GEL allowed us to build a strong foundation centered on relationships, which will set us up for success as we move forward in our organizing efforts. I appreciated the space to learn, share, and have fun without sacrificing any of the program’s core elements. I enjoyed listening to the various practices and approaches, as it gave me a lot to consider and bring back to my work.
Global Engagement Lab (GEL)
The Global Engagement Lab is a 9-months training program for progressive funders and grant makers that have an interest in deepening their understanding of systemic change and systemic alternatives in grantmaking as well as embarking on a journey of personal transformation with a cohort of others on a similar journey. The program focuses on three key areas so far: deepening knowledge of systemic crises, fostering personal transformation, exploring what it means to be a “funder organizer.”
What are the Goals of the GEL
- Deepen knowledge of the contours of systemic crises and explore movement responses to these crises;
- Foster personal transformation and co-create tailored strategies to leverage shifts in participants’ organizations;
- Explore what it means to be a “funder organizer” and advance systemic change across the field.
Apply here! Applications close on May 4th.
About GEL 6
Organizing Funders Toward Systemic Change
September 2026 – June 2027
There is a growing tension inside philanthropy. Many of us speak about justice, systems change, and solidarity, yet when conversations turn to power, capital, and risk, the ground becomes less steady. We sense the limits of traditional grantmaking, but changing institutional practice feels complex, political, and often personal. GEL 6 is for funders who recognize that tension and want to work through it collectively.
The Global Engagement Lab 6 is a nine month learning journey for progressive funders and grantmakers who want to move beyond values alignment and toward organized, strategic action. This is not a technical training on improving grant processes. It is a space to examine philanthropy itself as a site of power and to explore what it would mean to organize from within it.
Specifically, GEL 6 aims to:
- Support funders to reimagine their role as active agents of change within philanthropy, capable of organizing internally and collectively to shift institutional and sectoral practices.
- Build the knowledge, skills, and political clarity needed to engage with power, capital, and narrative as central terrains of systems change.
- Strengthen participants’ ability to apply organizing principles at the personal, organizational, and systemic levels, recognizing the interconnectedness of individuals and communities across global contexts.
- Move beyond values alignment and technical grantmaking toward sustained, strategic practices that link values to action and support long-term movement-led change.
Who is this for?
GEL 6 is intended for mid career and above funders and grantmakers who already recognize the limits of traditional philanthropy and have some room to influence their institutions. It is for those willing to engage deeply with peers, grapple honestly with power, and experiment with new forms of collective action inside the sector.
This is not an introductory philanthropy course. It is a learning space for practitioners ready to treat philanthropy as a political actor capable of change. If you want to explore how to build power rather than simply move resources, we invite you to apply.
What You Will Explore
GEL 6 is designed as a cohort journey grounded in four interconnected areas of inquiry.
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Personal Thresholds and Political Clarity
We begin with the individual, not for introspection alone, but because institutional change is shaped by personal thresholds. Participants reflect on positionality within systems of power and capital, and consider what they are willing to risk, what feels non negotiable, and how comfort, fear, or loyalty influence decision making. This grounding supports clearer, more accountable leadership.
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Funder Organizing
Rather than seeing ourselves only as supporters of movements, we explore what it means to act as organizers within philanthropy. Participants engage organizing principles such as base building, shared analysis, collective strategy, and long term power building, and consider how these practices might be applied inside foundations and across networks. The focus is on moving beyond rhetorical alignment toward sustained institutional shifts.
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Systems Change, Capital and Narrative
GEL 6 centers systemic power analysis. Participants engage frameworks such as Just Transition, Buen Vivir, feminist and critical race theories of change, and other movement rooted approaches to understanding global crises and alternatives. We examine money and narrative as terrains of struggle, drawing from movement campaigns and strategies to better understand how capital can be organized, not simply distributed.
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Time, Discipline and Resilience
Movements succeed not only because of vision, but because of endurance. This pillar invites reflection on long term strategy, institutional memory, leadership development, and collective care. We also make space to work through difference, conflict, and uncertainty with political clarity and resilience, recognizing that transformation requires discipline over time.
Pedagogical approach
GEL 6 is built on the understanding that personal, collective, and systemic transformation are interconnected and mutually reinforcing. Reflective practice is embedded throughout the program, alongside applied systems and power analysis. Participants are supported to integrate learning across levels, develop strategies responsive to real-world constraints, and work through challenges collectively.
The GEL cohort functions as a supportive and rigorous learning space where participants are expected to engage deeply, share experiences, and learn from one another, as well as from movement practitioners. This collective inquiry is central to developing the clarity, discipline, and solidarity required for long-term systemic change.
In Relationship With Others
GEL exists within a broader ecosystem of funder organizing and political education spaces. We are not alone in this work, and we do not see it as a marketplace of competition. There are programs such as the Justice Funders Funder Organizing Institute and the Thousand Currents Academy that also support funders in deepening political alignment and accountability to movements. We respect and learn from these efforts.
Rather than competing, we see these spaces as complementary. Participants often benefit from engaging in more than one political education space over the course of their careers. We encourage funders to find the space that resonates most with their context and readiness.
What makes GEL 6 distinct
GEL 6 offers a politically grounded learning space that treats philanthropy itself as a site of organizing.
- Participants leave with:
- Greater clarity about their personal leverage and limits
- Practical insights into applying organizing principles within philanthropic institutions
- Exposure to movement strategies rarely discussed candidly in funder spaces
- A shared analytical framework for long-term alignment and sector-wide influence
GEL 6 is designed for funders who understand that supporting justice requires more than funding good work. It requires a willingness to be changed by the movements philanthropy hopes to support.
General Structure
- In person retreat I: Will be held in September in Mexico either week of September 7th, week of September 14th or week of September 21st.
- Workshops online: On selected topics relevant to the curriculum and participants
- Monthly cohort check ins: For community building, and Space for cohorts to ideate, share experiences, learnings&challenges
- In person retreat II: Will be held in 2027 (exact time and location TBC)
Please note that some activities might not be listed and might be added later, this is a general overview of key areas of work and roughly when they will be. Details may vary when work starts and can be shaped by participants.
| 2026 | |
|---|---|
| March- April | Applications open |
| May | Cohort finalized |
| June | Welcome, get to know each other virtual meeting |
| July | Coordination for retreat travel | Virtual check-in: get to know others more deeply |
| August | Coordination for retreat travel | Agenda walk through with cohort on zoom |
| September | First retreat in Mexico |
| October | Virtual Workshop 1 |
| November | End of Year virtual check-in |
| 2027 | |
| January | Virtual Workshop 2 |
| February | Coordination for retreat travel |
| March | Virtual Workshop 3 |
| April | Coordination for retreat travel | Agenda walk through with cohort on zoom |
| May | Retreat 2 in either Morocco, Senegal or Kenya | EDGE Conference |
| June | Closing virtual reflections and next steps for the cohort engagement through EDGE |
Virtual meetings will be scheduled at 2pm UTC
PROGRAM FEES
Fees are discounted for EDGE members. If you would like to explore membership, reach out!
EDGE Members Rates:
- Solidarity Discounted Rate: $3,500 – This is for EDGE members with an annual budget of under US$1 million
- Full Cost: $5,000 – This is for EDGE members with an annual budget above US$1-2 million.
- Redistribution Rate: $6,500 – This is for EDGE members with an annual budget above US$2 million
Non-members Rates:
- Solidarity Discounted Rate: $4,000 – This is for organizations with an annual budget of under US$1 million
- Full Cost: $5,500 – This is for organizations with an annual budget above US$1-2 million.
- Redistribution Rate: $7,000– This is for organizations with an annual budget above US$2 million
Fees cover all expenses excluding flights.
Lead Facilitators
The program will be facilitated by Bridget Brehen and Hana ElSafoury, and will feature guest speakers from a range of global movements and philanthropic organizations. Additional speakers will be announced soon.
FAQ
“I’ve gained confidence, camaraderie, frameworks, resources, and support, which have already shifted my approach to my work, and have helped me open up really important conversations within my institution.” – GEL Participant
- GEL focuses both on theoretical frames and concrete examples of systemic alternatives from around the world, combining intellectual/academic, political/historical and cultural/personal education with practical skills building.
- It facilitates “deep dives” into civil society work on the ground while experimenting with funding methods that meet the challenges of supporting systemic change.
- The GEL’s curriculum places emphasis on three tiers of transformation: personal, organizational, and field-wide transformations that are needed to enact a philanthropy for systemic change.
“I now have a new family — peers but also friends, who care about changing the system and understand how to support each other in doing it.” – GEL Participant
- A community! GEL graduates considently share that the community aspect of this program is what helps them to push their own edges as funder organizations both within their organizations and in the field.
- Participation in two in-person retreats and virtual group work with a cohort of deeply engaged funder organizers, social movement partners and facilitators from around the world.
- Opportunities to shape the future of systemic change philanthropy by curating content that will be widely disseminated to the field of philanthropy.
- An invaluable inside exploration of organizing tactics, mentored by movement leaders and a community of like-minded colleagues to help you put your learnings into practice.
- An opportunity to help inform EDGE’s strategies and programs, so we can better organize our wider philanthropic community.
Two In-person Retreats
- Opening Retreat
- Closing Retreat
Virtual gatherings
- Monthly Check-ins
- Deep-dives with GEL advisor(s) and EDGE team
- Readings and resources
- Peer-to-peer support
Times for virtual meetings are usually at 2pm UTC.
Outside of the retreats cohort participants can expect to spend between 2-4 hours a month engaging with GEL programming.
Fees are discounted for EDGE members. If you would like to explore membership, reach out!
MEMBERS Solidarity Discounted Rate: $3,500 – This is for EDGE members with an annual budget of under US$1 million MEMBERS Full Cost: $5,000 – This is for EDGE members with an annual budget above US$1-2 million. MEMBERS Redistribution Rate: $6,500 – This is for EDGE members with an annual budget above US$2 million
NON-MEMBERS Solidarity Discounted Rate: $4,000 – This is for organizations with an annual budget of under US$1 million NON-MEMBERS Full Cost: $5,500 – This is for organizations with an annual budget above US$1-2 million. NON-MEMBERS Redistribution Rate: $7,000– This is for organizations with an annual budget above US$2 million
Fees cover all expenses excluding flights.
Benefits of the GEL last much longer than 6 months! All graduates join the GEL Family, our version of an alumni network, but…more familial! GEL Family Reunion Retreats meet every year in conjunction with the EDGE Annual Conference, ensuring as many participants as possible from each GEL cohort can meet, collaborate and continue to build within our field. For 2021 we don’t yet know if we’ll be able to meet in person but regardless, we’re still planning some exciting GEL Family activities and engagements rolling out in the next year!
To learn more about who is in our GEL Family (our past cohorts) click here.
“I now have a new family — peers but also friends, who care about changing the system and understand how to support each other in doing it.” GEL Participant
Do you have any questions about the Global Engagement Lab? Feel free to reach out to Hana ElSafoury