Five migrant worker leaders from four countries gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, in April, alongside staff from the American-based organization Humanity United. They were there for an experiment of sorts — these five people had developed a grantmaking strategy for a specific tranche of Humanity United’s funds. And they were in Nairobi to make the final decision on which organizations would receive it.
The money is specifically devoted to improving the lives of migrant workers and survivors working in Gulf countries.
It’s a new approach for Humanity United, a philanthropy supported by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam. They are delving into participatory grantmaking — an approach where rather than just consulting people impacted by an issue, it goes further to actually cede decision-making power to those impacted so they can decide where to allocate funding.