At MakeWay, we are proud to host several funding collaboratives that support positive change across Canada.
Funding collaboratives are an innovative way for funders to pool resources, share knowledge, and reduce burdens on community partners—creating deeper and more coordinated impact. By applying to a collaborative rather than multiple individual funders, grant seekers often face simpler processes and benefit from staff who understand regional contexts and can help facilitate partnerships.
In some cases, these collaboratives go further by integrating community leadership and guidance. This helps shift traditional power dynamics, ensuring that those closest to the issues have a meaningful voice in how resources are distributed.
About a year ago, we set out to explore how these community-advised funding collaboratives influence the funders that participate and whether they apply lessons from their experiences elsewhere.
As we spoke with those involved in the Northern Manitoba Food, Culture, and Community Collaborative (NMFCCC), which MakeWay hosts and participates within, we realized that its unique approach deserved a deeper look.
One of the things that sets NMFCCC apart is its deliberate focus on helping funders learn and unlearn so they can better understand community priorities, opportunities, and the lasting impacts of colonialism. By embedding this learning into the grantmaking process, NMFCCC strengthens relationships and understanding without slowing the flow of resources or placing the responsibility of education on communities.
We interviewed funders that are part of NMFCCC (referred to as “collaborators”), along with the Collaborative’s staff and Northern Advisors, to understand the personal and organizational impact of their involvement.
In the resulting report, we explore:
- How the structure and approach of NMFCCC creates space for meaningful learning and unlearning.
- The practices and experiences through which learning occurs.
- The deep personal and professional impact the Collaborative has on those involved.
- How participation has influenced collaborators’ organizational approaches to granting, decision-making, ways of working, and their broader commitment to reconciliation.
One of the key insights from this study is that funders don’t need to have all the answers before engaging with Indigenous communities. Learning can happen alongside the work, and NMFCCC shows it’s possible. By weaving learning and action together, NMFCCC is not only impacting the communities they serve—it’s reshaping funders, their institutions, and the broader philanthropic landscape.
We invite you to read more about the NMFCCC approach and discover what’s possible when we show up with humility, curiosity, and authenticity.