Participatory Practice
An important thread that runs through Cynthesis Consulting's work is ensuring the full and authentic participation of people in addressing the issues affecting them—whether it’s health care, politics/democracy, education, and/or philanthropy.
Designed and facilitated a national participatory grantmaking initiative for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Designed and oversaw one of the Ford Foundation’s first participatory grantmaking initiatives.
For the Case Foundation, wrote Citizens at the Center—a new framework integrating deliberative governance research/theory/practice with civic engagement that has since become a field standard.
Applied framework by developing the country’s first open-source participatory grantmaking program, which was highlighted in the New York Times and the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Co-evaluator of the initiative, which became a model for other participatory philanthropy programs.
Authored two seminal publications (published by the Ford Foundation and GrantCraft) and several nationally distributed articles synthesizing participatory grantmaking theory and practice.
For CFLeads, helped design and oversee a national initiative encouraging community foundations to incorporate resident engagement in their work. Wrote framing paper and advised on strategy for a consensus-building process with 60+ philanthropic leaders that led to a national “call to action” and practice framework.
For Carnegie Corporation of New York, created a new typology for the youth civic engagement field that melded traditional, experiential, and participatory approaches and became a field standard.
Co-authored Civic Mission of Schools, which offered data-based policy recommendations for better K-12 civic learning, and oversaw a national deliberative/participatory process that led to it being endorsed by 50+ scholar and practitioner leaders nationwide. The most requested publication in the foundation’s history, the report was also cited in numerous news articles and cited as part of proposed federal legislation.
Assessed Oak Foundation’s participatory philanthropy activities across seven programs internationally. Developed typology for large foundations to evaluate these activities.
For the Nathan Cummings Foundation, developed a strategy for advancing the then-new concept of family-centered health care that advocated for people in underserved communities to be full partners in health systems.
Convened field leaders and produced a consensus-based report with typologies and tenets that was featured at V.P. Al Gore’s policy conference and has since become standard practice.
Co-authored publications and developed a framework for a new approach to leadership education in colleges/universities that emphasizes community problem-solving, collaboration, co-creation, and participatory governance.