How will we do this?

It starts with listening first. We’ve spent our first few years primarily doing nothing but listening to those we seek to support. Through implementing our Locally Led ‘Listening Drives’ we’ve listened to leaders of locally-led organizations, advocates, and community-based movements from throughout North America, the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, Europe, and beyond about how they relate to those who support them and the ‘cost’ of pouring heart, mind, and soul into some of the world’s most complex, critical issues. We learned about the kinds of relational support networks, spaces, and practices that empower them to support, accompany, and advocate for the communities they stand in solidarity with.

What we learned through over three years of listening has called us to a clear mission. Here’s how we answer the calling and meet the moment…

I. Everything we do is informed and driven by the communities we support.

Through our Listening Drives initiative, we're listening to community leaders, organizers and advocates capturing their insights, and channeling them into actions that allow their support networks (their community, philanthropists, partner organizations/movements, mental health specialists) to better understand how to support, relate to, and care for the advocates and organizers that .

II. We create space for activists, advocates, and community leaders to heal, refresh, foster critically important support networks.

We co-create and support spaces/initiatives that allow leaders of community-based organizations, activists, and advocates to retreat, reset, heal, and build community with other organizers and advocates within their community.

We provide opportunities for those we serve to learn new approaches to both self-care and collective care that will help them be more conscious of the mental, emotional, and relational wellbeing of their teams, allies, and community members, and learn practical ways to care for, nourish their own wellbeing.

These initiatives/spaces help critically important community leaders and advocates remain holistically healthy so they can sustain their ability to be the leaders, advocates, companions, or ‘family’ members that any given moment requires.

In addition to supporting space-making internationally, in late 2024, we’ll begin working to repurpose a 13-acre riverside farm property in the Pacific Northwest that will act as a one-of-a-kind community space serving leaders of community-based organizations, activists, and advocates in the PNW region.

III. We help organizations through the process of ceding power and positionality to the communities they serve.

The process of ceding power and positionality to the communities an organization serves can be a long, often complex journey. Each group, organization, and cause require a uniquely tailored approach in order to determine what is most realistic, equitable, and sustainable for each context. Locally Led accompanies organizations and community-based movements as they seek to navigate how to reform their organizational model, mission, and leadership structure to place the power and future of their projects into the hands of the communities they serve.

IV. We utilize our positionality and unique insight to mobilize effective advocacy that creates real change.

Through utilizing the unique positionality and insight of our network we mobilize effective advocacy and influencing related to the issues most pertinent to those we support. We work to create opportunities for our local partners to have a voice of influence, hold, and primary stake in the policy, forums, and collective networks that dramatically influence their work and relationship with the communities they serve and live amongst.

V. Unrestricted, community-designed financial support.

We give grants to locally-led organizations, activists, community leaders, and informal community-based groups that are dictated by their terms, need, and contextual preferences.

VI. Model and rehearse the world as it ‘could be’.   

To invite people to imagine the world that’s possible by ‘modeling and rehearsing the world as it should be’ in the spaces, community, and relationships we build.

Committed to real local ownership.

Locally Led deeply believes in a decolonial approach to our work. We deeply believe that the best, localized solutions within the community development, movement, or humanitarian context are those that are led by the communities local to the place where investment, movement building, or a response effort is being undertaken…by those most affected by what is and will take place. This means organizations that are community-led, refugee-led, or locally-led. Therefore we concentrate our support and partnership to locally-led initiatives that are community-based, refugee-led or community-owned…and not international organizations.