| As the heat begins to break and summer is showing signs of cooling, we find ourselves at a moment to pause, take stock, and celebrate all that we have accomplished together: We had a total of 107 full application submissions, that is 80% of applicants who were invited to continue to the full application round! We estimate that roughly 55 applicants were supported by nearly 25 Mentors. 34 Readers read across the LOI and Full Application phase. In the full application phase, a total of 321 application reads were conducted, meaning every single one of our applications were read by 3 different readers! 25 Finalists were selected to continue on to our final round of selection. 8 Decision Circle members came together to make final decisions, using an approach rooted in deep democracy, listening and curiosity, and bringing their full selves into the deliberation. The Decision Circle was a group of 8 community members who volunteered over 60 hours of their time in less than 2 months to review all 25 Finalist applications, interview large grant finalists, review small grant finalist videos, and make final funding decisions through a highly structured, democratic process facilitated by the Good Work Institute. The potency of the experience was in the open hearts and vulnerability shared within the group during the finalist review and decision making process. There, the group was not composed of disembodied heads making rational decisions, but rather whole selves coming to the table honestly; trusting that if they collectively can speak their truths–thoughts, feelings, and lived experiences–then together, they can make exceptionally difficult decisions. In a world where we are confronted with some of the greatest challenges of our times, it feels evermore important to practice moving through our discomfort towards collaboration, by flexing our muscles of compassionate inquiry and conversation. This is just as important as the funds we are distributing! |
| A Journey To Celebrate, Together |
| In all, over 200 people have made a mark on Kingston Common Futures’ pilot fund: bringing to life and participating in a design for a fund that has never been done before. We did it! We look forward to celebrating with all those who have played a part in our pilot fund on September 5th from 5-7:30 at 65 St. James St., where we will also announce our Finalists and Grantees! We hope you’ll come. |
| And We’re Not Done! |
| Like you, we are experiencing this fund process for the very first time. We are also reflecting and listening deeply right now, and welcome your input from the process as well as we seek to evolve the fund to better support community needs. Share your thoughts here. As we evolve our work for future fund cycles, all of our applicants from THIS fund cycle stand at the forefront of our minds and hearts. The creative, physical, and mental labor required to complete our application process was no small feat, and we believe that, while our funding this year was limited, there remains more to be offered to these projects. In the Fall, we invite all applicants together for a Commoning Exchange: an opportunity to share information, resources, and support amongst projects. Plans are still underway, so stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks! |
