“Proximity and relationships at the community level are critical to supporting and serving those that will benefit from the philanthropy.” – Tulaine Montgomery, Co-CEO New Profit.

The pandemic has prompted some philanthropies, particularly social venture philanthropies, to think about who and how urgent community needs are identified and how resources are rapidly deployed to those most in need.

Proximal leaders, those with real lived experience who come from the communities they are seeking to serve have the credibility and recognition in their communities to see and communicate community needs to funders and articulate innovative solutions.

According to Montgomery of New Profit “There was a broken loop in the space because the community, student, or entity that would benefit from the funding didn’t have any input. That’s changing some, and philanthropists are more accountable now to this.”

Proximal leaders can share authentic stories from the field with empathy and also great insight and innovation. It will be interesting to see whether a focus on proximal leaders becomes a structural shift in the landscape not just a response to the current crisis.
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