In 2005, Philanthropist Charlotte Wagner had a vision as she established her family's foundation in Boston, Massachusetts. Wagner Foundation would work to build just and robust community across the globe by way of engaging with organizations that focussed on improving health equity, increasing economic mobility, expanding institutional fairness, and striving for cultural transformation. After spending the first few years focused on local organizations, the foundation expanded its lens outside of the U.S. Wagner chose first to get out in the field, traveling to listen and learn in countries she had never before visited. Her focus in the early days? Improving health equity and ensuring healthcare for all.
"We started with a vision to improve health care yet as we traveled and really connected with communities at the grassroots, we realized that there were complex dynamics that led to health care being inaccessible."
Complex dynamics were what led Wagner to see the role that underlying, harmful social norms played in ensuring her funding focus, accessible, quality health care, could truly be achieved. "Some may look at our foundation now and say that we became broad and general after those travels but in many ways, we are finally impacting the focus area we began with. We learned that it would become important for us to take an expansive view if we really sought to have lasting philanthropic impact. The most innovative thing we thought we could do was seek to invest holistically, eradicating harmful social norms and setting ourselves up to be funders that make a difference. We would make this difference by having honest conversations with partners and choosing to invest in the overall wellbeing of a community, not just a set of outcomes related to health."
Wagner's approach has taken on a framework over the years, now referenced within the organization as 'Do, Learn, Share'. This framework has given their grantee partners the chance to establish best practices for long term impact and not just the ability to execute programs that deliver a set of targeted outcomes. Wagner Foundation's Program Director, Caroline Hart, points out a difference here. "We want our resources to be used well, to make a lasting impact. And true impact takes time and consistency. The 'Learn and Share' aspect of what we do ensures that our initial investment leads to the establishment of best practices and further encourages collaboration amongst NGOs. Encouraging collaboration is deeply important to us and a great, somewhat unexpected, impact of our approach to philanthropy."
One grantee of the Wagner Foundation, Root Capital, has benefitted immensely from their partnership. As one of the first organizations to recognize the impact potential of small and growing agricultural enterprises—like coffee cooperatives or farmer associations—that connect farmers in Latin America, Africa, and Asia to global markets, Root Capital pioneered a credit-plus-capacity model that pairs lending with essential skills-building to support the growth of these businesses. In the process, they have improved incomes and opportunities for more than 5.9 million people—all in the world's most remote, marginalized communities.
And as a revolutionary vehicle for change, Root Capital needs the right partners who understand the risks-and opportunities-of its mission. Risks, that according to development team member Jessica Lee, require deep relationships and the openness to have honest conversations with funders and partners. Honest conversations that require funding partners who are giving back to learn and grow themselves.
In 2018, Root Capital had begun the process of scaling its Gender Equity Grants program, an innovative small grants program designed to help agricultural enterprises strengthen women's inclusion and leadership, progressing from the pilot in Kenya to a second set of clients in Peru. The pilot and the expansion were being funded by Wagner Foundation. With the grant nearing its end, it became clear that the implementation process in Peru was taking longer than planned--clients had less baseline understanding of gender equity, and the switch of industries from agro-processors (in Kenya) to coffee cooperatives in Peru brought different gender dynamics that had to be accounted for. The team determined they'd need another six months to spend the funds, but, more importantly, to proceed thoughtfully with an eye to maximum impact. When briefed on this update, the Wagner Foundation team not only took it in stride--they asked Root Capital to try to learn even more about what wasn't working and keep them posted. Lee shares, "The cultural differences we were encountering were just as interesting to their team as it was to us--we were committed to learning together. There wasn't even a question about whether the no cost extension was a reasonable request. We got to keep impact and client needs at the center--where they belong."
Fearless funders like Charlotte Wagner are revolutionizing philanthropy. They are bringing humanity back to the forefront of giving and they are willing to take risks if it means they can learn how to better serve the communities they care about. Wagner says it best to donors who seek to serve: " Follow your fire because it is what will motivate you time and time again. Seek to understand the root causes related to the issue you hope to address. Then, get ready to learn your heart out alongside your partners. It's time we walk alongside each other in this work."
