It’s the fact that our partner felt comfortable naming the need and that we responded with a resounding yes rooted in trust-based philanthropy. Relational Philanthropy is our attempt to remember the names of the children of partners (and the realization that the easiest way to do it is by remembering family members that share the same name! It’s easiest if they are rhyming like my Nana Banana.)

Relational Philanthropy is trying to limit an agenda in many Open Horizon meetings; it serves to instead create space for what is present. Our culture of connection and community is fed when we see the humanity in each other which is not measured by how much one gets done. Open Horizon believes in the importance and power of witnessing each other and allowing space for intuition to guide us through the opportunities to learn; acknowledging and tapping into collective wisdom is a central practice to healing justice.

In a useful piece “Deepening Impact through Relational Philanthropy” in the July 2024 SSIR, by Kathleen Boyle Dalen & Tracy L. McFerrin, they offer:

“…three recommendations to help realize this goal of “relational philanthropy”: 1) commitment to fostering meaningful relationships centered on “we” vs “us/them”; 2) instituting practices that promote shared learning and continuous improvement; and 3) developing a standard of conduct for philanthropy. Braided together, these three elements help close a gap that exists in philanthropy’s ability to consistently dedicate time and resources to relationship building.” https://ssir.org/articles/entry/relational-philanthropy-impact

By taking the time to define community for ourselves and our partners, we take the time to increase our self awareness and check in for alignment with our values.

Relational Philanthropy feels like transformative justice; it centers stories and focuses on the origin of why we live this work in the first place. Our Relational Philanthropy is driven by curiosity, suspending judgment, modeling vulnerability, and practicing perspective taking. It requires us at Open Horizon to do our homework, including when partners share documents and resources in advance for us to review, and expand beyond those horizons by reading books and articles, and absorbing podcasts to deepen our understanding. Relational philanthropy is Open Horizon celebrating and cheerleading partners when they bring joy, and crying with them when they bring sadness or disappointment.

Relational Philanthropy speaks up for the marginalized and understands the importance, the substance, and meaning of the stories. Relational Philanthropy is the stories. It holds the stories; all the stories. It trusts that healing is possible for funders and for the communities with which we are committed to partnering.

By D’Lynn Jacobs, Open Horizon Executive Director