From 2021 to 2023, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund partnered with the Tamarack Institute to implement and facilitate a participatory grantmaking pilot project in the Peel region of Ontario, Canada. The focus of this grantmaking pilot was to build equitable economies for immigrants and refugees. The Peel region was chosen to host the project because it is the only immigrant-majority region within the greater Toronto area, accounting for 51.5% of the 1.37 million residents (statistic from Peel Newcomer Strategy Group census reporting).

Like many other proud residents, I call the Peel region my home.

The Tamarack Institute was interested in hiring an individual from the Peel region to provide insight and assist with the implementation of this pilot project. I joined the Tamarack team and this project shortly after and brought with me my lived experiences as a second-generation immigrant from the Peel region. I was excited to join because I understood, from my perspective as a community organizer, how limiting the conventional funding model could be. I was excited to join a project that aimed to innovate and pilot a funding model grounded in community.

Beyond my own involvement, this project engaged the broader Peel population as well. A People’s Panel was formed, which comprised Peel residents who guided the design and implementation of this funding opportunity. The People’s Panel reflected on their lived experiences and their knowledge of the newcomer settlement sector to identify key issues related to the economic mobility of immigrants and refugees within their community. Together, they co-designed the Building Equitable Economies for Immigrants and Refugees in Peel funding opportunity and defined the key funding priorities.

The foundation (WES Mariam Assefa Fund) completely yielded its decision-making power and gave the People’s Panel the power to not only design the funding opportunity but to make final funding decisions as well. At the core, participatory grantmaking processes are grounded in equity, transparency, and accessibility. This can take many different forms. In some cases, participatory grantmaking engages communities in a consultative manner. This project engaged the community in a deeper way and moved beyond consultation. Using the funding priorities and criteria they co-created, the People’s Panel reviewed project submissions and made final funding decisions as well. In total, $600,000 was disbursed and 6 projects were selected. Each of these projects responded to the needs and key interests identified by the People’s Panel.

This project speaks to the power of co-production and co-creation. Throughout the duration of this project, I admired the way the People’s Panel was able to come together and honour their diverse perspectives. Together they co-created a funding opportunity that recognized the unique cultural, economic, and social realities present within the Peel region. I also witnessed the co-creation of a shared understanding and vision of the Peel region. The diversity present within the panel allowed for a more expansive understanding of the Peel region to emerge. Special consideration was placed on communities and demographics that typically went underserved and underrecognized. This recognition and awareness were reflected within the language used in the funding opportunity, and as a result, it was also reflected in the project proposals that were received.

This project gave community residents the space to participate in important place-based dialogue and decision-making. This process also made space for responsive community solutions to emerge.

This participatory grantmaking project was grounded in local knowledge. I witnessed members of the People’s Panel reflecting on their lived experiences as newcomers in the Peel region. I watched as they identified emerging needs and concerns (such as supporting the growing population of international students). Within Tamarack’s facilitation framework for this project, we also made sure to give the Panel the space to utilize their civic imagination and imagine the ideal conditions for newcomers in the Peel Region. In this way, participatory grantmaking is also an empowering process that encourages civic participation. This project gave community residents the space to participate in important place-based dialogue and decision-making. This process also made space for responsive community solutions to emerge. The People’s Panel developed a funding opportunity that meaningfully connected to the local context, and as a result, this funding opportunity yielded local solutions. The funded grantee projects embodied the realities of Peel region newcomers and offered innovative and relevant solutions to emergent needs and concerns.

Another key feature of this participatory grantmaking project was the role the intermediary organization, the Tamarack Institute, played. Tamarack convened and facilitated this project and supported both the People’s Panel and grantees. Throughout the year-long duration of this funding, we hosted cohort calls, which served as a safe space where grantees could connect with each other, share project updates, and offer support. As a result of this, the grantees meaningfully connected with each other and sowed the seeds for future collaborative efforts. This work was important because it created a space where key actors within the region could come together and participate in knowledge sharing.

All in all, I am incredibly proud of what has come from this project. This participatory grantmaking pilot meaningfully contributed to the region and, created a space for residents to engage in profound dialogue and imagine new ways forward. This project also meaningfully engaged key sector actors and encouraged a culture of collaborative action. Participatory grantmaking is a practice grounded in community. It is a process that depends on community, creates community, and encourages a culture of community-oriented action.

Karenveer Pannu is a community organizer from the Peel Region and works for the Tamarack Institute as a community animator.