TY - JOUR

T1 - Community engagement and power dynamics in conservation philanthropy grant making

AU - Betsill, Michele M.

AU - Gruby, Rebecca L.

AU - Blackwatters, Jeffrey

AU - Enrici, Ash

AU - Le Cornu, Elodie

AU - Basurto, Xavier

AU - English, Chad

AU - Hudson, Charlotte

AU - Meth, Leah

AU - Fairweather-Morrison, Imani

AU - Okano, Dana

AU - Secord, David

N1 - Funding Information: We thank all research participants, whose contributions to this work made it possible. This research was supported with grants from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation (Grant numbers 2017\u201366579 and 2018\u201368274) and Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (Grant number 1810\u201305974). We thank past and current members of our Research Advisory Committee, H. D\u2032 Agnes, K. Goss, K. Sam, A. Vunisea, and S. Siwatibau, for their guidance throughout all stages of our research. Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Authors. Conservation Biology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology.

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - Funding decisions influence where, how, and by whom conservation is pursued globally. In the context of growing calls for more participatory, Indigenous-led, and socially just conservation, we undertook the first empirical investigation of how philanthropic foundations working in marine conservation globally engage communities in grant-making decisions. We paid particular attention to whether and how community engagement practices reinforce or disrupt existing power dynamics. We conducted semistructured remote interviews with 46 individuals from 32 marine conservation foundations to identify how conservation foundations engage communities in setting their priorities and deciding which organizations and projects to fund. We found that community engagement in foundation decision-making was limited in practice. Eleven of the 32 foundations reported some form of community engagement in funding decisions. Two of these foundations empowered communities to shape funding priorities and projects through strong forms of engagement. Many engagement practices were one way, one time, or indirect and confined to certain points in decision-making processes. These weaker practices limited community input and reinforced unequal power relations, which may undermine the legitimacy, equity, and effectiveness of conservation efforts. We suggest that foundations aim for stronger forms of community engagement and reflect on how their grant-making practices affect power relations between foundations and communities.

AB - Funding decisions influence where, how, and by whom conservation is pursued globally. In the context of growing calls for more participatory, Indigenous-led, and socially just conservation, we undertook the first empirical investigation of how philanthropic foundations working in marine conservation globally engage communities in grant-making decisions. We paid particular attention to whether and how community engagement practices reinforce or disrupt existing power dynamics. We conducted semistructured remote interviews with 46 individuals from 32 marine conservation foundations to identify how conservation foundations engage communities in setting their priorities and deciding which organizations and projects to fund. We found that community engagement in foundation decision-making was limited in practice. Eleven of the 32 foundations reported some form of community engagement in funding decisions. Two of these foundations empowered communities to shape funding priorities and projects through strong forms of engagement. Many engagement practices were one way, one time, or indirect and confined to certain points in decision-making processes. These weaker practices limited community input and reinforced unequal power relations, which may undermine the legitimacy, equity, and effectiveness of conservation efforts. We suggest that foundations aim for stronger forms of community engagement and reflect on how their grant-making practices affect power relations between foundations and communities.

KW - communities

KW - comunidades

KW - conservación marina

KW - decisiones de financiamiento

KW - environmental philanthropy

KW - filantropía ambiental

KW - funding decisions

KW - gestión

KW - governance

KW - marine conservation

U2 - 10.1111/cobi.14272

DO - 10.1111/cobi.14272

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 38622959

AN - SCOPUS:85190939359

VL - 38

JO - Conservation Biology

JF - Conservation Biology

SN - 0888-8892

M1 - e14272

ER -