In this episode of the Philanthropisms podcast we hear from Martha Mackenzie (CEO of Civic Power Fund) and Sufina Ahmad (CEO of John Ellerman Foundation) about the current context for civil society advocacy and campaigning in the UK, and what the future might hold.
Including:
Why is the legitimacy of civil society campaigning being called into question in the UK and in other countries around the world?- Why do these narratives gain traction with the public?
- How can CSOs counter these narratives?
- Does this require civil society to acknowledge the kernels of truth in some criticisms and deal with those issues?
- Do activists have a tendency to assume that public opinion is closer to their views than it actually is?
- What is the risk that social justice activists can themselves exacerbate challenges around division if they are censorious or morally absolutist, or fail to moderate their language and tactics?What toll can activism and campaigning take on the individuals involved? How can funders help to mitigate this?
- Why has the long-standing consensus on the value of civil society pluralism been challenged in recent years?
- Have we simply forgotten how to “disagree well”, and should civil society be seeking to create more spaces where we can do this?
- What does good philanthropic funding for grassroots organisations or social movements look like?
- Why is it important to fund social change at an ecosystem level? What does this mean in practice?
Further Resources:
- A blog Sufina has written for John Ellerman Foundation to accompany this episode
- UCL Policy Lab’s report on “The Future of Campaigning and Advocacy in Britain” (in partnership with Civic Power Fund and John Ellerman Foundation)
- The Civic Power Fund
- The John Ellerman Foundation
- More in Common’s research on “Progressive Activists” and “Dissenting Disruptors“
- WPM articles on “The History of Social Justice Philanthropy in the UK” and “Philanthropy at a Time of Chaos“
- Philanthropisms episode on “Philanthropy in an Era of Populist Politics“, and conversations with Liv Egholm & Pia Gerber, Farai Chideya, and Daniel Stid.
