Start Well

White board with a drawing of a winding river across the paper horizontally with the sentence "Where are you on your PGM journey?" written on top of its path, surrounded by smaller messages.

Our Cohorts

Our cohorts provide a peer learning community for members at different stages of their PGM journey.

Our aim is to cultivate a network of philanthropy professionals who can support each other and participatory grantmaking as it continues to gain momentum over the next decade and beyond.

About the Start Well Cohort

Our Start Well cohort is a learning program designed for individuals and organisations embarking on their journey into participatory grantmaking (PGM). It's designed to equip participants with the foundational knowledge and skills needed to establish effective participatory grantmaking practices.

The program runs from June to Dec. 2025. Meeting monthly, the program offers workshops, peer to peer sessions, and one on one coaching with members of the faculty.

  • Demystify PGM: Understand core principles, values, and tensions
  • Gain practical tools: Explore real-world models, frameworks, and case studies
  • Build connections: Learn with a global peer group
  • Reflect and adapt: Apply learning to your unique context

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Start Well is designed and delivered by a brilliant faculty of practitioners who have led, built, and shaped participatory grantmaking in organisations around the world. Together, they bring decades of experience across philanthropy, grassroots organising, feminist funding, governance, and systems change. Throughout the programme, you’ll learn directly from their real-world work, benefit from their generosity as facilitators, and explore a rich mix of global perspectives.

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2024 Start Well Cohort

Anjelica Finnegan, a white long haired brunette wearing glasses and a denim shirt

Anjelica Finnegan

Development Lead at York Together, UK
Chamrid Kpadonou, a short-haired black man wearing sunglasses and a red thobe, standing in front of patterned planters and greenery on the wall.

Chamrid Kpadonou

Technical Project Manager at African Visionary Fund, Africa
Deborah Mueller, a white grey haired woman, wearing a yellow shirt and a white blazer in front of greenery

Deborah Mueller

Director of Operations and Grants Management at the Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation, USA
Fae Mira Gerlach, a white long haired woman, wearing a blue tshirt and smiling in front of greenery

Fae Mira Gerlach

Grant Manager at Turn2Us Edinburgh Trust, UK
Jasmine George, an indian woman with curly black hair wearing a white dotted shirt, smilling.

Jasmine George

Consultant in philanthropy, India
Joel Espino, a white short haired man wearing a dark blue dotted shirt in front of a light blue background smilling

Joel Espino

Social Justice Lawyer at Wend Collective, USA
Julie Walton, a white short haired brunette, leaning against a fence wearing a purple blouse with green and red patterns and blue earrings in front of greenery outdoors

Julie Walton

Head of Research and Learning at Martin James Foundation, UK
A black and white outdoor photo of Katelyn James, a white long haired woman, wearing a black turtleneck and smiling.

Katelyn James

Granting & Stewardship Coordinator at Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough, Canada
Kathryn Snyder, a short haired person wearing a plaid button down shirt smiling in front of a black wall

Kathryn Snyder

Director of Programs and Initiatives at Women Donors Network, USA
Kiara Jade Marvugliom, a long-haired woman, wearing a white shirt smiling in front of buildings.

Kiara Jade Marvuglio

Engagement and Communications Lead at Fondation Botnar, Switzerland
Lucero Noyola, a long black hair woman, wearing a black long sleeved shirt smiling in an office space.

Lucero Noyola

Program Officer at Carrie Estelle Doheny Foundation, USA
Maartje Eigeman, a white brunette with bangs and blue eyes, wearing a black turtleneck and smiling.

Maartje Eigeman

Civil Movements Fund Head at Democracy and Media Foundation, Netherlands
Nurjan Estebes, a blonde asian wearing a light blue overshirt, sitting on a table with her arms crossed and smiling in front of a purple patterned background.

Nurjan Estebes

Resource Distribution Coordinator at Dalan Fund, Kyrgyzstan
Rachel Mathers, a white woman with pink hair, wearing an orange shirt and a colorful beaded necklace, in front of a white wall

Rachel Mathers

Young Start Development Manager at The National Lottery Community Fund, UK
Richard Paynter, a white man with glasses wearing a green button down shirt smiling

Richard Paynter

Head of Grants (South) at Lloyds Bank Foundation, UK
Sara Wilcox, a white blonde with short hair wearing glasses, peach lipstick, and a black blazer smiling in front of a black wall.

Sara Wilcox

Executive Director at Snow-Redfern Foundation, USA
Stephanie Imah, a black woman with braids wearing red lipstick and a white long sleeved shirt in front of greenery outdoors

Stephanie Imah

Community-centered Grantmaker at Movement Strategy Center, USA
Tessa Dugmore, a white brunette wearing red lipstick and a black shirt smiling in front of a white wall.

Tessa Dugmore

Programme Manager at The Smallwood Trust, UK

Start Well Cohort Faculty

Allistair Mallillin, a short black haired man wearing glasses and a blue shirt, smilling.

Allistair Mallillin

Consultant, Peace Development Fund, USA
Daniel Jourdan, a bald bearded man, wearing a white Tommy Jeans long-sleeve shirt in front of a building surronded by greenery

Daniel Jourdan

Camden Giving, UK
Danielle Green, a white ombré haired woman with green eyes, wearing a black turtleneck sweater

Danielle Green

Camden Giving, UK
Hannah Paterson, a white woman with tied up white hair wearing a patterned colored blouse sitting in a restaurante table.

Hannah Paterson

TransCap Initiative, Consultant, UK
Katy Love, a white black-haired woman and wearing a red blouse, smiling in front of greenery outdoors

Katy Love

Consultant, USA
Kelley Buhles, a white long haired brunette wearing a grey shirt, smiling outdoors

Kelley Buhles

Operations and Governance Consultant
Natasha Friend, a white brunette with short hair and bangs, wearing red lipstick and a black long sleeved shirt.

Natasha Friend

Camden Giving, UK
A black and white photo of Rose Longhurst, a black-haired woman, wearing a black dress and a ring in her right ring finger smiling.

Rose Longhurst

Germany
Stephanie de Wolfe, a woman with short curly hair and a nose ring, standing with her arms crossed in front of a black background. She is wearing an orange long sleeved shirt and a blue barrel bead necklace

Stephanie de Wolfe, MPH

Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, USA

Learn more

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Our curriculum:

  • PGM essentials, history, values
  • PGM frameworks, models, best practices
  • PGM evaluation, measurement and learning
  • Content curated based on the interests and needs of the group
  • Cohort peer learning sessions
  • One on one time with coaches/facilitators

Eligibility Criteria

  • You or your organization is interested in implementing participatory grantmaking practices.
  • You or your organization is in the first 3 years of experience with participatory grantmaking.
  • You are interested in exploring PGM in line with our community values.
Cartoon of a man holding an oversized green puzzle piece

Want to join?

We are excited to launch the second Cohort of our Start Well program. Fill out our Google Forms by April 28th, 2025 to express your interest in joining!

Express your interest in our 2025 cohort [Google Forms]

We will be balancing diversity of attendees (geography, gender, PGM experience, race, etc.), together with pricing sustainability, and feedback from the previous cohort to determine the final make up of our cohort.

FAQ

How can I join?

Please indicate your interest in joining the Start Well Cohort by filling out this Expression of Interest Form on Google Forms

What is the selection Criteria for StartWell?

  • You or your organization is interested in implementing participatory grantmaking practices
  • You or your organization is in the first 3 years of experience with participatory grantmaking
  • You are interested in exploring PGM in line with our community values

Am I guaranteed a spot in these cohorts if I fill in the Expression of Interest?

The PGM Community team will determine the participants of the cohorts depending on the number of applications, budget considerations, available slots, and to ensure equitable representation within the cohorts.

How long will the Cohort run for?

The StartWell cohort will run between June and December 2025.

Will these sessions be available in other than English?

The sessions will be in English since we have not received any accessibility requests. If you have any please write to us info@participatorygrantmaking.org

Will the sessions cater to different time zones?

We have members from across the globe and we are trying for find the most suitable time zone for all.

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