The nonprofit sector is increasingly invested in equitable philanthropy and community-driven initiatives for social impact. We celebrate that. Yet, the immense resources and effort required by grassroots organizations to provide essential services are often overlooked. Many organizations struggle to sustain their finances, teams, and leadership, which jeopardizes their ability to take up transformational opportunities—and, in turn, their impact. Meanwhile, well-meaning funders face “choice overload” as they sort through numerous requests for funding—with limited insight into the effectiveness of grassroots organizations.
Place-based intermediaries (PBIs) are emerging as a solution. PBIs are region-specific organizations that provide capacity-building support to grassroots organizations, connect isolated stakeholders, and foster networks built on shared values to accelerate social impact together.
Drawing on the co-leadership of CORE (Community Organizations Reimagining Ecosystems), a national cohort of eight PBIs—Co.act, Community Wealth Partners, Mission Capital, Propeller, Radical Partners, Rooted in Vibrant Communities, Social Innovation Forum, and Social Justice Partners Los Angeles—as well as research from ideas42, this article explores how PBIs leverage their local knowledge and provide tailored support to cultivate sustainable, impactful change.
What do place-based intermediaries do?
Place-based intermediaries deeply understand a region’s unique necessities, resources, and power dynamics to bridge stakeholders, and they often challenge the status quo by making innovative calls to action. Additionally, being rooted in the community allows PBIs to act as catalysts that adapt quickly to emerging needs, refining strategies in real time and shifting resources to maximize impact. This agility ensures their work helps address their community’s evolving priorities and ongoing challenges.
Here are the primary functions of PBIs:
Capacity building: PBIs provide support for grassroots organizations that may lack the infrastructure or resources to scale their impact.
Leadership development: PBIs help train local leaders, build resilient organizations, and prevent burnout. They also offer operational support, providing logistical, administrative, and financial resources—often including fiscal sponsorship—to help organizations focus on their core missions.
Resource mobilization: PBIs assist with connecting organizations to local and regional donor networks and ensuring access to vital funding. These efforts are essential for grassroots organizations, as they create a ripple effect in local communities, building long-term sustainability and strengthening impact.
Connecting diverse stakeholders: Across sectors and social issues, PBIs bring together grassroots organizations, funders, civic leaders, businesses, and government agencies. By fostering collaboration, PBIs enable communities to share resources, leverage local expertise, and catalyze collective efforts to address their unique challenges by co-creating tailored solutions.
Create long-term, sustainable ecosystems for social impact: By convening stakeholders as trusted advisors, promoting shared learning, and aligning on common goals and community-defined success metrics, PBIs cultivate a cohesive and effective social impact ecosystem that ultimately drives systemic change.
How have place-based intermediaries made a difference?
One example of a successful PBI is the Social Innovation Forum (SIF) in Boston. In 2016, SIF identified a gap in support for immigrant-serving organizations in response to rising anti-immigrant rhetoric. They united a diverse group of funders, from large foundations to individual donors, to elevate the visibility and sustainability of local immigrant-serving groups. This collaborative effort not only strengthened community engagement but also cultivated new partnerships in Boston’s social impact ecosystem.
Another example is Propeller in New Orleans, which addressed systemic barriers to economic opportunity for BIPOC-owned businesses. Propeller facilitated equitable procurement processes in the green infrastructure sector, connecting BIPOC-owned businesses with key agencies like the Sewerage and Water Board. Through education and relationship building, the PBI showed how strategic partnerships can drive systems change.
How are place-based intermediaries working to strengthen their impact?
After concluding a two-year pilot of collaborative learning and coining the term “place-based intermediary,” our growing national cohort is now focused on several key strategies based on ideas42’s research to strengthen the role of place-based intermediaries.
A central initiative is expanding the National PBI Directory, which promotes visibility for PBIs and facilitates access for donors and other stakeholders to PBIs and grassroots organizations. We’re also mapping collaborative initiatives and funders seeking to invest in systemic change approaches. By identifying gaps and opportunities for collaboration, we can more effectively align resources, strengthen collective impact, and foster a more coordinated approach to social issues.
Another focus is providing capacity-building and wellness support for PBIs and their staff. Those supporting grassroots leaders also need to enhance organizational capacity and sustain the well-being of all changemakers.
What stakeholders can do to support place-based intermediaries
Funders can prioritize sustainable, unrestricted funding for all organizations, including place-based intermediaries. Flexible funding supports PBIs’ stability, capacity building, and network-strengthening efforts while benefiting the grassroots organizations we serve and scaling community-rooted solutions.
Social impact leaders and grassroots organizations can connect with a local PBI to explore collaborations and learn from shared resources. By leveraging community knowledge and building partnerships, we can create more tailored, impactful solutions.
Fellow PBIs can explore resources such as the National PBI Directory, PBI Glossary, and blog posts to learn more. By learning and growing together, we can enhance our collective impact.
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