How+can+foundations+support+networks?


 * //How can foundations support networks?//**

There are a range of supports that foundations can provide to enable effective network growth and development. The list below captures some commonly funded activities, lined up against the life cycle stage when this type of support might be especially helpful.



//When trying to understand / know existing networks, support://
 * Mapping—of social networks, of issues, of funding flows

//When knitting networks, support://
 * Network weaving: one or multiple people who are dedicated to making and strengthening connections throughout the network.
 * Network in-person connectivity: gathering space, travel, food, and coordination costs; facilitation.
 * Network on-line connectivity: online infrastructure, network technology stewards (someone who facilitates use of technology to share information, coordinate or learn together).

//When organizing or growing networks, support the ‘knitting networks’ activities, plus://
 * Network strategy development.
 * Core funding (e.g. ongoing maintenance of infrastructure, staff salaries).
 * Innovation funds (support for small projects emerging from the network).
 * Evaluation and building network capacity for ongoing learning and adaptation.

//When transforming or transiting networks, support://
 * Evaluation and network strategy development.

Grantmakers in the Network of Network Funders have encountered a fundamental challenge when supporting networks: there is oftentimes a lack of understanding of networks on the part of both the network participants / leaders and the TA providers. The common impulse is to apply what is known about organizational effectiveness to the network context, resulting, potentially, in more harm than good. Therefore, in addition to supporting the work of individual networks, there is also a need for investment in field building—spreading knowledge of what networks are and their social impact potential, and building the capacity of TA providers who serve and hope to serve networks.

The movement to support and prioritize nonprofit organizational effectiveness gained momentum in the 1990s, and in the process, the bar was raised for nonprofit leaders and TA providers. We’re at a similar moment with network effectiveness. There is a growing momentum for understanding and supporting networks as a pathway to impact. In order to deliver on this promise, capacity builders and social change leaders will have to build their own capacity to understand, support, and participate in networks.

A few considerations for grantmakers to keep in mind when supporting networks:
 * Consider why you and the type of funding you do might be well suited—or not—to network creation and engagement.
 * Seek out a neutral and/or trusted entity who can receive and distribute funds (when there is no existing hub).
 * Be aware of your impact—the impact of power and money—on the network.
 * Recognize that not all networks need to be sustained. Temporary collaborations can have large impact.
 * Recognize that not all networks need to scale. Small can be good, though isolation is not.