Thousand Currents Partnership Model
Thousand Currents partners with grassroots communities organized into diverse movement formations. Our model, honed over 40 years, is rooted in the belief that sustainable change arises when solutions are defined by those affected by the problem. We honor the self-determination of communities to solve their own problems, respect the power of collective action to drive change, and understand that change is non-linear, requiring ongoing reading of the dynamics and adapting strategy and action to meet the emerging moment.
Learn more about the powerful work of our partners across the three regions of Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
All Case Studies
Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara
Bufete para Pueblos Indígenas
Kenyan Peasants League
Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra
Nous Sommes La Solution
Southern Peasants Federation of Thailand
Movement Formations
Movement formations are rooted in community, born from members coming together to solve common problems. These formations build strong relationships and a sense of solidarity as they create a shared vision for the future. They evolve into diverse formations such as informal grassroots groups, community based organizations, coalitions, social movements, networks and movement support organizations.
Because movements are made up of the people affected by the issues, regardless of the structure or formation they take, they remain rooted in and accountable to the communities from which they emerge. They create change by working in ways that embody the change they want to see, including deep connecting that centers communities; democratic decision-making, and collaborative action that is highly networked.
We Build Relationships
It is within that understanding that Thousand Currents enters into partnership with movement formations with thought, care and intention.
Identify. Our global programs team, composed of experienced directors with deep regional and thematic expertise, identifies potential partners through their networks., They assess political and values alignment through desk research, conversations with our network, and introductory discussions with prospective partners. If aligned, we conduct due diligence and mutual assessments to ensure a good fit; the process is mutual, as they must also discern if we are the right partner for them.
We Resource
Our partnership approach to resourcing emphasizes flexible funding, accompaniment, and ecosystem engagement.
Partner. Our partnership with movements unfold in phases. An initial 1 – 2 year catalyst phase that allows us to deepen our relationship, build trust, and deepen understanding through site visits and ongoing communications. This catalyst partnership period creates space for us to learn about their work, approach and strategies, as they learn about our approach, engagement, and expectations.
At the end of the year, if there is alignment and a shared vision for the world we want to co-create, the partner is invited to enter into long-term partnership with Thousand Currents. Our partnership and resourcing is:
Long-Term: We understand that social change takes time. It requires effort at multiple levels using different strategies and working in collaboration . So resource our movement partners for 10 years. This supports movement formations to take a long-term view of their work, rather than worrying about sustaining their movement if funding should end abruptly. This long-term approach has enabled us to build trusting and respectful relationships with our partners that extend beyond the time-bound transaction of resources and results.
Flexible: Years of partnership with community groups has also taught us that change is not linear and there are unexpected challenges and emergent opportunities along the way. We provide general operating support with no strings or conditions attached. Our due diligence before committing to our partnerships provides a strong foundation for building trust. Ongoing and open communication further build trust and solidarity. We do not dictate what strategies and activities our partners carry out. We trust that they know their needs best and can allocate resources to achieve their long-term vision.
Relational: Our partnership is centered on solidarity. We maintain strong relationships through regular check-ins, annual reports centering learning, and periodic visits. These visits deepen our connection and understanding of their work by engaging their members and networks to understand the depth and breath of their work.
Accompany: We understand that there are unexpected challenges and emerging opportunities along the course of catalyzing systems change. For that reason, we provide both wrap-around support that includes:
• Spark grants to support movement experiments and innovation.
• Travel grants to key decision making spaces, convenings, or conferences.
• Emergency and security grants in response to the ongoing climate related events as well as the need to be safe from violence.
• Learning grants support participation in learning opportunities, including peer learning exchanges, workshops, and targeted activities to support organizational learning.
• We also connect partners to other opportunities, whether for funding, speaking, or engagement in global processes. We nominate them for awards and recognition and share information about funding opportunities. When they need it, we will serve as a fiscal sponsor.
Complement: The work of systems change requires both long-term action as well as seizing emerging movement moments, requiring significant resources to take a leap forward. We know that there is no single organization that can shift the food systems; movement support organizations, researchers, and cross-movement partners and allies all play an important role in moving the agenda.
We respond to this recognition by complementing long-term partnerships with short-term tactical grants. These 1-to-3-year tactical grants can be provided to our long-term partners as well as to other actors in the ecosystem, supporting campaigns, strategic litigation, cultural production, popular education, alliance building, strategic convenings, and movement building. They are larger grants provided toward a specific opportunity that requires timely and focused action in response to what is emerging in the ecosystem.
Responsible Transition: At least two years before the partnership ends, we begin preparing partners for the end of our funding, linking them to funders and amplifying their work. We see the end of our funding relationship as a transition. The partnership does not end, as many of our partners remain part of our community, contributing to our work and the work of the larger ecosystem in various ways. In some cases partners contribute to our donor education programs or participate in conferences alongside our staff.
We Convene
We support partners by connecting them to each other and to other movements that play a significant role in moving the collective agenda for justice. We hold partner convenings that become rich spaces of learning, reflection, and exploring of opportunities to leverage each other’s strengths, inspiring new ways of working together and opening up opportunities for collaboration. It also helps all partners to situate their work as part of a larger collective.
We also invite and fund partners to attend regional and global convenings to amplify their voices and expertise, and promote advocacy, learning, and transnational movement building.
We Learn
Frontline organizations have diverse and generative ways of collecting and analyzing data, rooted in their multiple ways of understanding knowledge. We develop a learning and evaluation framework that builds upon these existing practices to create a comprehensive process for gathering, analyzing, and sharing data and knowledge. Our framework is informed by consultation with movement partners, peer organizations, and allies, and is power-conscious, non-linear, feminist, Indigenous-informed, and least burdensome. We strive to understand not only the effectiveness of our grantmaking strategies, but also how our work contributes to systemic change.
We Amplify
We recognize that the knowledge we generate through our work is not only valuable to our own organization, but to the broader philanthropic sector. We create knowledge and research products, including donor education programs, op-eds, academic journal pieces, multimedia stories, and white papers to share and disseminate the information and analysis we generate. We are committed to ensuring that these products amplify the voices that are typically left out of mainstream narratives and seek opportunities to work collaboratively with partners and allies. By sharing our learning, we aim to increase the resources and support to frontline communities.
In Brief…
We approach partnerships with humility, respect, and solidarity, embodying the just futures we all envision. We leverage the journey and the insights that emerge from our partnerships to influence practice and the flow of resources to movement formations.
All Case Studies
Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara
Bufete para Pueblos Indígenas
Kenyan Peasants League
Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra
Nous Sommes La Solution
Southern Peasants Federation of Thailand