you could decide where philanthropic dollars go?

At Thrive Philanthropy, we are decolonizing grantmaking by flipping the traditional philanthropy model on its head. Instead of decisions being made behind closed doors by large foundations, we are reimagining philanthropy as a collaborative, community-centered process.

Thrive Philanthropy launches the Thrive Community Grantmaker to invite voices not traditionally heard in grant decision-making: small-scale donors and grantees themselves. Each quarter, monthly donors and grantees lend their voice and vote to decide who receives the Thrive Community Grant.

This approach invites inclusivity, democracy, and lived experience into the funding process, ensuring that resources support initiatives that truly reflect community priorities. Each quarter, monthly donors and grantees lend their voices and votes, helping to shape the future of sustainable food systems.

The first recipient of this innovative grant is Gulay Na from the Philippines. Gulay is championing plant-based food heritage through community cooking workshops and partnerships with farmers, Indigenous Peoples, and local advocates. Her work celebrates traditional Filipino cuisine at risk of disappearing due to Western colonization while promoting a sustainable, localized, plant-based food system.

By centering community voices in grantmaking, Thrive Philanthropy is shifting power, amplifying local expertise, and supporting initiatives that reflect the priorities of those directly impacted.

Your voice matters. Join the Thrive Community Grantmaker by becoming a monthly contributor of $5 or more, and help decide which advocates receive funding each quarter.

learn more and become our community grant maker at: www.thrivephilanthropy.org/communitygrantmaker