The three co-founders of Closer Than You Think share what they learned about collaboration and competition as foundation leaders - and why these lessons are so important in a time of uncertainty and rapid change.
If you listen to the ‘conventional wisdom’ for business leaders, you’d probably be inclined to build an organization by first identifying its ‘unique selling points’ and then treating your niche as protected territory. To secure and sustain financial stability, leaders are encouraged to ‘worship their turf’ by focusing on what’s needed to keep their own grass luscious and green, even as the ecosystem they operate in is struggling. In fact, a struggling ecosystem is treated as a welcome opportunity for financial growth through territorial expansion or monopolizing the space.
This is ‘wisdom’ that gave rise to philanthropy as a byproduct of the excessive wealth accumulation made possible by centuries of colonialism, racialized capitalism, and neoliberalism.
In our first roles as leaders of philanthropic institutions, our feminist politics told us that there is another way to get the best for this world. Yet, we’d also been taught the myth that competition is an inherently good thing, because it drives us to be more strategic in using the resources we gain access to in a system that’s based on scarcity.
Those years were filled with many hard lessons, realizations, and enduring questions as we each unlearned behaviors that come hand-in-hand with competition and learned new ways of embracing the collective abundance we try to practice today. The uncertainty and rapid change in the current context makes these lessons even more meaningful.
Lesson 1: Stand Strong as Forests
When the three of us first met, we were working in funding institutions that many would have positioned as rivals, because both supported the activism of girls and young women. Both institutions were gaining profile during a time of plenty, enjoying the fruits of tireless advocates of girls and young people’s leadership, participatory practices, and expanding global women’s rights. In this context, we were also able to adopt new forms of leadership, with the aim to prove that an ethic of care was more impactful than an ethos of competition.
Similar to the ‘crown shyness’ phenomenon in some tree species, we recognized each of our institution’s differing roles, expertise, and networks — whether children’s rights organizations, youth rights organizations, or women’s funds. We gave each other space in order to form a more expansive, stronger forest. We engaged in collaboration to move millions of dollars to girl- and young feminist-led and focused groups around the world, and place adolescent girls at the center of decision making.
Scientific studies show that trees do not stand as lone giants, but rather as cooperative and interdependent communities that send each other distress signals about drought, disease, or insect attacks. Right now, the social justice ecosystem is in a time of distress as philanthropic budgets are being reduced and redirected away from women’s rights programs and foundations that have been prioritizing gender justice are closing altogether.
This isn’t the first time we’ve weathered crises. In recent years, each of us has found ourselves in a flurry of organizing and resource mobilization around different crises — from the COVID-19 pandemic to the violent conflicts in Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Palestine. With each pivot, we gather resources, ideas, knowledge, and skills, and share them as widely as possible.
On the flip side, we have witnessed situations where one actor holds information and resources in an individualistic and territorial way, and we have seen the suffering that causes people in need, as well as the larger collective.
Working with these movement-led groups has pushed us to interrogate the mainstream ideas and methods of measuring growth that prioritizes ‘scaling up’ and ‘growing bigger’ in limited time frames.
Lesson 2: Value the Cross-Pollinators and Weavers
When we stepped down from our respective foundation leadership positions, we also stepped out of working for a single institution. The COVID-19 pandemic immediately followed, and the physical isolation of that moment encouraged the three of us to come together rather than grow apart. It was in this context that we founded Closer Than You Think.
At first, we believed our success would be built off our ability to provide insights and offerings that were only available when the three of us worked as a team. Instead, we found ourselves being drawn toward working independently and developing relationships with different types of institutions.
In navigating various hats, we found that if we were transparent about the power and access we each hold, and clear on our intentions to nourish the broader ecosystem and push organizations and movements forward, we were able to show up in more honest and authentic ways. This helped us to develop a practice where we embrace the multiple identities and roles that each of us plays with intention and accountability.
At the heart of our weaving has been meaningful partnerships with artists and unusual suspects from different sectors. An example of this complementarity was when we launched a campaign called Remember Who Made Them to celebrate the labor and dignity of garment workers. We drew on our connections in business, movements, philanthropy, and creative industries and brought together a fair-fashion influencer, labor organizers, artists, and the world's largest independent design consultancy to create a podcast series that amplified the stories of garment workers and called for a solidarity economy. It was a collaboration that wove genuine relationships across sectors and disciplines, opened new conversations and ways of working, and avoided the instrumentalism of work, ideas, and people that often get treated as a means to an end.
Remember Who Made Them also brought messages about smashing patriarchy, labor organizing, and resisting capitalism to brand new audiences rather than preaching to the choir. This was only possible because we’ve made a commitment to harmonizing our individual notes.
There are some in our sector that have taken steps to recognize and fund the work of individuals who deliberately float between institutions and attend to the liminal spaces by cross-pollinating ideas and weaving relationships that create a stronger, more vibrant ecosystem. While we are careful to not fall into hero-worship, we do think there need to be more initiatives that recognize and reward the value of this work.
Lesson 3: Evolution Takes Many Paths
We are long-time believers of non-linear growth as a purposeful resistance to capitalist structures. There have been moments when we felt Closer Than You Think was not growing as fast as we hoped. But then we remember our experiences within movements and resourcing collectives, groups and organizations led by young people. There are many instances where youth-led groups grow very differently to ‘traditional’ organizations. It is crucial — but can be exceedingly difficult — to support these groups in the right next step for them, be it formalizing as an organization, shifting their purpose, or even dissolving.
We witnessed how many had come together over a specific issue at a moment in time, and as the moment changed, so did the factors driving their coming together. To be clear, while some groups do not want to grow or formalize their institutions — there are others that do — and struggle to get the resources they need to sustain themselves and deepen their impact in their communities.
Working with these movement-led groups has pushed us to interrogate the mainstream ideas and methods of measuring growth that prioritizes ‘scaling up’ and ‘growing bigger’ in limited time frames. Our experiences with young people taught us to value deeper connections, more resilient networks and scaling deep over incremental growth.
With these rooted foundations and understandings, we have a powerful advantage in times of crisis and uncertainty because we grow by embracing complexity, adaptability, and alternative ways of thinking. If we embrace multiple forms of growth, we can strengthen the structural integrity and resilience of our ecosystems even more.
As in Nature, Collaboration Will Strengthen Us All
Just as different tributaries have their own flow, each of us has our own starting points, histories, and experiences. Our working relationships and friendship over the years have honored the uniqueness of each of our paths. We value each other's expertise and networks and know the power of aligning our collective energies to flow together, to turn the tide, and to nurture new possibilities.
Even when resources are seemingly scarce, with some funders retreating and others behaving with a ‘survival of the fittest’ mentality, we remember the many examples from nature that show how competition increases vulnerability, because it reduces one’s capacity to withstand environmental stress. If there was ever a time to emulate nature and build a more functional, leaderful funding ecosystem, this feels like it.
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The Myths of Philanthropy series is being published in collaboration with the Center for Effective Philanthropy, Elemental, and VITA.
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Elemental is a funder learning and grant-making initiative that cultivates conditions to resource narrative power. Find out more about this collaboration opportunity on the Funders Collaborative Hub.
The Funders Collaborative Hub publishes a range of perspectives. The views expressed here are those of the authors, not necessarily those of ACF.
