Growing Community through Participatory Grantmaking: Perspectives on Piloting an Equity-Driven Granting Scheme with Community Gardens in Rural North Carolina

There is a range of approaches to ceding decision-making power and financial authority in collaborations between communities and academic institutions. One method is participatory grantmaking, defined as a form of granting that decentralizes decision-making by involving the community in funding decisions. Each participatory grantmaking process requires deliberate planning to prioritize the expertise and abilities of the potential grantees. This manuscript details our team’s journey in designing and moderating a form of participatory grantmaking called network voting within an established group of community-based partners. Through process evaluation, we identify lessons learned and discuss opportunities to amend our process to inform future rounds as we continue to design granting schemes that prioritize the voice of those invited to apply.